The 49ers pulled out the win to start Week 3 of the NFL season. NFLand can now relax and enjoy some well-deserved days off with a 30-12 win over the New York Giants.
San Francisco Outperformed New York
According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, the team did an excellent job Thursday night as his team cruised to a 30-12 win over the Giants at Levi's Stadium.
They are also happy to have spent the short week relatively healthy and not rushed in their preparation for Week 4 to face the Arizona Cardinals.
As was the case in their wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers, the 49ers were not perfect against the Giants.
The 49ers have set such a high standard that even an 18-point win over a playoff team from last year will come with areas the coaching staff can focus on improving.
The 49ers got an effective ground game combination, led primarily by Christian McCaffrey, along with backup running back Elijah Mitchell.
McCaffrey rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Mitchell totaled 42 yards on 11 carries.
San Francisco had 39 carries in the game, including four by quarterback Brock Purdy for less than 1 yard.
The 49ers didn't necessarily control the ground game, but they did manage nine first downs rushing and that allowed them to accumulate a nearly two-to-one advantage in time of possession.
However, the red and gold did not handle the Giants' blitz series as well as they would have liked. Purdy looked off his game in the first quarter and the 49ers' aerial attack looked choppy.
But when all else fails, it's simply a matter of passing the ball to Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, and both responded with big performances.
3-0! pic.twitter.com/iFMJtvop2E
- San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 22, 2023
Every Play Counted For San Francisco
Purdy ended up having a great game, completing 25 of 37 pass attempts for 310 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 111.3.
Samuel caught six passes for 129 yards. He teamed with Purdy on a beautiful 27-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
Kittle had seven receptions for 90 yards. Rookie Ronnie Bell beat another rookie, Giants corner Deonte Banks, for a 9-yard touchdown on a third-down play in the second quarter.
The Giants played without starting running back Saquon Barkley and struggled to get anything going on the ground. Former 49ers running back Matt Breida had the longest ground game with an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
And as far as the Giants' ground game was concerned, that was it. New York attempted just 11 carries for 29 yards. Quarterback Daniel Jones, a major threat with his legs, managed just 5 yards on two carry attempts.
Linebacker Oren Burks had two tackles behind the line of scrimmage. However, the 49ers defense was outstanding.
Jones completed 68.8 percent of his pass attempts, but managed a paltry 4.3 yards per attempt.
He also completed 22 of 32 pass attempts for just 137 yards. Safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted a pass in the final quarter. Charvarius Ward broke up two passes.
Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave, the 49ers' two highest-paid players on their defensive line, recorded sacks in the first half.
Jake Moody had field goals of 28, 21 and 36 yards, giving him a streak of nine consecutive field goals on the season, and in his career.
Kicker Mitch Wishnowsky averaged 41.7 on three clears, with two of them planted inside 10 yards. Bell had an excellent effort on special teams.
Moody also had six touchbacks on kickoffs, and the one that wasn't driven into the end zone resulted in a return of only 16 yards. In the end, it was a brilliant night for all of San Francisco's lines.
