NYG 27 SF 23

The Giants bested a bad 2-7 team with a come from behind victory. The OL gave enough time for the Offense to function. Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley were able to do damage in enough spots to help the team win.

A word on Jamon Brown, who was picked up off waivers from the Rams. He certainly helped shore up a beleaguered OL. But our analyst, the same one who panned Omameh in May, gives Brown the same review. “Just a guy.” Do not get carried away with visions of grandeur. Yes, Brown was part of a more respectable effort. I don’t want this win to change the need for a rebuild.

On Defense, the Giants lacked a pass rush and the ability to cover the TE. Mullens looked good in his 2nd career start. His inexperience showed at the end, as he didn’t have enough time to win it. It should be noted that when the Giants drove down for the winning TD, the 49ers called a timeout with the play clock at 1 second left. It was a killer because that extra timeout was critical.

Eli collected his 36th come-from-behind win. He was good enough to win vs a weak opponent. But let’s not get overly excited about the win. Eli missed a wide open Beckham, whom if he hits in stride, OBJ is still running. He also missed him uncovered at the goal line in a run formation. It’s a reminder that Eli’s future is not with the Giants. The OL needs to be rebuilt and Eli will not win without a lot of consistent protection.

Ogletree and Collins had trouble in coverage. Collins just doesn’t look like the 2nd year All-Pro Strong Safety from 2016. He’s a half step too slow in coverage of the TE. He’s very good against the run (9 tackles led the team) but the Giants cannot overpay for him when his contract gets renewed.

Special Teams were mixed. They had a lot of big mistakes which were costly. One punt return by SF enabled a FG. Another out of bounds kickoff let SF start a TD drive at their 40. Still, newly acquired Corey Coleman made a great kickoff return to the 47 yd line. That field position allowed the Giants to put together a 53 yd drive for a TD to answer the 49ers and make the game 20-17.

Engram was silent until he wasn’t. He made a big catch on the final comeback drive.

Carter, sans 15 yd personal foul, had an effective game. He racked up 7 tackles with 3 of them for a loss. He’s a gamer who is part of the team’s future.

Goodson collected 2 INTs off of deflected balls. One of those two turnovers led to a TD from the gift-wrapped 5 yd line.

Eli’s still got it, against an albeit weaker team. A better opponent will have a CB who won’t get flagged to kill his team on pass interference on the final drive. A better opponent won’t have their LBer (Smith) out of position on bracketed coverage of Barkley out of the backfield. The Giants capitalized on more of the other team’s errors than the 49ers did to the Giants.

It’s a win. The Giants play another weak team, the 3-6 TB Bucs next weekend. Let’s not lose focus on getting better, and playing rookies. Rebuild.