After a disappointing Week 8 loss in Houston, the San Francisco 49ers bounced back and closed the quick two-game road trip with an impressive 34-24 win over the New York Giants.
The 34 points were the 49ers’ highest output of the season so far, meaning all three stars will come from that side of the ball. The defense improved after its poor performance in Houston. After allowing an opening drive score, the Giants wouldn’t put points on the board until the midway point of the third quarter. By the time the Giants scored their 14 points in the fourth quarter, the game was more or less decided.
With the effort from the 49ers offense, let’s look at the three stars from the win in New York:
**Third star: RB Brian Robinson**
The 49ers’ run game dominated the Giants on Sunday, and Brian Robinson played a significant role in that dominance.
After not having a touch in two of the last three games, Robinson exploded for a season-high 56 rushing yards with his first touchdown as a 49er, and Robinson’s 10.6 yards per rush attempt wasn’t boosted by one big run. Every time he touched the ball, he tormented the Giants’ run defense.
Robinson’s first run of the game came in the first quarter and went for 16 yards, his longest run of the season. He’d have to wait until the fourth quarter for his next rush attempt, but the wait would be well worth it as he got his most usage he’s had this season.
He would get three straight rush attempts in New York territory, starting with a modest five-yard run. On the next play, he would double his previous effort with a ten-yard carry to get the 49ers in the red zone. The third try would be the charm for Robinson, however, who would take his third carry in a row, bounce off a blocker, and then power through Giants’ cornerback Deonte Banks en route to an 18-yard touchdown run.
Robinson also added a huge special teams play to boot, a 41-yard kickoff return to set the 49ers offense up with good field position in the fourth quarter as they looked to put the game away. San Francisco would indeed use that field position to score the putaway touchdown, adding an emphasis on the big return.
Robinson has been used scarcely this season, but he finally found a way to make an impact with his limited carries on Sunday.
**Second star: WR Jauan Jennings**
After several weeks of struggles, Jennings put together the type of game we’ve expected from when he entered the season as the 49ers’ No. 1 receiver.
Jennings has made plenty of mistakes over the past few games, varying from drops to bad penalties, but he finally had a mistake-free game on Sunday. Most importantly, he scored his first touchdown since his game-winning score back in Week 2 against New Orleans.
It wasn’t a stat-stuffing game for Jennings, with STAT receiving yards on STAT receptions, being among Jones’ favorite targets with STAT targets. His day started with a pair of catches on the 49ers’ opening drive for ten yards, but his first impact play would come on the 49ers’ second drive.
With the game tied at seven early in the second quarter, the 49ers found themselves inside the red area, but were down to their last chance facing a third-and-5. Jennings appeared to be running a slant route towards the inside, but used some slick footwork to cut back towards the sideline, making Giants’ cornerback Korie Black completely lose his footing to get himself wide open. Jones would find the wide-open receiver, allowing Jennings to walk into the end zone to give the 49ers the lead.
Jennings’ next big play would be a 20-yard reception (his longest reception of the game), but the 49ers would be forced to punt on that drive. But after some poor performances from Jennings over the last few games, Sunday was a much-needed performance from the receiver.
**First star: RB Christian McCaffrey**
Despite all the injuries, the 49ers’ offense hasn’t missed a beat because of McCaffrey’s effort, and Sunday in New York was another big McCaffrey game.
With his 106 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards against the Giants, McCaffrey moved his season total to 596 rushing yards and 626 receiving yards, well on pace for his second-career 1,000/1,000 season.
His 106 rushing yards on Sunday were death by a thousand cuts for the Giants, as it took a season-high 28 carries, slightly above his season average of 3.5 yards per attempt. But when the 49ers needed him, McCaffrey was there. It took a few touches, but on the 49ers’ opening drive, McCaffrey burst through the line for his longest run of the season, gaining 16 yards to move the 49ers offense into the red zone. Three plays later, Jones would find McCaffrey wide open in the flats for the 49ers’ first score of the game.
McCaffrey made his biggest impact in the fourth quarter, when the 49ers were looking to drain the clock and go run-heavy. With San Francisco up ten at the start of the fourth quarter, McCaffrey put together his best stretch of runs all game. With five carries in a row, McCaffrey would gain 30 yards to move the 49ers into plus territory, before Brian Robinson would get his stretch of runs resulting in a touchdown.
On the next drive, boosted by Robinson’s kickoff return, McCaffrey would take a swing pass with plenty of space ahead of him for his longest play of the season, taking the pass 39 yards deep into San Francisco territory. Four plays later, McCaffrey would get his second score of the game, this time on the ground for a three-yard touchdown, putting the game away.
It’s hard to imagine where the 49ers offense would be this season without McCaffrey. Sunday was the latest example of that.
Throughout the season, I will track the three stars of the season, tallying up points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Week 9, the standings are:
1. LB Fred Warner - 11 points
2. RB Christian McCaffrey - 9 points
3. QB Mac Jones - 5 points