What the 49ers Have in Common with the 2011 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants
In this story:
The 49ers have to be the most confident 7-6 team in the NFL.
They're only one game over .500, but they've won four of their past five, plus they went to the Super Bowl two years ago. They've played in lots of big games the past few seasons, and seem like a team that could go on another Super Bowl run, even as a Wild Card team.
Sort of like the 2011 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
That Giants team was 7-6 at one point, just like the 49ers are now. The Giants ended up being a Wild Card team and winning their final six games, including the Super Bowl. Plus they had an epensive, somewhat physically limited quarterback in Eli Manning, who was similar to Jimmy Garoppolo in that respect.
There certainly are compelling parallels between these teams.
But there are two significant differences as well.
1. That Giants team already had won a Super Bowl -- they beat the Patriots in 2007. They didn't go to the big game and lose like the 49ers did. And that's partially because Eli Manning made huge throws in the Super Bowl -- one to David Tyree and one to Mario Manningham. Manning probably would have completed that long pass to Emmanuel Sanders that Garoppolo missed. I'm just saying.
2. People remember the Giants for having Manning, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks on offense, but their defense is what propelled them to a Super Bowl title. They had Corey Webster who intercepted six passes, Aaron Ross who intercepted four passes, Jason Pierre Paul who had 16.5 sacks, and Osi Umenyiora who had 9 sacks in 9 regular season games. He got injured during the season and the Giants went on a four-game losing streak. But when he returned, the Giants defense went on a tear, and during their final six games gave up an average of 14 points. Umenyiora in particular recorded 3.5 sacks in the postseason, and the Giants held Tom Brady and the Patriots to 17 points in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers don't have a second pass rusher as good as Umenyiora. They have Nick Bosa, who's as good or better than a young Pierre-Paul, but after Bosa they have Arik Armstead, who's not a pass rusher. And they don't have Dee Ford, because he's out for the season again.
The 49ers also don't have a player on the team who has intercepted more than two passes this season. So I don't think the 49ers defense has the ability to carry the team down the stretch the way the Giants defense did 10 years ago.
If the 49ers win a Super Bowl as a Wild Card team, they'll have to do it a different way.
