Banged up 49ers win again at MetLife, beat winless Giants
EASTRUTHERFORD,N.J.» The way the San Francisco 49ers played, missing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and a slew of starters wasn’t an issue against the woeful and winless New York Giants.
Backup Nick Mullens threw for 343 yards and a touchdown and the Niners controlled the ball on offense, took it away on defense and had another easy day on the East Coast in a
36-9 win at MetLife Stadium Sunday.
“I real happy with this week,” said coach Kyle Shanahan, who wore a mask this week after being fined
$100,000 for failing to do so last week in a game that saw his team lose six starters to injuries on a new field his players criticized.
“We pulled together throughout the week,” Shanahan said of the concern about the field. “I just got real good energy and vibe from the guys from Wednesday when we started practicing all the way to last night at the hotel meeting. And then today. I thought they played very hard all four quarters, I was very proud of our team.”
San Francisco played a near flawless game as Mullens hit 25 for 36 passes, including a 19-yard TD pass to running back J eff Wilson. It outgained New York 420231, held the ball for 39:44 and forced three turnovers without giving the ball up. The Giants did not run a play in the red zone.
“Nick was great, very poised,” Shanahan said. “We went on a lot of long drives today. They’re better than not scoring, but long drives can get a little bit exhausting. Especially for me. I don’t want to have to call that many plays.”
Wilson, Jerick McKinnon and Brandon Aiyuk also scored on runs for the Niners (2-1), who stayed in West Virginia to prep for the game. Robbie Gould added three field goals for San Francisco, which last week beat the Jets 31-13 here and denied Giants coach Joe Judge a chance for his first win this week.
The Niners had Garoppolo (ankle), defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas (knees) and running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman hurt against the Jets. They complained about the new turf after the game, saying it was “sticky” and led to injuries.