Sacramento, California In one part of the game on Thursday night, a Giants club playing against a 49ers roster laden with talent, it was conceivable to find some inspiration. In the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Giants had fought and clawed their way to within one point, 17-12.
It had the same feel as the past season’s overachieving Giants, who would play teams for just long enough to snag a win. The Giants of this year, though, haven’t exactly been magical. The 49ers scored the next 13 points to take the lead and win easily 30-12. San Francisco dominated, as evidenced by the box score, which showed a lead of 441 to 150 total yards, a lead of 26 to 10 first downs, and a lead of 39:10 to 20:50 in time of possession.
Yes, the Giants were without outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring), left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), running back Saquon Barkley (ankle), and left guard Ben Bredeson (concussion). But the Giants received a sobering reminder that they haven’t caught up to the NFC’s top teams for the second time in three weeks.
With the exception of a stirring comeback victory over the Cardinals in Week 2, the Giants have been utterly outmatched this year. In their two defeats against the Cowboys and 49ers, they were outscored 70-12. A Giants club that made significant efforts to enhance the roster that was destroyed 38-7 by the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round last season wasn’t meant to have these kinds of lopsided games.
Close end There has been a lot of football that, in the opinion of Darren Waller and myself, is not deserving of our best efforts and what we are capable of fans, the organization deserve. Given that they played two road games in a five-day span, the Giants have some time to nurse their wounds. The Seahawks will be their opponent in their following game on Monday Night Football on October 2. With trips to Miami and Buffalo coming up after that, that game is crucial.
“We can start getting ready for the Seahawks and concentrate on winning at home. We didn’t carry out that in Week 1. That, in my opinion, is a terrific way to generate some momentum.
Here are three lessons learned from the defeat:
Completely hopeless
It wasn’t going to go well having a shoddy offensive line up against one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. With an offensive strategy that required maximum protection only to execute short passes, the Giants were absolutely helpless.Daniel Jones, the quarterback, completed just 22 of his 32 passes for 137 yards, a pitiful 4.3 yards per attempt. Only 2 of Jones’s 7 passes that were completed went more than 10 yards in the air. His completions travelled 3.7 yards in the air on average.
When the Giants did have opportunity to advance the ball, Jones and his receivers were unable to make a catch. Waller missed a slant late in the first half that would have been a significant gain. Waller only managed three catches for 20 yards. To make the halftime score 17-6, the Giants ultimately opted for a field goal.
The Giants’ final hope came on third-and-11 from a clean pocket when Jones air-mailed a crossing pass to an open Waller. The Giants were compelled to punt because they were down 23-12, and San Francisco immediately drove for a score to win the game.
Coach Brian Daboll remarked, “I think it was a little bit high,” adding, “It was over-thrown.”
Because the Giants’ whole game plan was based on containing San Francisco’s fierce pass rush, Jones was only sacked twice. On almost every pass play, the Giants kept tight end Daniel Bellinger in to block. They occasionally kept Waller with them as well. The current NFL defensive player of the year, Nick Bosa, was triple-teamed by the Giants on certain plays, yet he still managed to get through to pressure Jones.
Running back Matt Breida said of the athlete, “He’s a once-in-a-generation player. We tried our utmost to neutralize him because he produced issues. I believe we’ll have a better game plan for when we play him again.
Going down swinging
Purdy was made uncomfortable by the aggressive approach, but Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers play caller, rang up efficient responses. On a second-quarter touchdown drive, the 49ers completed a pair of laborious third-and-long screens. In the first half, the 49ers converted 7 out of 10 third downs. Purdy finished 25 of his 37 attempts for 310 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks.
Adoree’ Jackson, a cornerback, stated, “We didn’t execute.” We made poor tackles. That was it, exactly. We had third-and-long scenarios with them. We simply avoided. We failed to complete our tasks.
It was a formula for catastrophe when the 49ers’ explosive skill players were combined with the Giants’ shoddy tackling. Tackling tight end George Kittle (seven catches for 90 yards) and wide receiver Deebo Samuel (six catches, 129 yards, one score) is comparable to wresting alligators, and the Giants weren’t up to the task. After the reception, the 49ers picked up 215 of their 310 passing yards.
Injury update
Wan’Dale Robinson, a wide receiver with the Giants, made a lineup comeback 10 months after tearing his ACL. On the Giants’ opening drive, Robinson had a first-down reception on third-and-4 for a total of 21 yards on four catches. In his debut, Robinson was limited to a certain number of pitches, but his workload should continue to rise.
After receiving a knee to the upper arm, Banks left the game before halftime. The newcomer stated that an MRI was planned for him for Friday. Banks has now been unable to complete two of his first three games after leaving the first one with cramps just before halftime.