Giants outclassed by 49ers, but it’s too soon to write them off

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — What did we learn about the 2023 Giants on Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium? Nothing that we did not know before.

Primarily, we got confirmation the 49ers are a far better team at this stage than the Giants, and that they might well be the best team in the NFC.

They proved that on both sides of the ball in a 30-12 victory that dropped the Giants to 1-2 and gave the 49ers (3-0) their 13th consecutive regular season victory dating to last year.

It obviously did not help the Giants that they were without Saquon Barkley and three other starters, two on the offensive line, including left tackle Andrew Thomas.

Having them would have made it a fairer fight. But it is unlikely their presences would have made a difference to the bottom line.

So, to review: Had the Giants not made a huge comeback against the Cardinals to win, 31-28, on Sunday, they now would be 0-3, their season on the brink.

They are not 0-3, though. Yes, they are a big step below San Francisco. But with games against the Seahawks and Dolphins ahead, we will know a lot more about them come mid-October.

It would be foolish and unfair to dismiss them at this early date.

After trailing the Cowboys, 26-0, and the Cardinals, 20-0, at halftime in their first two games this season, the Giants made it to intermission on Thursday within realistic reach at 17-6.

On the game’s first series, they allowed the 49ers to drive 64 yards in 15 plays, capped by a 28-yard field goal from Jake Moody.

But they stiffened in time to avoid a touchdown and were able to generate some pressure on quarterback Brock Purdy.

When Kayvon Thibodeaux sacked Purdy for a 4-yard loss on that opening drive, it marked the first sack of the season for the Giants.

Daniel Jones got the offense started with a third-and-4 completion to Wan’Dale Robinson on a third-and-4 in Robinson’s first game of the season. The Giants made a timely statement with that 12-play drive, moving the ball down the field smartly. It ended with Graham Gano making a 44-yard field goal to tie the score 3:18 before halftime.

The tide began to turn when, with the Giants at their 10-yard line, Nick Bosa got his first sack of the season. The ball was marked at the Giants’ 2. That drive went nowhere. Then the 49ers answered with a drive that featured third-and-15 and third-and-13 conversions.

The capper was a third-and-5 conversion from Purdy to Ronnie Bell, who caught a 9-yard pass in the front of the end zone with Deonte Banks in coverage.

So it was 10-3 49ers with 7:49 left in the second quarter.

How well did things go for the 49ers? They got a 15-yard gain when Purdy’s pass bounced off the hands of Samuel and landed in the hands of Bell.

A roughing-the-passer penalty on Leonard Williams set up Christian McCaffrey for a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 17-3 1:40 before intermission.

But the Giants answered with a late drive to set up Gano for a 57-yard field with 13 seconds left to make it 17-6.

The 49ers outgained the Giants in the first half, 242 yards to 88, and doubled the Giants’ time of possession. The Barkley-less Giants rushed for a total of 12 yards in the first half.

The Giants got a great chance on offense when a fair catch interference call against the 49ers gave the visitors the ball at the San Francisco 37-yard line. Then a pass interference call gave the Giants a first down at the 8. Former Niner Matt Breida ran it in from there to make it 17-12 with 10 minutes left in the third, stunning the 49ers. Jones was sacked on a two-point try.

The 49ers answered with a long drive to a short field goal by Moody to make it 20-12. But with 4:08 left in the third, the Giants still were in it. Then they weren’t. Keyed by a 29-yard completion to George Kittle, the 49ers drove for a 36-yard field goal that made it 23-12 with 12:47 left. Samuel’s 27-yard touchdown reception made it 30-12 with 5:58 left, and that was that.

The Giants sought to ease the logistical (and physical) pain of a short work week by staying in Arizona after their victory over the Cardinals on Sunday, conducting walkthroughs at Arizona State’s indoor facility before flying here on Wednesday.

There was one potential positive about the timing: Playing on short rest in Week 3 is far easier on many players’ bodies than doing so late in the season.

Now the Giants have an extra-long rest. They do not play again until Monday, Oct. 2, hosting Seattle in another prime time showcase.

That game figures to be a better barometer of where they stand than Thursday night’s was.

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.