Giants Will Have to Stand Tall to Beat 49ers
The 49ers are 2-0 and atop the NFC West after beating the Steelers soundly 30-0 and the Rams 30-23. The Giants are 1-1 and in the cellar of the NFC East after losing 40-0 to the Cowboys and beating the Cardinals 31-28. The Giants must travel on a short week to face the 49ers in their home opener this Thursday night at Levi's Stadium - advantage 49ers.
Giants players to watch:
- Saquon Barkley - One of the best dual threat running backs in the NFL. He had 92 combined yards and 2 touchdowns vs the Cardinals. The Giants No. 1 player will not play Thursday.
- Darren Waller - one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL. He had six catches for 76 yards vs the Cardinals and is the Giants leading receiver for the 2023 season with 112 yards.
- Dexter Lawrence - is one of the most dominant defensive interior players in the NFL.
- Daniel Jones - is a dual threat quarterback. He had nine carries for 59 yards to go with 321 passing yards, two passing touchdowns with one interception and three sacks vs the Cardinals. Running quaterbacks have always presented a big challenge for the 49ers defense.
- Isaiah Hodgins - is the Giants third leading receiver for 2023 with 64 receiving yards.
- Jaylin Hyatt - is a third round rookie wide receiver out of Tennessee. He was the Giants leading receiver vs Cardinals, with two catches for 89 yards. 58 yards came on one catch, so this may not mean much, but he is the Giants second leading receiver for the 2023 season..
Not many impact players so far for the Giants 2023 season.
The Giants have scored an average of 15.5 points per game, while allowing 34.
The 49ers have scored an average of 30 points per game, while allowing only 15.
Huge advantage for the 49ers.
There is no good reason for the 49ers to lose this game, as they are 10 point favorites.
I will make my formal score prediction about an hour before kickoff, once we know who will play and who won't, but the 49ers should win easily.
Last week I predicted 49ers 27 - Rams 17. Actual ended up as 49ers 30 - Rams 23.
