Oct

21

AccuScore Preview: 49ers Vs. Giants

Posted by sf49ers

October 21, 2007 |

Here is the AccuScore preview for today’s game, and I think it will be a hard fought game. New York is a top tier team in the NFC and the 49ers would really prove something by upending the Giants today at Giant Stadium and plus San Francisco has a much better running game. Well here is their bold prediction:

(Sports Network) - The New York Giants seek their fifth straight win this weekend, when they will host the San Francisco 49ers Sunday at Giants Stadium.

The Giants opened up their season with consecutive losses to Dallas and Green Bay before responding with their current winning streak. After besting a pair of division foes in Washington and Philadelphia, New York defeated the city-rival Jets and Atlanta Falcons to run their record to 4-2.

That mark has the Giants in second place in the NFC East, a game back of the 5-1 Cowboys.

This is the second season in a row in which the Giants have a winning streak of at least four games. New York won five games in a row at one point last season.

New York clashed with Atlanta on Monday night and walked away with a convincing 31-10 victory. Quarterback Eli Manning threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns in the win, one of those to star wideout Plaxico Burress.

Burress’ TD catch was his NFC-leading eighth of the season, and he has found the end zone through the air in each of New York’s first six contests. That is one game shy of Kyle Rote’s franchise record of seven straight with a touchdown catch, set in 1959-60.

Burress, though, is questionable for this weekend with an ankle injury that has bothered him all season and kept him out of practice this week. However, it seems more than likely he will play.

Monday’s victory was the 600th regular season triumph for New York, joining Chicago (672) and Green Bay (629) as the only franchises with 600 regular season wins. Following this weekend’s game, the Giants head to London, England to face the Miami Dolphins.

Fresh off a much-needed bye week, the 49ers will be attempting to halt a three-game losing streak. San Francisco was last in action on October 7, and fell to the Baltimore Ravens, 9-7.

The loss dipped San Francisco to 2-3 on the season, though it is not far off the pace in the NFC West, where Arizona and Seattle are tied atop the standings at 3-3.

San Francisco managed just 163 net yards versus the Ravens in its first game without Alex Smith under center. The third-year quarterback suffered a right shoulder separation on September 30 against Seattle, leading to Trent Dilfer getting the start versus Baltimore.

Dilfer completed just 12-of-19 passes for 126 yards, throwing a touchdown and an interception in his first start against the team that let him go following a Super Bowl victory back in 2000.

Smith, though, could be back under center this weekend for the 49ers, who haven’t won since September 16 in St. Louis. Smith has been able to participate in practice on a limited basis this week and is considered probable for the game.

The 49ers shoot for their third victory of the season on Sunday. The club didn’t win its third game of the 2006 campaign until Week 9.

SERIES HISTORY

San Francisco has a 13-12 lead in its all-time regular season series with the Giants, but had a four-game win streak snapped with a 24-6 home loss to New York during the 2005 season. The 49ers won the previous regular-season meeting, a 16-13 triumph at Giants Stadium in 2002. The G-Men are 0-2 in home games against the Niners since last beating them at the Meadowlands in 1991.

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 2-0 all-time against the 49ers, including a 41-3 decision for his Jaguars in 1999. The 49ers’ Mike Nolan is 0-1 against both Coughlin and the Giants.

WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL

Even before Smith’s injury, the 49ers offense had been struggling. The club is ranked 31st in the league with just 12.6 points per game, including a pitiful 10 total points over its last two outings. Offensively, the 49ers are last in the league in total yards (203.2 ypg) and passing yards (117.2 ypg) per game. What could be more alarming — if that is possible — is that the club also ranks 26th in the league with 86 rushing yards per game. After leading the NFC in rushing yards last year, running back Frank Gore (3 TD) ran for a mere 52 yards against Baltimore and has just 306 yards on the ground so far this season. He has also made 11 catches for 102 yards in 2007. Arnaz Battle (15 receptions, 1 TD) scored San Francisco’s only touchdown against Baltimore, hauling in a 23-yard scoring pass from Dilfer.

The 49ers are also hoping to start getting more from wideout Darrell Jackson, who has just 16 catches for 210 yards on the season. Tight end is also becoming a glaring hole for San Francisco. 2006 first-round pick Vernon Davis has missed the team’s last two games due to a knee injury, while backup Billy Bajema (ankle) is also battling injury. However, Davis is back practicing and could start this weekend, while Bajema wasn’t listed on the initial injury report.

Defense has been the name of the Giants’ game as of late. Over their first 10 quarters of the season — spanning 31 opposition possessions — the Giants allowed 13 touchdowns and two field goals, part of the reason they lost their first two games. However, in 14 quarters since, New York’s defense has limited opponents to just two touchdowns and two field goals over 43 possessions. On Monday, the Falcons scored 10 points on their first two possessions, then never got closer than the Giants’ 30-yard line. Pressuring the quarterback has been a huge part of New York’s success, as the club leads the league with 21 team sacks after getting to the Falcons’ Joey Harrington four times on Monday. Osi Umenyiora (21 tackles) was held without a sack, but still leads the league with seven, while Justin Tuck (27 tackles) did post a sack to give him 5 1/2 on the season. Linebacker Antonio Pierce (team-leading 47 tackles) recorded a sack and had a team-high eight tackles on Monday, while rookie corner Aaron Ross (13 tackles) intercepted his third pass in his last two games and picked up a half-sack in the game. Michael Strahan was credited with the other half, upping his franchise-leading total to 134.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

Manning (1,379 passing yards, 11 TD, 8 INT) had one of his better games of the season versus Atlanta. Prior to that game, he had failed to throw for more than 232 yards since opening the season with a 312-yard effort in a loss to Dallas, accumulating a total of just 321 passing yards the last two weeks. Despite his inconsistencies, New York is sixth in the league in points (25.7) and yards (359.2) per game. Burress (30 receptions) continued his stellar season with six catches for 97 yards on Monday, while Amani Toomer (26 receptions, 1 TD) set a number of team records. He finished with seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown catch, tying Rote for most TD receptions (48) in franchise history while also taking over sole possession on the club’s all- time list with 587 catches.

With Derrick Ward slowed by an ankle injury, New York went with a very successful two-headed rushing attack against the Falcons. Brandon Jacobs (212 rushing yards, 1 TD) had 86 yards on the ground, while Reuben Droughns (121 rushing yards, 3 TD) had 90 yards and a score in the win. Jeremy Shockey (23 receptions, 1 TD) made five catches for 63 yards and has at least once catch in 75 straight games, the second-longest active streak among tight ends.

The 49ers continue to be paced on defense by rookie linebacker Patrick Willis, who leads the team with 50 tackles on the year. Willis has posted double-digit tackle totals in three games this year, including a 12-tackle effort versus Baltimore. Despite Willis’ efforts, the 49ers rank 20th in the league in yards allowed (337.8 ypg) and 22nd in rushing yards (124.2 ypg) allowed. Linebacker Derek Smith (39 tackles) posted 12 tackles in the loss, while safety Michael Lewis (32) added 10 stops for a club that failed to force a turnover versus the Ravens.

Despite possessing Pro Bowl corner Walt Harris and coveted free-agent pickup Nate Clements, San Francisco has a mere three interceptions on the season, including one each from Harris (23 tackles) and Clements (25 tackles). However, Clements had a 58-yard pick returned for a score in his last game at Giants Stadium, done on December 10, 2006 while with Buffalo against the Jets. End Marques Douglas (32 tackles) has 2 1/2 sacks in his past four games.

On the injury front, safety Keith Lewis (hamstring) and linebacker Hannibal Navies (knee) both missed practice time for San Francisco this week and are questionable for Sunday.

FANTASY FOCUS

Outside of New England’s Randy Moss, Burress has been the best fantasy- producing wideout this season and is a must-start. Manning and Toomer should also get looks against a struggling 49ers defense. New York’s run game is a bit tougher to dissect. With Ward likely a non-factor this weekend, it comes down to Jacobs and Droughns. Both might be able to sneak into lineups this week, as Jacobs has been getting the yardage while Droughns has been finding the end zone. Between the two, Droughns is the better start. Despite poor production so far, Gore should remain a fixture in fantasy lineups. After that, a banged-up Smith or healthy Dilfer aren’t great choices at the quarterback spot, while Jackson has done little on the season. Battle again gets a look in deep leagues.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

This one looks easy on paper, as you get a streaking team against a stumbling club. New York’s defense has been outstanding as of late, while the 49ers offense has been having trouble moving the sticks. On the other side, the Giants offense has been pretty at times and gets to face a defense that has made few game-changing plays this year. San Francisco has two solid corners that could cause Manning some headaches, but Burress is good enough to avoid tight coverage. Speaking of headaches, whoever is under center for San Francisco this Sunday — Smith or Dilfer — will need to be light on his feet to avoid a swarming New York pass rush. San Francisco will need Gore to get going early to keep the Giants honest. In the end, the toughest part of this game is figuring out if New York will cover the spread.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Giants 27, 49ers 13

My Predicted Outcome: 49ers 24, Giants 20

Source: AccuScore


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