That was about as dominant as it gets. The 49ers didn’t look nearly as injured as they actually were on their way to a 36-9 victory over the New York Giants.
Here are our observations from throughout the contest:
– Brandon Aiyuk takes a jet sweep on the first play of the game. It doesn’t go far, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Kyle Shanahan do some trickery to try and get the Giants’ eyes looking the wrong way.
– Third-and-6 on the 49ers’ first series and Nick Mullens hits Trent Taylor for 20 yards. That’s Taylor’s longest catch of the year.
– Another jet sweep to Aiyuk goes for nine yards. Expect more of that from the rookie as the season progresses.
– Another third-down conversion. Nick Mullens plows ahead for a couple yards on third-and-1.
– Mullens’ third-and-5 throw intended for Kendrick Bourne gets knocked down. That was a dangerous toss into coverage. 49ers settle for a 52-yard field goal and Robbie Gould drills it. 49ers 3, Giants 0
– Javon Kinlaw blows up the Giants’ first offensive play. He meets running back Wayne Gallman in the backfield for no gain.
– Third-and-8 for the Giants and the 49ers put in Ziggy Ansah and Dion Jordan. They also bring a blitz, but Daniel Jones hits Golden Tate for 18 yards.
– Turnover! The Giants try a toss to tight end Evan Engram who drops the pitch. Dion Jordan dives on the loose ball for San Francisco and the 49ers take over at the Giants’ 42-yard line.
– Mullens nearly throws an interception on a tipped ball, but the QB got to the ball and knocked it to the ground before linebacker Lorenzo Carter could haul it in. Nice job by Mullens there.
– Good blitz pickup from Jerick McKinnon on a third-and-10 blitz. Mullens hit Reed for 12 and a first down.
– A Mohamed Sanu sighting! He takes a throw on third-and-9 and picks up 9 to give San Francisco a first-and-goal at the 5.
– Good pass breakup by Giants CB Isaac Yiadom to knock a throw intended for Aiyuk away.
– A touchdown pass to McKinnon is nullified by an illegal hands to the face penalty on Daniel Brunskill. It was a really nice play by Mullens to roll out and fire a throw in to McKinnon.
– Brutal. Jordan Reed can’t make a catch in the back of the end zone and twists his ankle on the play. He appeared to be in significant pain. Trainers took him to the locker room. That would be a catastrophic loss for the 49ers’ offense.
– Gould’s second field goal of the day is good. This one is 32 yards. 49ers 6, Giants 0
– END OF 1ST QUARTER: 49ers 6, Giants 0
– Oh that’s not good. Emmanuel Moseley gets whacked by Jaquiski Tartt on a run by Daniel Jones. He exits and the 49ers’ cornerbacks are Verrett and Dontae Johnson.
– Kerry Hyder gets pressure off the edge and forces a throw away. Then he gets a tackle on the next play to bring up a third-and-long. Hyder’s done a really nice job, and the 49ers need him to be even better with all their injury issues.
– Hyder again on the third-and-7. Ansah was also coming down off the edge and helped force an overthrow by Jones. Really good work by the defensive front there. Giants kicker Graham Gano hits a 52-yard field goal. 49ers 6, Giants 3
– Dante Pettis is returning kicks with McKinnon shouldering more work in the run game.
– The TV broadcast shows Reed on the sideline. That’s great news for the 49ers’ offense.
– Kendrick Bourne is having a heck of a time generating separation from CB James Bradberry.
– Reed is back. A third-and-7 throw goes through his hands, and then Gould misses a 55-yard field goal. The throw to Reed was a touch high, but it looked like he had a shot to bring it down.
– Johnson has good coverage on Darius Slayton, but Jones makes a perfect back shoulder throw for a 23-yard pickup.
– Now Johnson is flagged for holding on a blitz by the 49ers that forces a throw away. Yikes. And two plays later Johnson gets his hand in for a pass breakup to bring up a third-and-9. That’s a nice job by the reserve corner.
– Kinlaw comes up with a tipped throw on third-and-9. That’s a huge stop for the 49ers’ defense after the missed field goal set up the Giants in great field position. Gano drills a 42-yard field goal. 49ers 6, Giants 6
– Mullens is doing a nice job so far. He’s thrown a couple into traffic, but now he’s hit Bourne a couple times for first downs. The offensive line is doing a nice job.
– A sack brings up a third-and-22. Mullens hits Reed for a short gain, but an illegal contact penalty gives the 49ers a first down. Reed limped off the field and now he’s sitting on the bench and appears to be grabbing his knee.
– This game is rough. Two-minute warning in the first half. Still 6-6.
– Nice job by Dwelley to turn a short throw into a 14-yard gain. He’s at 49 yards on four receptions. Nice job by the backup tight end. Points before the half would be nice for San Francisco. It’s first-and-goal at the 10.
– And there’s McKinnon off the left side. He barrels in for a touchdown. He had 11 yards on the previous play to set up the first-and-goal. It’s McKinnon’s third touchdown in as many games. 49ers 13, Giants 6
– Wow what a swing. Jones fires a throw right into Fred Warner’s chest and the 49ers take over at the Giants’ 32-yard line with 59 seconds left in the half.
– What a catch by McKinnon! He hauls one in with a dive for 26 yards. It puts the 49ers at the Giants’ 6.
– Oof. McKinnon makes another catch and should’ve run out of bounds, but he tries to turn it upfield and gets tackled inside the 10 so the 49ers have to burn their final timeout. He needs to get out of bounds there so San Francisco can save their timeout.
– Mullens’ shot for the end zone is low and in front of Aiyuk. The 49ers settle for a 26-yard field goal. 49ers 16, Giants 6
– END OF THE FIRST HALF: 49ers 16, Giants 6
– Nice play by Jason Verrett to blow up a screen to Golden Tate. It’s good to see him getting involved.
– Giants convert a fourth-and-short. Warner lost Evan Engram in coverage. They’re across midfield.
– The 49ers can’t stop Daniel Jones from running. That is an enormous issue.
– Warner gets beat by Engram again, but Jones overthrows his tight end. Lucky break for San Francisco.
– Good job by the 49ers’ defense to hold the Giants to a field goal. Jones’ huge run was negated by a holding penalty. Gano booted through a 47-yard field goal. 49ers 16, Giants 9
– There’s Aiyuk in the passing game. His first catch goes for 14 and a first down. He’s been relatively quiet but the signs are there that he can be a productive player.
– Aiyuk again two plays later goes for 19 yards. He’s at four touches.
– Aiyuk again. This one is a six-yard catch to set up a third-and-short. He’s a good player.
– Aiyuk again! This time he finds pay dirt on a sweep. He goes untouched for 19 yards to put San Francisco back up by two scores.
– Snaps have been a problem on field goals and this time it comes on the extra point try. Nelson skips the snap in to holder Mitch Wishnowsky. A facemask on the tackle of Wishnowsky allows San Francisco to try the point after again. The snap was low again, but this time Wishnowsky handles it. 49ers 23, Giants 9
– Hyder comes up with a sack to open the Giants’ next series. He’s been excellent.
– Excellent work by Kinlaw and the 49ers’ defensive front to stack up a QB sneak on a fourth-and-short. Azeez Al-Shaair also flew in to help make the stop.
– Aiyuk again. This one goes for 11 and a first down. He took a shot right when he made the reception too. Good toughness for the rookie.
– Now Jeff Wilson Jr. gets in on the action. He takes a screen 19 yards and houses it. Another bad snap from Nelson though and the 49ers missed the extra point. 49ers 29, Giants 9.
– JaMycal Hasty makes his NFL debut, splits into the slot and makes a seven-yard catch. This team is insanely deep.
– Aiyuk with another catch on third down. It was a sweet throw over the linebacker and in front of the defensive back. Mullens has been superb.
– Hasty now gets back-to-back carries and they go for nine yards.
– Why not? Wilson plows ahead for his second score of the game. This has been an incredible game by the 49ers’ offense. Justin Skule is the long snapper this time. 49ers 36, Giants 9
– Dion Jordan sacks Daniel Jones, just in case more signs were needed that this game is over.
– Wow. Now Darius Slayton fumbles as the Giants tried to turn a 36-9 game into something more respectable. Tarvarius Moore recovers. That’ll do it from MetLife Stadium.
– FINAL SCORE: 49ers 36, Giants 9
