With the buzz surrounding the Giants’ 24-20 win over the Patriots dying down, it is time for Tom Coughlin’s team to turn its focus to the 49ers.
Any time you beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, especially at their place, it is worth celebrating, but the Giants must not rest on their laurels as they travel cross-country to face a 7-1 San Francisco team that features playmakers on both sides.
The Giants come into Sunday’s game at 6-2, with wins over the Patriots, Bills and Eagles, but they have yet to face a challenge quite like the 49ers.
With RB Ahmad Bradshaw’s status in question, the Giants will head to the Bay Area with Brandon Jacobs, D.J. Ware and the NFL’s 29th ranked rushing offense (88.8 yards per game). San Francisco’s defense, led by star linebacker Patrick Willis allows 70.8 ypg rushing to opposing defenses, best in the NFL.
With that, the Giants will again need to depend on QB Eli Manning to carry the offense like he has all season. Manning will need to rely heavily on his receivers to exploit a San Francisco secondary that allows 255.1 ypg through the air and is susceptible to the big play, allowing seven of 40 or more yards through the air (third worst in the NFL).
The pressure does not fall solely on Manning’s shoulders, however. The Giants defense will need to stop one of the league’s elite running backs, Frank Gore, who may be the biggest offensive threat on either team.
Gore’s 782 rushing yards put him fifth in the NFL and has San Francisco’s rushing offense ranked sixth overall. Gore is riding a streak of five straight 100-yard games and has scored a touchdown in four of them.
Stopping Gore and San Francisco’s run game will be key to the Giants’ success Sunday and they will need a much better performance from their defense, which despite their ability to pass rush, has been putrid defending against the run, allowing 127.1 ypg (25th in the NFL).
In many ways, the 49ers game will hold more weight than last Sunday’s win over New England. As the season progresses, the Giants, currently the third seed in the NFC, will likely be battling San Francisco for home-field advantage and a first-round bye in the playoffs. A win Sunday can bring the Giants and 49ers to a virtual tie, with the tiebreaker going to the Giants (head-to-head record).
Beating the Patriots is nice, but a win against 49ers could turn out to be the Giants’ biggest victory of the season.
