SF 49ers vs. NY Giants: Looking at all those injuries with GMEN HQ

Week 3 X-factors for both teams, why the NY Giants or SF 49ers win

NN: What do you think are some key X-factors to Week 3 for both teams? If the Giants win, why? And if the Niners win, how do they go about doing it?

"GMEN: Some key X-factors this week will be Evan Engram on offense and Markus Golden on defense for New York. Engram must become a safety valve for Daniel Jones in a new pass-first approach to the offense without Saquon. Golden has been quiet so far and seen limited snaps through Week 2. The Giants defense needs him to produce like last season and go hunting after Mullens and force him to make plays under pressure. More from Niner Noise Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet  2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar Updated 49ers salary cap space ahead of 2023 NFL Draft My X-factors for the Niners is Trent Williams on offense and Fred Warner, along with Kwon Alexander, on defense. The 49ers offensive line has struggled to protect their quarterbacks so far, to a tune of six sacks allowed in two games. The Giants have six sacks in two games and will be sure to make an increased emphasis of getting to the quarterback this week. Mullens needs his left tackle, Williams, to steady the line’s play and give Mullens time to make plays downfield. Warner and Alexander command the team’s linebacker unit which is the only group on the defense not currently out of shape due to injury. Both very talented players, Alexander and Warner need to keep the defense intact and cause havoc to the Giants offense. If the Giants win, it’ll be because they don’t shoot themselves in the foot and miss opportunities given to them. They need to play a clean, sound game and take advantage of a severely depleted 49ers team that has major question marks all over the roster. On defense, they must make Mullens look like a struggling, backup player and force turnovers to win the game. With that, they need to score points off turnovers which they have struggled to do so far. If the SF 49ers win, it’ll be due to their ability to adapt and work with whatever they got on the team. The 49ers are still a better team than N.Y. and they have been much better in recent years. Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson must keep the run game as strong as it’s been lately. The defense has to harass Jones and keep his turnovers struggles a present issue. The 49ers must put on the same performance as last week and play without their team’s biggest guys all sitting out with injuries. They kept the Jets offense at bay all game and must do the same with the Giants this week."

We’d like to sincerely thank Daniel Friedman and our friends over at GMEN HQ. Please be sure to follow them on Twitter — @GMENHQ — and give Friedman a follow as well — @DannyFriedman28.

The SF 49ers and NY Giants kick off from MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET.