The San Francisco 49ers needed to get right after playing maybe their worst game of the season in Houston last week, and in many ways, they did just that.
The trip to MetLife Stadium on Sunday was ultimately a successful one, as the Niners took home a 34-24 victory over the New York Giants to run their record to a rather unlikely 6-3. They sit in third place in the NFC West, roughly a half game behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, both 6-2.
In maybe the first time this season, the Niners put together a rather complete showing, although there were some blips along the way for San Francisco.
But it does make looking at winners and losers for the game a more difficult exercise, both because there are quite a few strong performances to highlight and not much went wrong from a 49ers' perspective.
Winner 1: Quarterback Mac Jones
Jones hasn't been perfect filling in for Brock Purdy, who continues to recover from the turf toe injury suffered in Week 1 and aggravated against the Jaguars a few weeks later, but he has played well for the most part.
Ironically, Jones was perfect in the first half against the Giants, completing all 14 of his attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the opening half in helping build up a 17-7 lead at the break.
His overall line, 19-of-24 for 235 with two touchdowns, looks rather feeble in comparison, but the 49ers' lead, which never dipped below 10 points, allowed head coach Kyle Shanahan to play ball control to secure the victory.
It wasn't Jones' best performance as the Niners' starter, but he continues to show he can get the job done when called upon.
Loser 1: The MetLife turf
The Niners almost survived MetLife Stadium.
And then, with just a few minutes left in the game, rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams went down to the turf at the end of a play and immediately smacked the ground with his fists. He would eventually walk off the field on his own, but there was concern for Williams on the faces of his teammates.
Confirmation of yet another season-ending injury came on Monday: Williams tore his ACL on a meaningless play that looked fairly innocuous in the moment.
Not only does this feel like yet another nail in the 49ers' 2025 coffin, it delays Williams' development, as the injury is very likely to bleed into 2026 just like Brandon Aiyuk's did last season.
Winner 2: 49ers rushing attack
It wasn't the most efficient day on the ground for the 49ers (39 carries for 159 yards is just about 4 yards per carry), but the duo of Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson finally managed something they haven't this season: chunk plays.
McCaffrey had a long run of 16 yards, while Robinson scored his first touchdown as a 49er from 18 yards out. The backs also had runs of 12, 16, 9, 10, and 10 yards against the Giants.
Some of this may come down to the Giants' poor defense against the run (they came into the game allowing nearly 6 yards per carry to opponents), but it was good to see the Niners finally popping off some longer runs.
Robinson also had a superb day on special teams, with a few notable blocks for Skyy Moore and one excellent kickoff return for 41 yards in the second half.
Loser 2: The defense on that opening Giants drive
There was a real sense of "oh no, here we go again" as the Giants drove down the field with ease on route to the game's opening touchdown. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart appeared to be able to do whatever he wanted, and the Niners defense looked like it was still recovering from last week's embarassment in Houston.
But the 49ers offense answered that New York touchdown, and the defense locked in, forcing four straight punts and a missed field goal on a short field heading into halftime.
The Giants also scored two garbage-time touchdowns that you'd prefer not to see, but on the whole, the Niners defense showed out, even if it was against a bad Giants offense.
Winner 3: Linebacker Tatum Bethune
Bethune's first game filling in for Fred Warner was a good one, as he helped the Niners hold down Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
The second start in Houston did not go well, so there was some question as to which version of the linebacker was the true player. It now appears there's enough information to begin to call the Texans game the blip rather than the expectation.
Bethune was all over the place on Sunday, finishing with 16 total tackles and one PD, as he led the 49ers defense to a generally strong showing.
Honorable mention to Clelin Ferrell, mostly as an excuse to let you watch this insane sack again.