The 49ers put together another long march, covering 88 yards in the third quarter, with Boldin sparking the drive on a 37-yard catch and run.
Advertisement
In the second, Shane Vereen scored the game’s first touchdown on a 2-yard pass from Eli Manning. From then on, the 49ers stayed aggressive and Kaepernick stayed efficient. They weren’t embarrassed after Sunday’s 30-27 loss.
Never in doubt, tackle Justin Pugh said.
With number one tight end Daniel Fells out indefinitely with an MRSA infection in his ankle, tight ends like Donnell and rookie Will Tye had to step up not just tonight, but for the rest of the season. They claimed his previous excellence was Harbaugh’s creation and that the quarterback was lost without his mentor. And they aren’t alone in feeling a little bit better, as even the fans can support a team that goes down fighting. But Kaepernick’s efforts during this contest stand in stark contrast to what has widely been seen as the final patience point for the quarterback in San Francisco. Stay the course and ride out the storm, that’s what! “On Skype in our team meeting today, we showed him the game ball that he will receive”.
Overall, PFF panned Eli’s performance with a -2.1 grade, but he tore up the middle of the field. That defense has been decimated by retirements and injuries.
By improving to 3-2 with their third straight victory, the Giants took over the lead in the NFC East. The 49ers had 115 passing yards in the first half, 66 of which came on three pass plays of 15 or more yards, including a 30-yard screen to WR Bruce Ellington, a 19-yard reception in the flat by FB Bruce Miller and a 17-yard catch by WR Torrey Smith….
“To be honest with you, I don’t feel like we’re 1-4”, defensive lineman Quinton Dial said Monday.
He left because of a hamstring injury, however, and returned only briefly on the final drive.
They would be something that has eluded them for what seems like an eternity: a winning team. In 2011 he was the best and in this game he was phenomenal once again. He threw the ball efficiently (23-ror-35), sometimes firing fastballs and other times lofting passes with delicate touch. The Giants clearly rallied around that concept and it might have been a factor in why so many were teary-eyed – like Odell Beckham Jr. – after the game.
Quarterbacks are always the lightning rod on a team and under constant scrutiny. Those excellent seasons were followed by 4-12 in 2013 and 6-10 in 2014. “They had to nearly start over, and they had to get him as comfortable as they possibly could”. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was able to manufacture pressure on Colin Kaepernick, even as the 49ers’ signal-caller got hot down the stretch. After losses in his last seven starts, Stafford’s career record as Detroit’s starter now stands at 35-47 (plus an 0-2 playoff record). Asked if after 27 regular-season fourth-quarter comebacks, this one was as satisfying as any of them, Manning did not get caught up in the moment. He has an abysmal 3-32 record against teams with an eventual winning record and has zero road wins in his career against winning teams. It worked. Tomsula wanted Kaepernick to play on Sunday like he regularly does in practice, and he finally did in the narrow loss to the New York Giants. Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus goes in detail on Lynch’s performance against the Giants offensive line.
Advertisement
“Everybody was able to cheer him and to try to make him feel better and he was very nice in saying he watched the game and liked the way we finished it”, coach Tom Coughlin said. So it’s on 49ers general manager Trent Baalke to help Kaepernick by giving him more protection on the offensive line, more weapons at the skill positions and while he’s at it, more help to fortify the defense.
