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Giants vs. 49ers: Breaking down San Francisco’s Week 10 game plan

By Peter Panacy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul #90 of the New York Giants rushes against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 14, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul #90 of the New York Giants rushes against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 14, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers watches the action during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers watches the action during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Key Battles to Win

The Giants have both underachieved and disappointed this season, and the whole mess going on with New York presents a perfect opportunity for San Francisco to reel in its first victory of 2017.

Still, a lot of this has to be determined on the field.

As we close out, let’s take a look at some key battles the 49ers will need to win on Sunday to get win No. 1.

Pass Protection

A week ago, the Niners surrendered five sacks and 16 quarterback hits to C.J. Beathard. Now the Cardinals defensive front is vastly better than what the Giants are mustering right now. On the year, New York is tied for 28th with just 13 sacks.

That’s it. Even the pass-rush-deficient 49ers have four more.

SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers is hit as he throws by Corey Peters #98 of the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers is hit as he throws by Corey Peters #98 of the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

And while Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been sacked just 19 times this season, the numbers when he’s under pressure aren’t good. According to Pro Football Focus, Manning’s passer rating drops from the standard 85.4 down to 66.4 when facing pressure — 21st in the NFL.

So even if San Francisco’s pass-rushers aren’t getting home, applying the heat remains important.

Drive-Duration Time

The 49ers possessed the ball just over 23 minutes last week against the Cardinals. And, surprisingly, they were in the game for the majority of it.

If you’re looking for a battle between two teams who don’t like to be on offense, this matchup is for you. Just take a look at each team’s average length of offensive drives:

  • Giants — 2:21 (31st)
  • 49ers — 2:16 (32nd)

Yeah, sustaining drives is a problem for both teams.

Call it the proverbial “hand in glove” approach, or whatever, but whichever team wins this battle wins the game.

More from Niner Noise

Penalties

It’s a year-long problem, but the 49ers still are towards the top of the flag pole. And not the right kind of flag either.

Entering Week 10, the Niners are tied for the third-most penalties (72) for 569 yards. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Giants rank 27th with 50.

Maybe this just means the G-Men are that bad regardless of the fewer flags, although it’s pretty simple to point out how costly San Francisco’s own self-inflicted mistakes have been.

Next: Giants vs. 49ers: 5 predictions in Week 10

The Giants and 49ers kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.