After falling behind forced the San Francisco 49ers to throw the ball early and often and run the fewest times in franchise history, they could be ready to grind away on the ground against the New York Giants.
With the Giants coming off allowing the most rushing yards in a game of anyone in the NFL this season and Christian McCaffrey held under 100 from scrimmage for the first time since his injury-plagued lost year in 2024, he and the Niners (5-3) have an opportunity to get back on track Sunday visiting an opponent that has struggled to stop the run.
“Challenging the hell out of our guys to run the ball,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Got an opportunity every week to do it, and hopefully we can do a better job this week.”
McCaffrey has the most catches of any running back in the league with 56 and, even after the clunker of a loss at Houston last week when San Francisco had just 10 rushing attempts, ranks second with 140 carries. The two-time All-Pro thinks he and his teammates have responded well and the disappointment will not linger.
“Every day in this league is about getting better, having emotional stamina and mental stamina to withstand the duration of the year,” McCaffrey said. “That means when you win, you forget about it and move on and when you lose, you correct mistakes and move on.”
The Giants (2-6) got torched for 276 yards rushing by reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, including Saquon Barkley going off for a 65-yard touchdown on his first carry on the way to 150. They rank 30th out of 32 teams against the run and fully understand McCaffrey presents a different kind of challenge — and perhaps an even more daunting one.
“He’s a dynamic player,” coach Brian Daboll said. “I’m sure they’ll look at a lot of things that have happened over the last couple weeks in terms of running the ball or matchup-wise with him. They do it with everybody, but he can align as a receiver, a running back. He’s a very talented player.”
The long-term optimism around the Giants generated by rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo took a hit when the running back out of Arizona State's right foot bent the wrong way against the Eagles. Skattebo had surgery hours later to repair a broken fibula and other damage.
“A lot of production goes through him, (so) you’re going to miss him a lot,” offensive lineman Greg Van Roten said. “Then just for him personally, you feel really bad for the guy because you know how much work he’s put in to put himself in a position to make it in the NFL and establish himself as a starter. Then you just have one snap where you get hurt, and you just know it’s a long road to recovery and you feel for the guy.”
Tyrone Tracy moves back into the feature back role he thrived in last season as Barkley's replacement, with Devin Singletary expected to get mixed in as a change of pace.
The 49ers have struggled to generate a pass rush since Nick Bosa went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 and have just five sacks over the past six games. The production was hampered even more with injuries to Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos, leading the team to acquire Keion White this week in a trade with New England.
White is expected to jump right in and San Francisco is hopeful he can get back to the form that had him get four sacks in the first two games last year.
“We need D-linemen with all our guys injured,” Shanahan said. “Regardless, he would have helped any team. I thought he was a problem when we played against him last year. Really liked what he does on film, too.”
In the aftermath of Skattebo's injury, Dart put more responsibility on his shoulders to make up for the departure of another key player. Top receiver Malik Nabers had surgery Tuesday to repair the ACL in his right knee that got torn in Dart's first pro start a month ago.
The first-round pick out of Mississippi has since created plenty of buzz in the New York area and around the league. Dart has thrown for eight touchdowns and run for four more, with three interceptions.
“I’ve been really impressed with him,” Shanahan said. “He’s got a very good knack for off-schedule plays, attacking while scrambling. If you drop any of your players in coverage, he finds them. His vision is pretty elite when it comes to seeing holes in the defense when he gets outside that pocket.”
The 49ers have gotten little production from their wide receivers, with Brandon Aiyuk still sidelined by a knee injury from last season, Ricky Pearsall missing the past four games and Jauan Jennings hampered by a series of injuries.
Jennings was hoping to build on last season’s career-best 975 yards receiving as he entered a contract year, but has only 18 catches for 212 yards. Jennings did show some flashes last week when he had four catches for 45 yards, including a difficult 25-yarder that set up a touchdown.
“Jauan has been really hurt all year,” Shanahan said. “He’s getting better. I think last week was a step in the right direction, but hopefully, he’ll be better this week. Jauan has been compromised on a lot of things.”
San Francisco will start Mac Jones at quarterback for a fifth straight game, but Brock Purdy could be available as a backup as he tries to return from a toe injury.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in Santa Clara, California, contributed.
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