San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) celebrates after an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

49ers Continue Dominant Start in 30-12 Win over Giants

The San Francisco 49ers moved to 3-0 on the season, defeating the New York Giants Thursday night. The 49ers dominated both sides of the ball, outgaining the Giants 441-150 in total yards. In addition to their win, San Francisco put together 30 points in each of their first three games.

Strong First Half

San Francisco got the ball to start the game and put together a six-minute drive with 15 plays. They got down to the Giants’ 11-yard line, but quarterback Brock Purdy threw three straight incompletions, forcing the 49ers to kick a field goal. The Giants answered with a field goal after a 12-play drive that took over five minutes.

After that, the 49ers capitalized on offense while the Giants could not move the ball. After a 49ers punt on their next drive, the Giants immediately went three-and-out. San Francisco put together another six-minute drive with 11 plays and scored a touchdown.

The 11-play drive involved two conversions on third-and-long with passes by Purdy to wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco faced another third down at the Giants’ nine-yard line. New York sent a six-man rush, but Purdy completed a nine-yard touchdown pass off his back foot to wide receiver Ronnie Bell.

The Giants once again went three-and-out on their next drive, gaining no yards in three plays. San Francisco put together another 11-play drive and found the endzone. After the two-minute warning, the Giants seemed to stop the 49ers on a third-and-long in the red zone. However, a roughing the passer call against the Giants kept the drive going, and McCaffrey scored on the next play. McCaffrey set multiple franchise milestones in the contest, including tying Jerry Rice for the most consecutive games with a touchdown.

The Giants were able to put together a decent drive and score before the end of the half. Kicker Graham Gano converted a 57-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the half. The 49ers led 17-6 at halftime.

First Half Struggles Continue for Giants

For the third game in a row, the Giants had another lackluster first half. New York gained just 88 yards and scored six points in the first half against the 49ers. In the first half of the three games this season, the Giants have scored a total of six points. Defensively in the first three games, the Giants have given up 59 points in the first half.

For the second game in a row, the Giants failed to reach the red zone in the first half. Quarterback Daniel Jones talked about the struggles to create any sort of rhythm all game.

San Francisco continues performance in the second half

Both teams punted on their first drives of the second half. The Giants needed an answer, and they got it with a quick two-play touchdown. San Francisco got penalized for defensive pass interference and running back Matt Breida scored from eight yards out against his former team. Although the Giants could not convert the two-point conversion, they made it a one-possession game with the touchdown.

On the 49ers’ next drive, they put together another 11-play drive and got down to the three-yard line. Unfortunately for San Francisco, they could not find the end zone and settled for a field goal. It was still a one-possession game for the Giants, but they went three-and-out again on their next drive.

The 49ers, once again, scored a field goal after getting the defensive stop. They drove into the red zone and kicker Jake Moody made a 36-yard field goal to put the 49ers up 23-14. The Giants needed to score on their next drive but could not produce anything after a face mask penalty on the first play.

After the punt, the 49ers put together a five-minute drive, and Purdy threw a deep ball to Samuel for a 27-yard touchdown. Samuel put together 125 yards with six receptions with a touchdown on the night. The 49ers went up 30-12 with just under six minutes left in the game.

The Giants faced a third-and-long with their next possession and Jones threw an interception that all but sealed the deal. Both teams traded punts on their ensuing drives, then the 49ers ran out the clock with a first down on their final drive. After the game, Purdy talked about the win and the start of the season for the 49ers.

Purdy put together another solid start to begin the season, going 25/37 with 310 yards and two touchdowns. Jones completed 22/32 passes for just 137 yards and threw one interception. The 49ers will host a division game against the Arizona Cardinals Oct. 1. The Giants will host the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football Oct. 2.

About Matt Rothmann

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