Manning, Giants Welcome 49ers
Nobody was hurting more after the New York Giants' loss this past Monday night than Eli Manning. The quarterback is expected to be under center this Sunday despite a bruised chest as New York hosts the San Francisco 49ers at Giants Stadium.
Manning suffered his injury in Monday's 35-14 loss to the Cleveland Browns -- New York's first setback of the season -- but did not miss a play. However, he did throw three interceptions in the game, including one with 8:07 left in the final quarter that Cleveland's Eric Wright returned 94 yards for a score.
The injury occurred when Manning, who is 2-0 in his career versus the 49ers as a starter, was driven into the ground after a pass completion early in the second quarter. He practiced on Wednesday, however, and did not appear on the Giants' initial injury report.
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress returned from a two-week suspension to make four catches for 58 yards with a score in the loss. The ban, which came after Burress missed a practice and refused to explain his absence, cost him just one game since New York had its bye two weekends ago.
The 21-point loss was New York's worst on the road since a 45-23 defeat at San Diego on September 25, 2005. However, the club, which is 3-0 at home this season, maintained its half-game edge over Washington and Dallas for first place in the NFC East after both the Redskins and Cowboys also lost last weekend.
The defeat also dropped the first-place Giants to 4-1 on the season and was their first since they lost the finale of the 2007 regular season to the Patriots. New York, of course, went on to defeat New England in the Super Bowl just over a month later.
The Giants' also saw their 11-game road winning streak (including playoffs) that was the second-longest in NFL history halted.
The 49ers enter this test on a three-game losing streak and are in danger of going on a similar slide that doomed their season last year. San Francisco, which had won two straight before its current skid, won its first two games a year ago before enduring an eight-game slide.
San Francisco seemed poised to halt its skid last Sunday, as it carried a 26-17 lead into the fourth quarter of its test versus the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the 49ers turned the ball over three times in the final frame and the Eagles put up 23 unanswered points on the way to a 40-26 victory.
Quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan accounted for all three of those fourth-quarter turnovers, fumbling once while also getting picked off twice. His second interception was returned 55 yards for a score by Philadelphia with under a minute left.
The setback dropped the Niners to 2-4 on the season, two games back of first- place Arizona in the NFC West. San Francisco has split its first two road games so far this year.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time regular season series between the 49ers and Giants is knotted, 13-13, with New York evening the series by virtue of a 33-15 win at the Meadowlands in Week 7 of last season. The Niners' most recent regular season win in the series came in 2002, a 16-13 triumph at the Meadowlands.
In addition to their regular-season history, the Niners and Giants have a storied shared playoff history. The teams met in the postseason six times between 1981 and 1993, splitting the meetings at three apiece. The home team was 5-1 in those games, with the only defeat a 15-13 Niners loss in the 1990 NFC Championship. San Francisco came from behind for a thrilling 39-38 home win over the Giants when the clubs last met in the postseason, for a 2002 NFC First-Round Playoff.
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is 3-0 all-time against the 49ers, including a 41-3 decision for his Jaguars in 1999. The 49ers' Mike Nolan is 0-2 against both Coughlin and the Giants.
WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL
Running back Frank Gore continues to be the focal point of San Francisco's offense. Gore ran for 101 yards on 19 carries, added three catches for 16 yards and scored for the fifth time in six games this season during last Sunday's loss. The Miami-Florida product leads the NFL with 720 yards from scrimmage (524 rush, 196 receiving). Gore's success should be taking pressure off O'Sullivan, but the 29-year-old career backup is starting to show his inexperience. O'Sullivan (1291 passing yards, 7 TD, 8 INT), who has made six career starts, has thrown seven interceptions over his last three games while also losing two fumbles in that span. He threw for 199 yards in the loss to the Eagles, and posted his worst single-game passer rating (49.2) of the season. San Francisco's passing offense has dipped to 19th in the NFL at 193.5 yards per game. Of course, it hasn't helped O'Sullivan that San Francisco's offensive line has allowed a league-worst 23 sacks this year, including three versus the Eagles. One bright spot in Sunday's loss was the play of tight end Vernon Davis (11 receptions). The former first-round pick caught six passes for 75 yards, including a career-best 57-yard reception. Wideout Isaac Bruce (16 receptions, 4 TD) had eight catches for 120 yards in his last game against the Giants, while then playing with St. Louis.
The Giants are in the top 10 in several defensive categories, but are coming off a game versus Cleveland in which their stop unit failed to force a Cleveland punt. It was the first time since December 18, 2004 that New York failed to force a punt in a game, and it also did not post a sack in a regular-season game for the first time since November 20, 2006. New York is still ranked sixth in total defense (279.6 ypg) and ninth against the pass (185.2 ypg), while allowing under 100 yards per game on the ground for the year. That means Gore will be put to the challenge this weekend. Linebacker Bryan Kehl (16 tackles) led New York with six tackles on Monday, while defensive end Justin Tuck (21 tackles, 3 sacks) and safety James Butler (25 tackles) had five each. Linebacker Antonio Pierce (27 tackles, 1 sack) had four tackles versus the Browns and picked off a pass in his last game versus the 49ers, but he's questionable for this game due to a quadriceps injury. Corners Aaron Ross (leg) and Sam Madison (undisclosed) are also considered questionable.
WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL
Though Manning and his health are important to the Giants, the club continues to dominate on the ground. New York is ranked first in the NFL in total offense (419.4 ypg), helped along by a top-ranked running game that is averaging 181.2 yards per game. Using a two-headed attack, running back Derrick Ward (318 rushing yards) had 101 yards rushing on 10 attempts versus Cleveland and Brandon Jacobs (447 rushing yards, 4 TD) added 67 yards and a score on 14 carries. Prior to the Cleveland game, New York racked up 254 rushing yards in a 44-6 win over Seattle in Week 5. Manning (1228 passing yards, 7 TD, 4 INT), meanwhile, threw for 196 yards on 18-of-28 passing with a touchdown strike on Monday, but was undone by his season-high three picks, his first interceptions thrown in four games. Even with Burress (22 receptions, 2 TD) back in the lineup, second-year wideout Steve Smith (22 receptions) had a career-high nine catches for 94 yards. New York appears to be close to getting Super Bowl hero David Tyree (knee) back after activating him from the physically-unable-to-perform list on Tuesday. Center Shaun O'Hara is considered questionable for this game due to an infected toe that required a hospital visit.
The Giants should have little trouble with a 49ers defense that is allowing 350.5 yards per game (26th overall) and 124.2 yards per game on the ground (22nd). San Francisco allowed the Eagles to post 383 yards of offense on Sunday, including 103 on the ground despite Philadelphia being without Brian Westbrook. The 40 points put up by the Eagles pushed San Francisco's season total of points allowed to 167, the fifth-most in the NFL. Linebacker Patrick Willis (54 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had a team-high eight tackles in the loss, while corner Walt Harris (21 tackles, 1 INT) added six. Linebacker Takeo Spikes (40 tackles, 3 INT) posted seven tackles and also intercepted a pass for a career-best third straight game. With linebacker Manny Lawson inactive due to a hamstring ailment, Parys Haralson (10 tackles, 3.5 sacks) made his first start of the season and had two stops. Lawson could return this weekend after practicing on a limited basis during the week. Corner Donald Strickland found the end zone versus the Eagles after he took Ray McDonald's blocked field goal 41 yards for a score late in the second quarter. It was San Francisco's first TD off a blocked field goal since 1989.
FANTASY FOCUS
With the 49ers' offense slipping as of late, more and more San Francisco players are finding themselves out of fantasy lineups with the exception of Gore. O'Sullivan's rapid turnover rate likely won't improve this weekend, while Bruce remains his best target. Arnaz Battle has also begun to rack up receptions, but neither he nor Bruce are a solid start this week. The Niners' defense should also be avoided this week, though kicker Joe Nedney has been a good option as of late. He is 14-for-16 on field goal tries this year and booted a season-long 53 yarder versus the Eagles. Finally, Davis teased last week with his numbers, but should find his production limited on Sunday.
Despite splitting carries, Jacobs and Ward are both performing well for the Giants this year. Ward's owners are certainly frustrated by his lack of touchdowns this year, but his yardage is there, making him a good No. 2/flex option. Jacobs, meanwhile, has found the end zone four times in his last three games and he has three scores in his last two against the Niners. Burress is a must start, though Manning owners should be cautious due to the quarterback's chest injury that could affect his ability to throw deep. Smith owners should also take a wait-and-see approach as well.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
The 49ers are wrapping a tough stretch of four games against playoff-caliber teams, and draw a Giants squad that should be fired up for this one. San Francisco's offense will find little room against New York's solid D, and a trip to the East Coast for the 49ers won't help matters much. If Manning's chest injury gives him trouble, that will work in San Francisco's favor, but the defense still has to stop the Giants' tough ground game. Overall, the Giants are just too much for a sliding Niners' club to handle.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Giants 31, 49ers 13
