Brock Purdy, 49ers should feast on Giants' worst-ranked defense on Thursday
By Peter Panacy
![San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5472,h_3078,x_0,y_280/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/42/01han886myhz1a8ddttt.jpg)
Thursday, Sept. 21. 2-0. 49ers -10. 42. 8:20 p.m. ET. 1-1. 31. Amazon Prime. 49ers-Giants opening
After some offensive scuffles in Week 2, Brock Purdy and the 49ers can take comfort in knowing their next opponent, the Giants, currently own the NFL's worst defense.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy admitted he would have liked to have some of his throws back in the 30-23 Week 2 road victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Specifically, three overthrows that could have resulted in touchdowns but certainly would have been massive gains at key moments. And while Purdy's overall day wasn't bad, per se, last Sunday's performance in LA clearly wasn't close to his best and could arguably be classified as his worst.
Spinning that into a positive, though, Purdy was still poised and victorious despite his own shortcomings. That's excellent news for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co.
With Week 2 in the books, Purdy and Co. might not have much time to relax as they head back to Northern California on a short week to host the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.
But, while Los Angeles' defense gave Purdy a few more fits than expected, the second-year quarterback shouldn't experience too many discomforts at the hands of the 1-1 G-Men.
Giants defense has been bad through 2 weeks, Brock Purdy and the 49ers know it
Purdy and the Niners have scored 30 points in each of their two games so far this season, which is tied for third most in the league over two weeks.
Meanwhile, no team in the NFL has surrendered more points over that span than New York, 68 in total. And despite pulling off a 31-28 comeback victory over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, the fact the lowly red birds got out to a 28-7 lead speaks volumes.
And, who could forget how the Dallas Cowboys walloped the Giants 40-0 in the season opener.
Needless to say, the G-Men have their share of offensive woes. They're allowing 5.6 yards per play (seventh worst), 6.6 yards per pass play (sixth worst), 4.6 yards per rush (ninth worst) and have failed to generate a single defensive takeaway.
Related story: 3 overreactions from 49ers' Week 2 win over hated LA Rams
They've also failed to record a single sack this year, too. Ouch.
To compound things even more, New York will be without its best offensive player this Thursday, Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, who is expected to miss three weeks with an ankle sprain. That alone will make it more challenging for the Giants to extend drives and give their defense a rest against the slew of weapons at Purdy's disposal.
While each week can be its own proverbial "animal," at least in terms of how the game plays out, the G-Men's defensive trend over the first two weeks suggests Purdy and the 49ers offense should be in position to have a field day.
The two teams kick off for Thursday Night Football on Sept. 21 at 8:20 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
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