Giants Team Grades: Week 6 vs. San Francisco 49ers

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Final Score: New York Giants: 26 San Francisco 49ers: 3

Giants Team Grades

The Giants headed into San Francisco with no one giving them a chance and left with many people believing that they might be the best team in the NFL.  The Giants went into Candlestick Park and destroyed the 49ers in every facet of the game, leading to a dominating 26-3 victory.  The Giants came into the game prepared and ready to go, evident by how every unit of the squad was clicking on all cylinders.

Passing Offense Grade: A

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Eli Manning did not put up otherworldly stats, but it wasn’t necessary on this afternoon.  Manning completed 15 of 28 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown.  What was important was that Manning did not turn the ball over at all.  The offensive line was also able to keep Manning clean and upright, as the 49ers were unable to register a sack against the Giants quarterback.
Hakeem Nicks returned for the first time since week 2 and was visibly limited.  He did not have the burst or speed he normally has, but gutted it out.  Nicks even made an impressive catch along the sidelines in the second quarter, making the catch despite a pass interference call.

Domenik Hixon and Victor Cruz again were the biggest beneficiaries in the receiving game.  Hixon made receptions of 39 and 16 yards on the Giants first touchdown drive, putting the Giants in position for Manning to hit Cruz with an eight yard pass for the touchdown. Hixon ended the game with 78 yards receiving on four receptions and Cruz finished with 58 yards on six receptions.

Rushing Offense Grade: A+

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Ahmad Bradshaw continued his role as the bell cow for the Giants running game and he responded in a big way against one of the top defenses in the NFL.  Bradshaw ran for 116 yards and a touchdown against a 49ers defense that just does not allow 100 yard rushers.  Only Marshawn Lynch has ran for 100 yards or more against the 49ers in their last 44 games, making this week’s feat more impressive in the minds of many people than his career high 200 yard rushing game against the Browns the week prior.

The offensive line dominated at the point of attack, opening up big holes for Bradshaw to gash the 49ers defense.  David Diehl made his return this week and made the most of his return as an extra blocker as head coach Tom Coughlin opted to keep Sean Locklear and Will Beatty at the tackles.

David Wilson also saw an expanded role in the offense and made the most of the opportunity.  Wilson had seven rush attempts for 35 yards, ripping off a 20 yard back-breaking run in the fourth quarter to help put away the 49ers.

Pass Defense Grade: A+

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The Giants were able to get into the head of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, throwing him off his game and causing numerous mistakes made as the Giants intercepted Smith three times.  Antrel Rolle had two of those interceptions and Prince Amukamara had the other. 

The pass rush, which had been non-existent all season, finally showed up as the Giants totaled six sacks for the game.  Jason Pierre-Paul led the onslaught with two sacks.  Mathias Kiwanuka, who also tallied a sack, was played up front more and less at linebacker, a trend that may continue with the success the Giants had against the 49ers.

Rush Defense Grade: A

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The mission of the Giants defense was to shut down the running game of the 49ers and make them a passing team. The 49ers are the top rushing team in the NFL, averaging 178.6 yards per game, so the task is easier said than done.

The Giants made it looked much easier than it actually was, as the defense shut down 49ers running back Frank Gore, holding him to only 30 rushing yards and allowing 80 total rushing yards.

This was an area that was important for the Giants to dominate because with no run game, the 49ers became one-dimensional and easy to pick apart.  It also allowed the Giants to dominate the time of possession, enabling to have Manning and the offense on the field while the defense rested up.

Special Teams Grade: A-

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Lawrence Tynes had one of his field goal attempts blocked, but knocked his other four attempts through the uprights, giving Tynes a very solid 17 field goals made out of 19, with his only misses being the block in this game and the 54 yarder missed against the Eagles.

Wilson continued his strong performance as the kick returner, ripping off a 66-yard return right after halftime to put the Giants in position to add to their lead right out of the break and crush the spirits of the 49ers. 

The Giants coverage teams were great also, as they held the electric and dangerous Ted Ginn to only 22 punt return yards.

Coaching Grade: A+

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Tom Coughlin did it once again; getting his team up for a big game against an elite opponent.  Coughlin set the tone from after the Browns game, saying that no one gave the Giants a real chance of going into San Francisco and beating the 49ers.

The coordinators, Perry Fewell on defense and Kevin Gilbride on offense, also deserve a lot of credit.  Fewell made the necessary adjustments to spark a pass rush that had been dormant the whole season before Sunday and Gilbride stuck to the game plan even faced with going against a defense as imposing as the 49ers.

This was the epitome of a team win, as every unit was clicking on all cylinders and the Giants parlayed that into a steamrolling of one of the top teams in the NFL.

Giants Dominate NFC Championship Game Re-Match

Sunday, October 13^th 2012

Post-Game Recap

Final Score: New York Giants: 26 San Francisco 49ers: 3

Giants Dominate NFC Championship Game Re-Match

Tom Coughlin came into the week proclaiming that no one believed the Giants could beat the 49ers, not giving his team any chance of winning in San Francisco against the team many considered the best in the NFL.  Someone forgot to tell Coughlin, his staff and players because the Giants decimated the 49ers in their own house to the tune of a 26-3 whooping. 

The Giants had not played the strongest of schedules thus far, but limped out to a 3-2 record and wanted to try their hand against a contender; the 49ers wish that the Giants had not.  The Giants reminded everyone who the reigning Super Bowl Champions are and just how great of a team they are when it matters most.

The Giants made a statement in this game, even though it was the 49ers who were supposed to be out to exact revenge and take it to the Giants, especially since the game was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. 

Eli Manning had an efficient game behind an offensive line that kept him upright for most of the game, as the 49ers were unable to sack Manning.  Manning completed 15 of 28 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown.  Manning totaled 176 of those yards in the first half, as the Giants used a pounding run game to finish off the 49ers in the second half.

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Ahmad Bradshaw once again led a very solid run game for the Giants, giving them a dimension on offense they have lacked for over a season.  Bradshaw ran for 116 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown, amazing statistics because the 49ers have one of the top rush defense and overall defenses in the NFL, giving up under 100 rushing yards a game and only 187 through the air.

David Wilson is becoming more of a frequent site on the field during offensive possessions and he is making the most of his opportunity.  Wilson relieved Bradshaw and received seven carries for 35 yards, delivering a back-breaking 20 yard run on a seven-plus minute drive by the Giants to finish off the game in the fourth quarter.

Hakeem Nicks returned to the lineup for the Giants, catching three balls for 44 yards, but it was his replacement Domenik Hixon who once again played a big role for the Giants.  Hixon caught four balls for 78 yards, taking advantage of the third cornerback the 49ers were using and putting the Giants into position for their first touchdown of the afternoon.

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Victor Cruz was solid as always for the Giants, catching six passes for 58 yards and one touchdown, delivering his patented Salsa dance for the 49er crowd.  As the game went on, the chants of “Cruz” became louder and louder as the Giant fans started to take over.

The defense has been called out and questioned over the past few weeks and they showed up Sunday afternoon, showing some of that Super Bowl swagger they had been missing.  “How will they slow down Vernon Davis,” naysayers asked, yet that’s exactly what they did.  Davis, who destroyed the Giants en route to scoring three touchdowns in two games last season, was held to three catches for 37 yards and was invisible when the 49ers needed him most.

Alex Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, no chance the Giants slow him down people said.  The Giants destroyed Smith Sunday, rattling him early and getting into his head with hit after hit. 

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The Giants pass rush had been non-existent throughout the season thus far, but they showed up just in time for this big matchup.  The Giants accumulated six sacks, led by two from Jason Pierre-Paul.  This constant pressure on Smith got him off his game, as he threw three interceptions.

Antrel Rolle was responsible for two of those interceptions, with Prince Amukamara getting the other.  Those interceptions are significant because Smith has become a very good protector of the ball, rarely turning it over, even setting the 49ers franchise record for passes in a row without an interception.

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The Giants defense was also able to hold the vaunted 49ers rushing offense in check, not allowing them to break the century mark and limiting them to 87 yards, holding them 89 yards under their normal output of 176 yards per game.

These are the kind of wins that are staples of long winning streaks and the Giants looked poised to start one of their own.  Sitting on two wins in a row, the Giants head into two straight divisional match-ups with a ton of momentum.  The first of those match-ups is Sunday afternoon back at MetLife Stadium as the Giants will face off against Robert Griffin III for the first time.  The Giants will look to beat the Redskins for their first division win of the season.