49ers weren’t perfect, but plenty good enough to top shorthanded Giants-ZoomTech News

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers pulled out a 30-12 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday evening, and whereas the 49ers might not have seemed unbeatable, they did greater than sufficient to deal with a banged-up opponent.

The Giants saved hanging round till the fourth quarter, when the Niners put it away late. Here is what to learn about every crew’s efficiency:

San Francisco 49ers

It wasn’t at all times fairly, and it wasn’t as simple as the ultimate rating would possibly point out, however the 49ers took care of enterprise.

On a brief week, the Niners, with out injured receiver Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder), labored by means of the win. Whereas the Giants had been short-handed of their second sport of a West Coast swing, there is no want for the 49ers to apologize for an additional victory as San Francisco moved to 3-0 for simply the second time prior to now 25 years.

But when this win taught something, it is that Aiyuk’s worth to the Niners shouldn’t be discounted. The Giants entered this sport having blitzed greater than any crew within the league for the reason that begin of 2022. They lived as much as that fame, relentlessly sending additional rushers at 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

These blitzes had been efficient within the first half, not solely in pressuring Purdy however in inflicting him to be off course and forcing Niners coach Kyle Shanahan to resort to extra screens and fast passes as a substitute of the intermediate routes he typically prefers.

That’s the place Aiyuk would have made a distinction. Relationship to the beginning of final season, Aiyuk has 50 catches (tied for eighth within the NFL) for 679 yards (tied for ninth) towards man protection. No one on the Niners extra constantly and shortly beats man protection than Aiyuk.

Within the second half, fellow wideout Deebo Samuel (six catches for 129 yards and a landing) and tight finish George Kittle (seven receptions for 90 yards) helped decide up the slack, and the Niners protection dominated the Giants.

To make sure, the 49ers did the fitting factor protecting Aiyuk, whom they’d wish to signal to a contract extension within the offseason, out Thursday evening so he can use the additional relaxation to get wholesome for the lengthy haul. However his absence also needs to solely bolster how a lot they worth him for the remainder of this season. And past.

QB breakdown: With defenders always in his face, Purdy had a little bit of an odd evening, although his last numbers turned out fairly good. Purdy completed 25 of 37 for 310 yards with two touchdowns for a passer score of 111.3. Purdy put the ball in hurt’s means a handful of instances and was lucky to keep away from turnovers within the first half, however he was excellent on third down and got here on late within the sport. It wasn’t his finest efficiency, however Purdy is now one in all solely 4 quarterbacks to begin a profession with at the least eight straight common season wins within the Tremendous Bowl Period (since 1966).

Purdy was blitzed on 74% of his dropbacks, the best blitz price confronted by a QB with 30 dropbacks since Colin Kaepernick in 2013 (88% vs Cardinals). The 29 blitzes Purdy confronted had been greater than double his earlier excessive (14). Purdy’s 236 passing yards towards the blitz had been essentially the most by a passer since Aaron Rodgers in 2021.

Troubling pattern: The Niners entered the evening tied for the fifth-most penalties within the league and did nothing to assuage these considerations towards the Giants. San Francisco completed with six penalties for 71 yards, together with two for 37 yards that arrange New York’s first landing of the sport.

Eye-popping stat: After scoring on a four-yard run within the first half, Niners working again Christian McCaffrey now has a landing in 12 consecutive video games (together with playoffs), tying him with Jerry Rice for the longest streak in franchise historical past. Lenny Moore has the file for many consecutive video games with a TD — together with playoffs — at 17. — Nick Wagoner

Subsequent sport: vs. Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Oct. 1)

New York Giants

This wasn’t a no-contest just like the 40-0 opening loss to Dallas. The shorthanded Giants hung round Thursday evening, protecting it inside a rating into the fourth quarter.

Finally, the Giants could not beat the extra proficient 49ers, particularly with a pair bounces and expensive penalties going towards them. But it surely wasn’t for an absence of effort. The Giants would’ve needed to play an ideal sport with a purpose to win on the street in prime time with out 4 starters (working again Saquon Barkley, left deal with Andrew Thomas, left guard Ben Bredeson and out of doors linebacker Azeez Ojulari). They did not, as anticipated.

It now places a premium on the Monday, Oct. 2 house sport towards the Seattle Seahawks, a sport New York was maybe eyeing. That was at all times the one these Giants wanted to win with a purpose to survive this early gauntlet. Splitting their West Coast journey (win at Arizona, loss at San Francisco) is hardly debilitating.

Pivotal play: The roughing-the-passer penalty on Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams with 1:51 left within the second quarter. San Francisco had a third-and-12 whereas main 10-3 on the Giants’ 20-yard line with just below two minutes remaining within the half. Williams beat his man and hit Purdy because the ball was launched. The penalty possible was referred to as as a result of Williams landed on Purdy with all his weight. It was a game-changing name as a result of it gave San Francisco a first-and-goal as a substitute of a fourth down. McCaffrey ran it in for a six-yard landing on the very subsequent play to make it 17-3.

Daring prediction for subsequent week: The Giants play on Monday evening, and that offers Barkley and his excessive ankle sprain one other 11 days to get proper. However … he nonetheless will not be prepared. We have seen this story earlier than. Barkley at all times needs to play and pushes to get again prior to anticipated. Nevertheless, it is in his — and the crew’s — finest curiosity for the standout working again to get proper earlier than returning.

Eye-popping stat: The 49ers transformed a third-and-15 and third-and-13 on display screen passes on the identical drive within the second quarter. It ended with a nine-yard landing go to Ronnie Bell and a 10-3 lead. There have been 25 display screen passes tried on third-and-10+ the primary two weeks of the season. Just one was transformed for a primary down, till Thursday evening. — Jordan Raanan

Subsequent sport: vs. Seahawks (8:15 p.m. ET, Oct. 2)