49ers Fold in Giants' Late Comeback

Week 10 - Following their blowout win over the Bay Area rival Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night, Nick Mullens was the talk of the town among Niner fans. After becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for three touchdowns in his Niner debut, Mullens had a chance to send his team into the Week 11 BYE on a two-game winning-streak as the lowly (1-7) New York Giants came into town for a Monday Night meeting. But those aspirations would fall short as the San Francisco defense collapsed yet again in the fourth quarter. Like they've done so often this season, Kyle Shanahan's 49er team has continued to find new ways to lose games late as they've proven time and time again that they're virtually incapable of holding onto a lead and closing out a game. Aside from the 31-point beat down put on the putrid Raiders, even the Week 2 win against Detroit didn't come easy as the Niners escaped a late comeback attempt by the skin of their teeth as a 17-point fourth quarter lead quickly evaporated to a 3-point win. And then there's their attempts to hang on late against teams like the Cardinals and Packers which ended in defeat. Throw in a struggling 1-win New York Giants team and what do you get? Deja vu.

Forcing a three and out on New York's opening-drive, San Francisco would take advantage of their good field position by setting up their kicker Robbie Gould who would connect on a 53-yard field goal, his eighth straight from beyond 50-yards. Their second possession, however, wouldn't quite go as planned as the turnover bug reared its ugly head after failing to show up a week ago. Nick Mullens would suffer his first career interception as a deflected pass intended for Kendrick Bourne ended up in the hands of a defender. A costly mistake that Eli Manning would make sure to capitalize on as he found a wide-open Odell Beckham Jr. in the end zone on third & goal to give New York the lead and their first touchdown in the first half of a game in three contests. Putting the mistake behind him, Mullens would be quick to answer as he drove his team down the field before handing things off to running back Matt Breida who would cap things off with a touchdown. It would be the start of a busy night for Breida who would eclipse the century mark in the rushing department. After both teams exchanged punts, the Giants would tie things up at 10 in what would appear to be a tie at the half, but Mullens would have none of that as a trio of passes to George Kittle and Marquise Goodwin allowed Gould to strike again and give his team a 13-10 lead at halftime.

San Francisco would open the second half the same way they would finish the first, only this time the clock wouldn't be a factor as they were able to cap their 11-play drive with a touchdown. Mullens' lone touchdown pass of the night would be an 11-yarder to Matt Breida who became the first 49ers running back to score a touchdown both on the ground and thru the air in the same game since Frank Gore in Week 2 of the 2010 season. The score would give the Niners a 20-10 lead, but it would be short lived as Manning and Beckham Jr. began to pick on the poor San Francisco secondary. After a 30-yard connection from Manning to OBJ put the G-Men in enemy territory, the Giants QB tried finding his superstar receiver in the end zone on back to back plays, the second of which they would succeed on as 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon didn't stand a chance and surrendered the easy score to pull New York within a field goal. The Giants would get that field goal to tie things up on their following possession.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Mullens would be tagged with his second career interception, but didn't receive any favors from Marquise Goodwin who stopped mid-route before stutter-stepping and continuing to run, but by then Mullens had already committed to the pass which Goodwin was unable to corral, resulting in a tip-drill that the Giants would come away with at midfield. And though the Giants were unable to turn the turnover into points, it would be a sign of bad things to come. The Niners would regain the lead thanks to Gould's third made field goal of the evening, but the offense's inability to strike pay dirt would prove to be costly as it gave the opposition a chance to steal a victory. And with just under three minutes remaining in regulation, that's exactly what would happen as the lackluster 49ers secondary made the aging Eli Manning look more like his brother Peyton Manning in crunch time. A pair of big play passes to Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley, coupled with a crucial pass interference call on 2nd & 20 by Ahkello Witherpoon, would set things up for a dramatic finish as Manning hooked up with receiver Sterling Shepard for the game-winning touchdown. The 9-play, 75-yard drive would be the 36th game-winning drive of Manning's career and just the latest dagger to pierce the hearts of Niner fans who watched their team fall at home, 27-23.

With the win, the Giants snapped their five-game losing streak and improved to 2-7 on the season, meanwhile, the 49ers fell to 2-8 and will have to dwell on being letdown for an extra week as they go into the BYE. Manning who finished with 188 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, moved into a tie with the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger for 7th place on the NFL's all-time passing touchdowns list with 350 TD's. As for his counterpart, Mullens tallied 250 passing yards and 1 touchdown in the loss. Matt Breida rushed 17 times for a game-high 101-yards and scored both touchdowns for the Niners, out-rushing Barkley who was held to 67-yards on 20 carries, but netted another 33-yards in receiving to give him 100 total yards on the night, his 8th game of 100+ scrimmage yards in 9 career games. Pounding the rock to his tight-end, Mullens and George Kittle connected 9 times for 83-yards, giving the 49ers standout tight-end 775 receiving yards on the season. Most impressive regarding the second-year tight-end's stout 2018 season has been his ability to eat up yardage after the catch as his 16.9 YAC leads all tight-ends, and his 535 total YAC is over 150-yards higher than the next closest player at that position (Travis Kelce -- 362 YAC). Not to mention he's accumulated 31% of the team's receiving yardage this season, the highest in the league.

Week 12 Preview - After the much needed BYE in Week 11, San Francisco's season will continue in Week 12 when they pay a visit to Tampa Bay to take on the (3-6) Buccaneers who will get their crack at the Giants in Week 11. Coming off a 500-yard performance on offense against the Redskins in which Tampa Bay only scratched 3-points across the board at home, the Niners will also look to hand the Bucs a loss while allowing far less yardage. One way to prevent that will be getting to the quarterback, something the Niners were able to do very little of in the loss to the Giants as they recorded only one sack compared to the Giants' zero. As it stands before the Bucs and Giants meet, Tampa is currently riding a 3-game skid, this after opening the season with a surprising win on the road over the Saints in Week 1. Since then, it's been a roller coaster for head coach Dirk Koetter and his last place Bucs team as they've bounced back and forth at the quarterback position between Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick.


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49ers Taste Victory in Emotional Win over Giants

Week 10 - For the first time in 2017, the San Francisco 49ers are in the win column. Though it would take them much longer than they had hoped, the Niners were able to claim their first victory of the season and first win under the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan regime against a struggling (1-7) New York Giants team. In an emotional game that featured two teams with the fewest amount of wins this late in a season since 1984, the 49ers would ride a season-high in rushing yards (186) on their way to a 31-21 victory. Despite liking their chances of getting win No. 1 of the season entering Sunday's game, San Francisco would still be 3-point underdogs against a team that had been embarrassed at home by a score of 51-17 one week earlier.

With both teams scoring field goals on their opening possessions, the game would quickly jump out to a 3-3 score as the 49ers benefited from a penalty on New York's special-teams which gave San Francisco the ball at their 40-yard line after the opening kickoff failed to reach the end zone and rolled out of bounds. A 28-yard rush by running back Carlos Hyde on the first play from scrimmage and an extra 15-yards tacked on thanks to an unnecessary roughness penalty called on New York would set the table for kicker Robbie Gould before being answered by Giants rookie kicker Aldrick Rosas. San Francisco's second possession appeared to be heading in the same direction before being halted on a failed 4th and 1 attempt at New York's 36-yard line. After another Giants field goal, both teams would exchange fumbles as another promising 49er drive went up in flames as fullback Kyle Juszczyk fumbled the ball away for the second consecutive week. But the San Francisco defense would respond just three plays later with a forced fumble of their own as second-year defensive-end Ronald Blair's first of two sacks on Giants QB Eli Manning jarred the ball loose, forcing the turnover.

The biggest story of the day for the 49ers, however, would be that of receiver Marquise Goodwin who had received the unfortunate news that he and his wife had lost their unborn child due to pregnancy complications just hours before kickoff. Courageous enough to still hit the field and play on Sunday, albeit with a heavy heart, Goodwin would show up in a big way for his team as he hauled in his first touchdown reception as a 49er on an 83-yard bomb from rookie QB C.J. Beathard. Though it would be his only reception of the game, it would mark the longest pass reception by a 49er since 2005 as Goodwin used his speed coupled with a stiff-arm to break free of the defender as he struck pay dirt before being overcome with emotion as he dropped to his knees and blew a kiss to the sky. Making his 208th consecutive start, Eli Manning would be quick to respond to his 49er counterpart as he connected in the end zone with tight-end Evan Engram. Entering Sunday, San Francisco had led in games for a league-low 29 minutes and 37 seconds before leading in much of this one as Beathard would help the 49ers jump back ahead on their ensuing possession with a lead that they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon as he found tight-end Garrett Celek for a 47-yard touchdown to give SF a 17-13 lead heading into the half. It would also mark the first time the 49ers would lead heading into halftime this year.

New York would open the second half by marching into field goal range before things went sour after Rosas missed a field goal from 34-yards out. But another 49er turnover would once again put an end to an otherwise nice possession as Beathard was picked off by Olivier Vernon who disrupted a screen pass intended for Matt Breida before tipping it to himself for the interception. It would be the only blemish on the day for Beathard who finally received some protection from his offensive-line as the rookie QB was sack-free all afternoon long, this after taking an absolute beating against the Cardinals a week ago. And on the first play of the fourth quarter, Beathard would rebound from his earlier mishap with an 11-yard touchdown run to make it a 24-13 ballgame for San Francisco's first double-digit lead of the season. That lead would increase one possession later as Breida logged the first rushing touchdown of his career with a 33-yard score to give the Niners a 31-13 advantage. With scoring being a non-factor for the offense on Sunday, San Francisco's punting unit wouldn't be called upon until the 5:46 mark in the 4th quarter.

With the game all but decided, the Giants would get a garbage time touchdown from Manning to receiver Roger Lewis as well as a successful 2-point conversion with just over a minute remaining. But New York's onside-kick attempt would be recovered by the Niners who were able to get into victory formation and milk the clock for the 31-21 win. The victory at home would be San Francisco's first win at Levi's Stadium since their Week 1 shellacking of the Rams over a year ago on Monday Night Football and one that would result in a Gatorade bath inside the 49ers locker room for head coach Kyle Shanahan who was congratulated by his players. Game balls would be given out following the celebration as GM John Lynch personally handed a ball to Goodwin for his courageous efforts and heroics in spite of the family tragedy.

After a career-high in pass attempts (51) in his last outing, quarterback C.J. Beathard (19 for 25) would out-duel Eli Manning (28 for 37) 288 to 273 in the yards department as both QB's threw for a pair of touchdowns and finished with one turnover each. Giants receiver Sterling Shepard would finish with a game-high 142 yards receiving and 11 receptions and Carlos Hyde would lead all backs on the ground, falling two yards shy of the century mark with 98 yards rushing on 17 carries. On the defensive side, 49ers rookie linebacker Reuben Foster tallied double-digit tackles for the second consecutive week with 10 (6 solo, 4 assisted) to lead all tacklers. As for the Giants who dropped to 1-8 on the season for the first time since 1980, New York has now gone 13 games without scoring at least 24-points, the longest active streak in the NFL. The loss also adds some warmth to head coach Ben McAdoo's hot seat as his status to return next season remains up in the air following the Giants' dreadful 1-8 start.

Week 12 Preview - With the 49ers heading into the BYE on a winning note, Kyle Shanahan will look to get his guys mentally and physically ready for their next opponent as the Niners play host to division rival Seattle in Week 12. Since San Francisco's 3-point loss to Seattle in Week 2, the (6-3) Seahawks are looking much better than the team that barely escaped Century Link Field with a win in the first meeting between these two bitter rivals. But after suffering a loss at home just two weeks ago to the Washington Redskins, the Seahawks are still very beatable if the Niners can stick around at home much like they did in their first meeting while applying pressure to QB Russell Wilson. Carlos Hyde will look to add another busy day against the Seahawks defense as his 124-yard performance on the ground in Week 2 remains the only 100-yard performance for the 49er running back this season. Hosting the reigning NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons this week, Seattle currently trails the (7-2) L.A. Rams by a game in the NFC Western Division standings.


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49ers Collapse late in Loss to Giants

Week 5 - Entering Sunday's meeting between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants who hosted on Sunday Night Football, the match-up featured two teams going in complete opposite directions as the Niners have fallen into last place in the division with three straight losses, meanwhile the Giants have won their last two after opening the season 0-2. With a combined 10-points scored over the last two games for the visiting 49ers, scoring wouldn't be a problem for coach Jim Tomsula's team in this one, but rather their inability to sack the quarterback and keep the opposing team from scoring. While it was the defense that kept San Francisco in the game just a week ago versus Green Bay, on Sunday night it would be their demise as the defense cost them the game.

Much of the chatter over the past few weeks regarding the 49ers was about their quarterback Colin Kaepernick and whether or not it was time to pull the plug on the QB that led them to a Super Bowl just three seasons ago. But with a solid performance on Sunday, Kaepernick was able to silence the naysayers for the time being. With a first half filled with field goals, the Giants went into the locker room holding a 13-6 lead, an advantage that would've been more had it not been for a Tremaine Brock interception in the end zone that kept New York from adding to their lead just before the half. San Francisco would finally score their first touchdown in eight quarters to start the second half as Anquan Boldin capped off an 88-yard drive with a touchdown reception from 3-yards out, tying the game and igniting a back and forth scoring frenzy between the two teams. Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. helped New York answer as Eli Manning escaped a sack by dumping a pass off to his favorite target who sprinted through the middle and along the sideline for a 17-yard score. It would be the last of Beckham Jr.'s receptions on the night as he spent nearly the entire fourth quarter on the sideline with an ailing hamstring.

Then came a pair of impressive fourth quarter scoring-drives by the San Francisco offense which marched 80-yards on back to back possessions. The first of which ending in a touchdown pass to tight-end Garrett Celek who filling in for the injured Vernon Davis, shook off a defender with a nice juke move to separate himself for the wide-open pass. Seeking their first lead of the game with under five minutes in regulation, Kaepernick connected thru the air on back to back passes to Boldin and Torrey Smith for gains of 25 and 26 yards before running back Carlos Hyde added the finishing touch with a 2-yard touchdown run as the 49ers pulled ahead. Unfortunately, the 1 minute and 45 seconds San Francisco left on the clock would prove to be too much time as Eli Manning came through in the clutch once again, pulling off yet another game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. The 2-time Super Bowl MVP capped off a career-best 41 completions on the night with his last pass being a game-winner between two 49er defenders as Manning hooked up with tight-end Larry Donnell in the back of the endzone with 26 seconds remaining to escape the Giants from the jaws of defeat and rob the Niners of their first road victory of the season. With the 30-27 win, Eli Manning threw for 441 yards and a trio of TD passes all while becoming the winningest QB in Giants franchise history by notching career win No. 102. Kaepernick logged two touchdown passes of his own while passing for 262 yards, 107 of which going to Anquan Boldin. RB Carlos Hyde added 93 yards on the ground and a touchdown in the loss.

Week 6 Preview - The 49ers return home to Levi's Stadium in hopes of claiming their first win since Week 1 when they face another 1-4 team desperate for a victory -- the Baltimore Ravens. The Week 6 meeting will mark the first game between the two teams since they met at Super Bowl XLVII three seasons ago, a 34-31 defeat for the Niners. Unless you know your history, it might be hard to believe that these two teams are three seasons removed from meeting in the Super Bowl considering their recent struggles. A number of faces have also changed for each team as receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith now call San Francisco home after winning a championship ring in Baltimore. However, the duo will now be trying to defeat the team they once played for as the 49ers attempt to get off the schneide and back into the win column before a divisional match-up with rival Seattle. With tight-end Vernon Davis sitting out the last two games while nursing a knee injury, the Niners are expecting to have the Pro Bowler back on the field Sunday which serves as good news for an offense hoping to register another impressive performance, only this time with a victory.


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Niners lose third straight, Fall to Pack

Week 4 - Heading into Sunday's meeting against the visiting Green Bay Packers (3-0), we knew it wouldn't be an easy task, but neither could we have predicted an offensive struggle like the one that would unfold at Levi's Stadium. Since taking over the starting quarterback position in San Francisco, QB Colin Kaepernick has made a living off of torturing the team he grew up rooting for, having built an undefeated record of 3-0 and averaging 401 total yards per game versus Green Bay. In this one, however, Kap would be a shadow of his former self as a lack of protection coupled with a number of bad passes would eventually bring out the boo-birds before the game ended as frustration was felt throughout.

The Niner defense would have themselves a fine afternoon overall, but they would shoot themselves in the foot early on as a would be three and out turned into 7-points after an illegal contact call on linebacker Michael Wilhoite. Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers was sacked on the play that would've led to a punt. Instead, the penalty would breathe life into the Green Bay offense as Rodgers and company marched down the field before striking paydirt on a bullet to tight-end Richard Rodgers. It would be Rodgers' 11th touchdown to start the season without a pick, the third-longest streak in NFL history as Green Bay increased their active-streak to 19 consecutive games with a first quarter touchdown. As for San Francisco's first drive on offense, the Niners would be robbed of not one but two missed penalties on nose tackle B.J. Raji, the first being a blown call on a facemasking and another on the very next play on an obvious off-sides call that the officials instead ruled a false start call on Kaepernick. Under constant pressure, Kaepernick would get little help on San Francisco's second drive as tight-end Vance McDonald failed to come up with a wide-open catch that would've led to a big gain and first down.

After finally putting a promising drive together, the Niner offense would go up in flames on a trip to the red zone before the half. A short tap from Kap to receiver Quinton Patton would result in a 40-yard gain, one of few big plays on the afternoon for the San Francisco offense. Staring down a chance to tie the game, Kaepernick would fall victim to back to back sacks, pushing the Niners back as they would have to settle for a Phil Dawson field goal. A solid first half performance by the Niner D would be capped off by a 9-yard sack from linebacker Ahmad Brooks with seconds to go in the second quarter. Hoping to put up some late points and add to their lead heading into the looker room at the half, Green Bay's Mason Crosby would shank a 44-yard field goal attempt wide-left, keeping it a 7-3 ballgame and leaving the Niners within striking distance. The Packers would manage to get those points and then some in the second half, as they cashed in on their first drive of the third quarter. Facing a third and long, a perfectly placed ball by Rodgers along the visiting sideline to receiver James Jones resulted in a 38-yard pickup, setting up a touchdown run from fullback John Kuhn three plays later. 

With running back Carlos Hyde virtually a non-factor with only 20 yards rushing on 8 attempts, Kaepernick was forced to play catch up thru the air, something he struggled mightily at as he was picked off on a deep pass attempt along the sideline to Anquan Boldin. Green Bay would fail to do anything with it, but by then, time was beginning to run out fast for San Francisco. With just under 5 minutes remaining, Kaepernick and co. was given one final chance to inch closer and make a game out of it. And after finding Torrey Smith down field for a 47-yard gain, things began looking good. But once again, the Niner offense would fizzle out in the red zone as a pair of incompletions and a sack resulted in a turnover on downs. On a day Kaepernick was sacked six times on the afternoon, the 49ers QB managed only 160 yards thru the air as the Niners fell for the third consecutive week, all losses coming by double-digits. With the Packers making their first ever trip to Levi's Stadium, a site they hope to revisit later this year as it'll host the Super Bowl, Rodgers threw for 224 yards and a score, beating his boyhood team for the first time in his last five tries. Green Bay made themselves feel right at home and were welcomed by the many cheese heads in attendance who watched their team come away with the 17-3 victory. LB Aaron Lynch was one of the few bright spots for the 49ers, totaling 4 tackles, including 2 sacks in the loss.

Week 5 Preview - The (1-3) Niners will look to get back into the win column in Week 5 as they take a trip across the country to face Eli Manning and the (2-2) New York Giants. Coming off an upset victory on the road over the Buffalo Bills, the Giants have won consecutive games after falling in their first two and are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for first in the NFC East. With the San Francisco secondary being torched already twice this season by shifty receivers in Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, the Niner D will have to keep a close eye on second-year receiver Odell Beckham Jr. if they want to keep the New York offense at bey. With Giants QB Eli Manning playing some nice ball as of late, the Niner defense will have to apply the same kind of pressure they did on Sunday that took Rodgers out of his comfort zone. More importantly, they'll have to wake up on offense if they plan to hand Big Blue a loss as San Francisco has scored a measly 10-points combined in their past two games.

Trade News - Needing all the help they can get, the 49ers went out and acquired linebacker Gerald Hodges during the week from the Minnesota Vikings. In return, SF sent C Nick Easton and an undisclosed draft pick to Minnesota in return for the former fourth round pick (120th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Penn State. 


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49ers Stand Strong in New York, Hold off Giants

The San Francisco 49ers' performance versus the New York Giants on Sunday was by no means up to par with that of a playoff team, but it was the latest must-win game that ended positively for Jim Harbaugh's club. While the offense stunk it up, it was the defense that was forced to bail the team out of the jaws of defeat yet again. By looking at the stat sheet, one would assume that the 49ers ran away with the victory but had it not been for a late interception, they wouldn't have sneaked their way past the struggling Giants on the road.

Out of the gate Colin Kaepernick and the 49er offense put together what appeared to be a promising opening-drive, but running back Frank Gore would lose his first fumble of the season when his feet got tangled up with a teammates after the hand-off. Eli Manning and the Giants would take advantage of the early miscue by marching down the field and scoring their first opening-drive touchdown in 20 games. San Francisco would answer with a trio of first half field goals by Phil Dawson to take a 9-7 lead into the half. The story heading into the game defensively was all about the return of Aldon Smith who after serving a nine-game suspension, made his season-debut. But it would be the rookie linebacker Chris Borland who would steal the show for San Francisco's defense which forced Eli Manning to throw five interceptions, tying a career-high.

With the takeaway battle in their favor: 5 to 1 and a stranglehold in the time of possession department with nearly 35 minutes compared to New York's 25 minutes, the 49er offense was only able to muster 16-points across the board. San Francisco's lone big play on offense would come in the third quarter when Kaepernick connected up the middle on a slant route to Michael Crabtree who turned on the jets and broke away from a number of defenders before stiff-arming himself free and into the end zone for the 48-yard score. The Giants would answer with a field goal before recovering the ensuing onside-kick, but three interceptions and two turnover on downs the final quarter and a half would spell doom for any chance New York had at pulling off the comeback. The fifth and final interception by Manning would come on a crucial goal-line stand by the 49er defense.

With four chances to punch in the go-ahead touchdown from the 4-yard line, the San Francisco D held their ground and forced a tipped pass up into the air on fourth down as rookie Chris Borland who had recorded his first career interception in the second quarter, came down with his second pick of the ballgame to seal the victory, 16-10. With the victory, the 49ers won their second game in a row, both of which on the road to advance to 6-4 on the year. Meanwhile, the Giants fell to 3-7 while dropping their fifth straight as they free fall in the NFC Eastern Division. Colin Kaepernick logged a turnover-free performance by throwing for 193 yards and a touchdown on 15 of 29 pass attempts compared to Eli Manning's error-filled day in which he tossed 280 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 45 passes. Niners running back Frank Gore came just 5 yards shy of tallying his third 100 yard performance of the year but all in all had a productive game outside of the early fumble.

Week 12 Preview: Following their successful 2-game road trip, the 49ers get set to return home to Levi's Field where they'll host Robert Griffin III and the 3-7 Washington Redskins. After his stellar rookie season which saw him take home NFL Rookie of the Year honors, it's hard to believe it's been over a calender year since 'Skins QB RGIII was at the helm of a victory for Washington who is 1-8 in their last 9 games started by Griffin. And given his recent struggles coupled with three consecutive strong performances by the San Francisco defense, Week 12 might not be the best of match-ups for the former Heisman Trophy winner. But more importantly for the 49ers, the team needs a bounce back performance from the offense which was unable to take advantage of a mediocre Giants defense that ranks near the bottom in every major statistical category and other than an explosive first half in New Orleans two weeks ago, has looked rather flat since coming out of their BYE Week.


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Week 6: 49ers go M.I.A. in loss to Giants

After back-to-back blowout victories over the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills in which the 49ers outscored their opponents 79-3, the 49ers had the tables turned on them Sunday in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship. Expected to be a hard fought battle between NFC heavyweights, Sunday's 49ers-Giants game was anything but. Used to being on the giving end of shellackings, Jim Harbaugh's squad was on the receiving end as his team followed up a record-setting, 600+ yard performance against the Bills just a week ago with one of their weakest offensive outings yet, translating to the team's worst loss under the second-year head coach.

Equally as bad as San Francisco's offense which saw QB Alex Smith throw for 3-interceptions and the running back tandem of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter combine for only 62-yards rushing, was the 49ers defense. Allowing a 100-yard rusher or a rushing touchdown has become a rarity for the 49ers defense, but on Sunday they'd allow both as Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 116 yards to go along with his rushing touchdown. The combination of New York's rushing attack and stellar defense which has been unseen prior to Sunday would be enough for the Giants who improved to 4-2 on the year despite needing little production from Eli Manning who played a turnover-free ballgame, throwing for 193 yards and a touchdown. Completing the trifecta was the 49ers poor play in the special teams department which allowed two kick returns of over 40 yards including a 66-yard run back which set up an easy Giants touchdown to begin the second half. 

An early missed field goal by the 49ers veteran kicker David Akers who's been nothing short of brilliant since putting on a 49ers uniform last season would be a sign of bad things to come. Missing wide right on a 43-yard attempt on the 49ers' opening possession, Akers would split the uprights from 42-yards out on his second try in the first quarter to give San Francisco an early 3-0 lead before later missing his second field goal on the day before halftime, a 52-yard attempt, swaying wide left. That would be the only scoring the 49ers would get as the offensive opportunities were cut short thanks to 3-interceptions, 2 of which to Giants safety Antrel Rolle as Alex Smith threw into traffic, something we haven't seen a lot from him since Harbaugh's arrival. Though we're used to seeing Eli Manning work his magic in the passing game by picking apart defenses, the 2-time Super Bowl MVP simply didn't have to as his running back Bradshaw bullied a usually stout defense in New York's 26-3 win. 

The smack talk which took place earlier in the week between Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh added hype and ended up being more entertaining than the game itself. Gilbride took shots at 49ers Pro-Bowl defensive-end Justin Smith, saying he "gets away with murder" holding linemen. Harbaugh fired back with some choice words of his own saying Gilbride's comments were "outrageous" and were made to "criticize and influence officiating." Unfortunately Harbaugh's response was better than the way his team played on Sunday.

Preview & Prediction: The 49ers will have little time to recuperate and lick their wounds as they have a Thursday night meeting versus the division-rival Seattle Seahawks in Week 7 with first place on the line. With both teams atop the NFC West standings at 4-2, the team with the number one ranked defense last season will be met by the team with the number one ranked defense so far this season. Last year it was the 49ers who quickly became known for having the most feared defense in the NFL. That label has since been handed down to their division foe as Seattle hopes to silent the naysayers with a win on the road. Coming off a comeback win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson will look to face off against the 49ers for the first time. However, I think running back Marshawn Lynch will be the one who the 49ers have close tabs on. Expect a low-scoring affair with the 49ers coming out on top in a close one, 20-17.


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Peyton Struggles in Road opener

Heading into the 2012-13 NFL season, the biggest storyline in all of football was how future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning would do in a Denver Broncos uniform following a series of neck surgeries that kept him sidelined the entire 2011-12 season. And while his impressive regular season debut in front of the Denver faithful would have critics raving, most of which were quick to declare the old Peyton Manning had returned, his week 2 performance would tell a different story. After lighting up the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 1 for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19-of-26 passing attempts in route to a 31-19 win, Peyton would get off to a rocky start the following week in his Monday Night meeting at the Georgia Dome against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. 

Showing a lack of arm strength early on as well as making a number of questionable passes into double coverage, the guy wearing the no. 18 jersey almost looked like an impostor of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time as Peyton threw not one, not two, but three first quarter interceptions. Manning's early struggles marked only the second time in his 15-year career that he threw three interceptions in the opening quarter of a game, the only other occurrence came against the San Diego Chargers in 2007. After Manning's disastrous start, it seemed almost as if the guy playing QB in the second quarter was an entirely different person. Despite the 20-0 deficit his team faced, Peyton would redeem himself with a much better final three quarters as he brought his team within single-digits before eventually falling short and losing, 27-21 as the early miscues dug too big of a hole to overcome. 

An early favorite to win the AFC West and even contend for a Super Bowl according to most experts, Peyton Manning is far from his former self and is yet to prove that he can compete at the level that we've grown accustomed to seeing him play at. If I'm Broncos head coach John Fox I'm not too concerned about my quarterback as I know he still has some cobwebs to shake off and will only get better as the season progresses. But I'd still place Denver behind the Texans, Patriots and Ravens in the AFC, at least until Peyton has another full season under his belt with the Broncos and can prove that he can remain healthy. At 1-1, trailing only the 2-0 San Diego Chargers in the division, week 3 won't be a walk in the park for Peyton either as his Broncos get set to host the league's top ranked defense in the Houston Texans. 

Coincidentally, Peyton wasn't the only one in the Manning family who had a first half to forget during week 2 as his younger brother, Eli, also threw three picks on the day, all coming in the first half. But unlike Peyton who's late-game heroics fell just short, Eli was able to overcome his first half difficulties by throwing for 3 touchdowns and 510 yards in the second-best passing performance in Giants franchise history, avoiding a dreadful 0-2 start by defeating the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-34.


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Super Bowl XLVI, A Clash of Familiar Foes.

With the Conference Championships officially in the books, the table is now set for Super Bowl 42 and will feature two cities and teams who are quite familiar with one another both on and off the main stage. Though the rivalry between Boston and New York sports has been well documented over the years mainly through the rich history of arguably sports' most heated rivalry --Yankees-Red Sox, in 2008, the New York Giants and New England Patriots added another chapter to the rivalry, this time in the form of football. With the Patriots only one win away from being enshrined into football immortality, attempting to become the first NFL team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season since the '72 Miami Dolphins and the first team in NFL history to do so since the adoption of a 16-game regular season schedule in 1978, there was only one team standing in their way -- the New York Giants. Despite being 12-point underdogs, the Giants pulled off the biggest upset in Super Bowl history with the help of some late-game heroics by Eli Manning, defeating New England, 17-14.

And while the storylines differ from those in 2008, both teams are in many ways the same teams they were then with the lone exception of New England's defense which is no longer the formidable force they once were. After becoming only the third team to finish the regular season 9-7 and reach the Super Bowl, the Giants will try to distance themselves from the other two teams who've achieved that feat ('79 Rams and '08 Cardinals both of whom lost) by becoming the first to win it. Giants quarterback Eli Manning who will match older brother Peyton Manning this Sunday with two Super Bowl appearances, will have a chance to surpass his brother in Lombardi Trophies with a win. Coincidentally, the game will be taking place in Lucas Oil Stadium, the same stadium Peyton's Indianapolis Colts call home and will be against Peyton's arch-rival Tom Brady.

Meanwhile, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who's coming off one of his worst games in recent memory, will tie the great John Elway for the most Super Bowl appearances with five, and will have a chance to cement himself among two of the game's all-time greats -- Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to win four Super Bowl's. And though his team is once again favored to win the Super Bowl, this time by much less than in '08, one thing to consider is that the Patriots who enter Sunday's match-up winners of their last 10 games, have not faltered since their week 9 loss to these very Giants who stormed into Foxboro and escaped with a 24-20 victory. And while the Patriots have only gained steam without looking back since their November 8 loss to New York, the Giants have turned on the jets in their own way by keeping their playoff hopes alive with must-wins in the final two games of the regular season followed by a double-digit shellacking of the Atlanta Falcons and back-to-back wins on the road against the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers.

With more than half of their wins this season orchestrated by Eli Manning's record-setting 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns, one thing is certain and that is that no lead is insurmountable for Eli to overcome when he's clicking on all cylinders. At least not that we've seen this year anyway. With that said, I think we'll see more of the same with New England getting off to an early lead and Eli once again coming through during crunch time with an MVP-like performance to lead the Giants to their fourth Super Bowl win in franchise history with a 24-20 win. Game time is set for 6:30 eastern and can be seen on NBC (Ch. 3).

You Can't Spell Elite Without Eli

With all the hoopla in the NFL revolving around Peyton Manning and the horrific season the Indianapolis Colts are having without him, the league has payed little attention to Peyton's younger brother Eli Manning who's having himself a stellar year to say the least and is flying under the radar while doing it. Eli the younger of the Manning brothers by four years made a strong case to be considered among the game's elite quarterbacks this past Sunday by defeating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in their own stadium, leading the Giants on a game-winning drive with just seconds to spare. The 24-20 win in Foxborough was reminiscent of Super Bowl XLII when Manning led his team on a similar drive against these same Patriots, finding a wide-open Plaxico Burress in the end zone with less than a minute remaining to eventually defeat and upset the Patriots by a final score of 17-14.

After failing to avenge their loss in what's been known as the biggest upset in Super Bowl history, New England fell to 5-3 on the year tying them with the New York Jets. Meanwhile the other New York team the Jets share their home stadium with improved to an overall record of 6-2 on the year giving them a two game lead over the rival 4-4 Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Eastern Division. With an above average defense that's notorious for pressuring the quarterback and a running game just as strong as the passing game when both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are healthy I think the New York Giants are the one team that can cause trouble for the Green Bay Packers who at 8-0 are currently looking at a bid at a perfect season. Though Aaron Rodgers and the Packers still have to face the daunting task of playing the Detroit Lions twice this year, if anyone can out duel or play up to par with Rodgers I think it's Manning. We'll find out if that's the case as both teams are slated to meet in Week 13 @ New York.


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