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Popularity of Kevin Patra:
- The Niners roll over the Giants on the road. Mac Jones paper mangled both Big Blue defenses to death early, completing all 14 of his first-half pass attempts as San Francisco opened the game with two easy touchdown drives to take a lead it would never relinquish. Jones found open targets short and intermediate. With questions along the offensive line, the Niners didn’t attempt a deep shot all game. They didn’t need to. In the second half, San Francisco leaned forward Christian McCaffrey and the ground game, churning out first downs. CMC broke tackles and kept the offense in positive situations against a good performance by the Giants. McCaffrey gained 173 yards, scored 106 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries and added a game-high 67 receiving yards on five catches with a second score. When the running back is rolling, it’s hard to keep the niners down.
- Dart continues to struggle as Giants lose third straight. Rookie quarterback Jackson Dart continues to make plays despite less than ideal circumstances. A dart in his pocket is beyond his years. The quarterback makes defenders miss him in a phone booth while still keeping his eyes downfield. Dart completed 24 of 33 passes for 191 yards and two TDs for a 107.0 passer rating. The signal caller also led the Giants with eight carries for 56 yards and a score. As that last stat highlights, Dart doesn’t have enough help around him at this stage. His targets dropped a few passes early that could have extended the drive and the field got little traction. Even in a blast, Dart kept fighting and fighting. Without him, it would have been a 20 point shootout.
- The Niners’ D does plenty, but still needs some help. An injury-ravaged defense was key to getting off the field in the first half, forcing three fumbles through two quarters that allowed it to build a double-digit lead. Robert Saleh’s crew also did well after a Jones completion late in the half, allowing zero yards after a change of possession and Big Blue missing a field goal. The pass rusher got two sacks, but still lacks consistency. San Francisco had 11 total QB pressures, five off Sam Okuayinonu. To make matters worse, newbie Michael Williamswho has played a key role, left with an injury. Will general manager John Lynch make moves to improve the defense before the trade deadline?
Next Gen Stats Insight for 49ers-Giants (via NFL Pro): Mac Jones completed 19 of 24 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9 against the Giants, averaging his fastest time to throw (2.36 seconds) since Week 12, 2023.
NFL Research: Christian McCaffrey set an NFL record with his 16th career game with both rushing and receiving scores, breaking a tie with Marshall Faulk.