Matt Citak: Between the second half of the Week 6 matchup against the Eagles and the first three quarters of the Week 7 outing against the Broncos, the Giants’ defense went five consecutive quarters without allowing a single point. Since then, the unit has struggled. The Broncos stormed back with 33 points in the final frame, and the following week, the Giants surrendered 38 points in the rematch against the Eagles. Things didn’t get much better on Sunday.
With Brock Purdy injured, 49ers quarterback Mac Jones started under center and finished the game 19 of 24 (79.2 percent) for 235 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, earning a passer rating of 135.2. While Christian McCaffrey was held somewhat in check on the ground with his 28 rushes for 106 yards (3.8 avg.), the Giants could not contain him in the passing game. McCaffrey led the 49ers with five receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown, one of two scores on the day, while Brian Robinson Jr. mixed in and added five rushes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Both backs had three runs of 10+ yards, with Robinson’s score coming on an 18-yard run that saw several Giants try and fail to bring him down. San Francisco converted on six of 11 third down attempts, along with their only fourth down try. More importantly, they were able to score a touchdown on four of five trips inside the red zone. The Giants have now gone three consecutive games with 33 or more points allowed, the franchise’s longest streak since 2018.
“We’re working, we’re working at it,” coach Brian Daboll told the media Monday about the issues on defense. “We had a long meeting like we do after every game and looked at some of the things that were good and then a lot of the things that need to improve. And that’s collectively, that’s all of us, from the coaches to the players. We’re doing everything we can do… There were some good things in the run game and then there were some things that weren’t. It wasn’t one person, it wasn’t one position, it wasn’t one call, it wasn’t one missed tackle. Just overall, we need to be better.”
As John mentioned above, the Giants have been hit pretty hard with injuries, especially when it comes to the defensive backfield. Going up against a potent, Kyle Shanahan-led offense is tough when fully healthy, but trying to slow that unit down with a depleted secondary makes the challenge even tougher. As we all know, though, injuries are a part of the game. Every team across the NFL is dealing with injuries. And things are not about to get any easier with the upcoming three-game stretch against NFC North opponents, all of whom enter Week 10 with five wins on the season and with a top 11 scoring offense. The defense needs to find some answers on how to turn things around in the second half of the season.