QUARTERBACK
-Jaxson Dart: 24/33 – 191 yards / 2 TD – 0 INT / 107.0 rat
Dart added 56 rushing yards and another score on the ground, playing a part in every NYG touchdown on the afternoon. If you took a look at these numbers before the game, most would have assumed the Giants would have beaten the Mac Jones-led Niners at home. The 107.0 passer rating was actually a season-high. Yes, Dart played well enough to win this game and he did it through the air and on the ground. We do not need to repeat the same notes about his dual-threat approach and toughness each week, but it is important to know he can produce in several ways. He is not a one-trick pony and he can create in circumstances that are not in his favor. While there were a couple plays he held on to the ball too long and it created negative plays for the offense, it is hard to find a lot of plays where he was gun shy. Niners Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh’s game plan was ready for everything the NYG offense brought to the table and Dart often dropped back with no clear option available. More on that below.
There will be a lot of talk in the coming weeks about Dart’s play style. He takes multiple big hits every week beyond what a normal quarterback takes via the pass rush. Whether it is lowering his shoulder, fighting through initial contact, which invites a secondary hit by a help-defender, or simply slamming into the ground; Dart is going to get beat up. While nobody wants to remove what can be great about him via toughness and grit, one goal for the sake of his longevity should be to do everything he can to avoid hits. Nothing will ever be risk free in this game, but there should be some focus on minimizing it. Play-calling is a part of it as well.
RUNNING BACK
-In the first game post-Cam Skattebo injury, Devin Singletary paced the group with 43 on 8 carries. Tyrone Tracy added 18 yards on 5 carries. The NYG offensive line, notably along the interior, created zero movement off the line. Nearly all of Singletary’s yards seemed to come after contact. He is a much more natural runner and has more capability of making guys miss. While this will be a dual attack for the rest of the season, I trust him more than I do Tracy. There is more feel and he simply has better pad level and agility in his hips. Tracy is a solid pass blocker, though, and can rotate in accordingly. The running back room is very up in the air and one could make an argument they need a serious addition to it in the offseason because of the gray area of Skattebo’s future.
WIDE RECEIVER
-Wan’Dale Robinson was the short-game target for the majority of all four quarters. He caught a team-high 9 passes for 46 yards, a 5.1 average. Out of the 46 receivers who caught 3+ passes week nine (pre-Monday Night), that is the lowest. In fact, there were ten running backs who averaged more per carry. This is not a knock on Robinson, but rather a reflection of his usage. He is a good route runner who can shake free at intermediate levels of the route tree as a vertical mover, but they rarely use him in that kind of role. I think they could be getting more out of him.
-Darius Slayton finished with 5 catches for 62 yards. He dropped a touchdown (some will say it was a quality defensive play). It was a drop. But the fact Slayton rarely uses his hands (he body catches almost everything); he lacks the skill and strength to tuck the ball quickly with strength. He is also afraid of the ground. The more I watch Slayton, the more I realize exactly what he is. Better than a street free agent, worse than a starter. Darius Slayton is a backup, period.
-Gunner Olzewski, the team’s primary punt returner, converted his first and only target of the season for a 24-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter when the game was pretty much out of reach, unless you’re the Denver Broncos of course. Newly signed Ray-Ray McCloud caught his only target for 5 yards. How this team is starving for wide receiver talent in an era where it is easier to find quality receivers than running backs is an indictment of the front office, both college and pro scouting personnel.
-Jalin Hyatt is clearly on the way out. For the first time since high school, he returned kicks and he did next to nothing there. How this coaching staff has handled the return game in recent years has also been a complete swing and a miss. Ihmir Smith-Marsette has been the only one who made sense but he is, not coincidentally, on the practice squad while Hyatt continues to show he can’t move laterally and can’t break tackles.
TIGHT END
-Theo Johnson, a week after dropping Dart’s best throw of the game last week in Philadelphia, dropped another third-down pass which would have resulted in an easy conversion. It was his fourth drop on third down this season and there are only three tight ends with four drops on the year, all downs. If Johnson cannot be a reliable player in key moments, he cannot be the starter. The conundrum he presents is the ability to make flash plays. He scored on a 15-yard touchdown that was essentially all on him, breaking tackles and tight roping the sideline. Add in the solid blocking (however he was poor in this match-up), this is a tough player to truly diagnose. This will go back to what you value in pass catchers within an offense. For me personally? You need to be overly reliable at, well, catching the ball. If not, add tight end to the team needs list.
-Daniel Bellinger was out with a neck injury suffered last week at Philadelphia. This opened the door to Thomas Fidone II getting substantial snaps (13), but NYG played a lot less 12 personnel (two tight ends). With the injuries and lack of options at receiver, his primary role was as a route runner in the passing game. He did not look fast or sudden enough to get open and I’m not sure Dart even looked his way. His lone run block attempt of the day ended with him on the ground and his assignment getting in on the tackle.
OFFENSIVE LINE
-The story of the day was rookie fifth rounder Marcus Mbow. He had his second start of the year, this one at right tackle for Jermaine Eluemunor. If you have read the reviews all year, I have not been as high on the 32-year old veteran as I was a year ago. With that said, he is (without a doubt) the best option this team has at that position. I did enter the game curious to see just how much of a drop off (if any) Mbow would be, however. Sure, he was thrashed by Kansas City in Week Three but he was also very good in relief of James Hudson in Week Two as a left tackle. After watching his snaps from two angles, Mbow graded out almost exactly (within one tenth of a point) to where Eluemunor has been on the year. He was excellent for the majority of the first half (minus a terrible third down false start). In the second half, he allowed a sack and two pressures. His losses pretty much always stem from a lack of power, but I trust his athleticism. He can create movement as a run blocker, he reaches his points in pass protection with balance, and his initial hand strike makes him longer than he is. The future is bright for Mbow and the conclusion when comparing him and Eluemunor is much closer than I think some want to realize.
-The interior of the line was pushed around by a San Francisco interior defensive front that, in my opinion, is not very good. They have some young players on the rise, but I was surprised by how much Jon Runyan and John Michael Schmitz struggled. They were solid in pass protection, but got pushed around in the run game, Runyan in particular. Watching him from behind, it is easy to see how often the numbers on his jersey get diagonal, meaning he couldn’t stay square to his target. His hands were weak and his legs were not stable. Schmitz was ending up on the ground too often again and a shin injury ended his game in the third quarter. Austin Schlottmann came in relief and offered the same result: solid pass protection against a vanilla pass rush but not enough in the run game, although they were very pass happy when he was in.
-Andrew Thomas seemed bored, as nobody on the SF front seemed to be a challenge for him. He almost never needed help and was the best player on the field when NYG had the ball. It wasn’t close.
EDGE
-Brian Burns kept his name in the “Defensive Player of the Year” conversation. He finished with a sack, a forced fumble (that NYG recovered, a pass break up, and 4 tackles. Beyond the splash plays (he has plenty), his dirty work when it comes to setting the edge to force things back inside was fantastic against a running game that loves to get outside. Kayvon Thibodeaux, on the other hand, lost his edge multiple times (once was a result of an uncalled block in the back). He does not have the feel, nor does he show that lateral mobility, to make up for a late read. One thing he does do, however, is absolutely destroy trap blocks coming across the line in his direction. Remember that was a block that injured his knee in the preseason of his rookie season and a role he struggled with for a couple years. However, he finished with just one tackle, one pressure, and a missed tackle.
-Abdul Carter had a lot of ugly pass rush reps. Trent Williams toyed with him and there were a few plays in pursuit where I think one can question his effort. For the first time this season, he did not have a pressure and his only tackle was on a pass play where he dropped into coverage as an off-ball linebacker.
DEFENSIVE LINE
-From the start of the season, Dexter Lawrence has been under the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Early in the year he was making an impact in ways that do not show up on the traditional stat sheet. But he was not, and has not, been making impact plays. Then he winds up on last week’s Dud’s List. Then Carl Banks calls him out publicly. I expected Lawrence to take over against a vulnerable interior offensive line for San Francisco. He did anything but. Lawrence had a TFL on the first drive and was basically nowhere to be found from there on out. While he does receive more double teams than everyone, he simply looked slow and out of shape. I even found a few snaps where I could question his effort against the lateral run game. Even on his solid bull rushes against the pass, he rarely disengages from the blocker. His level of play may be the biggest on-field disappointment of the season when it comes to personnel evaluation.
-Shout out to Rakeem Nunez Roches for his high-energy play that led to production. While there was some hot-and-cold to his play, he did end with 5 tackles and a sack. There was a level of closing burst to his play that no other defensive lineman on this team has. Roy Robertson-Harris flashed some up-and-down play as well. He had two pressures, but also missed a tackle and got turned in the run game repeatedly.
-DJ Davidson and Darius Alexander were the back end guys who played mostly against the run, but neither made a difference making play. Davidson was in on a few group run stuffs, but Alexander’s pad level remains an inconsistent component to his game that gets abused against quality run blockers.
LINEBACKER
-The Niners ran the ball 39 times, thus it was a busy day for the linebackers. Bobby Okereke led the team with 14 tackles, one of which went for a loss. He was picked on the Christian McCaffrey touchdown catch early in the game and then was late to get outside on a couple others as well. More of the same from the 29-year old who turns 30 next summer.
-The more interesting note was the combination of snaps between Darius Muasau, who left the game early with an ankle injury, and veteran special teamer Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who had spent his entire career with San Francisco. While he is faster with more twitch, he was late to read plays and was often getting lost in traffic. He finished with 7 tackles and a TFL.
CORNERBACK
-Cor’Dale Flott and Paulson Adebo remained out with their respective injuries. Deonte Banks played all 66 snaps and looked good in coverage when it came to footwork and route anticipation, but he did not make any plays on the ball. He remains a liability for that fact alone even when other areas of his game look solid. As a run defender, he missed a tackle that resulted in a Brian Robinson touchdown run and it will go into the file (a big one) filled with his career lowlights. He was awful against the run a couple other times as well, unable to get off receiver blocks.
-Korie Black broke up a pass and allowed a touchdown. The score was on a whip route by Jauan Jennings where Black simply over-committed to his initial read. He was later fooled by Christian McCaffrey, which resulted in a 39-yard gain, the biggest gain of the day. Black finished with 7 tackles including one for a loss. If there is one positive to take away, it would be the play speed. He can really turn and run and there is a physical side to him I like as well.
-Andru Phillips played just 19 snaps, ranking 14th out of 17 NYG defenders. This is an issue for a guy who is exclusively a nickel; a smart offensive mind and scheme can manipulate the personnel a defense uses with different packages. Phillips finished with one tackle, a 4-yard loss.
-Jarrick Bernard-Converse played just one less snap than Phillips, most of which came late in the game after Black went down and the Niners were essentially done throwing the ball. He finished with 3 tackles.
SAFETY
-After a game to forget for Tyler Nubin, the second year veteran had 7 tackles without any misses, including a couple in the open field where he showed good breakdowns and a strong latch. His hits lack juice though and I hate to see how many times he is the one that winds up on his back on these attempts. He is more of a grabber than a striker. Watching the Niners safety Malik Mustapha is a notable difference.
-Dane Belton got the start again with Jevon Holland out and he finished with 12 tackles with one miss and a tripping penalty. He played a lot of clean-up duty from the ineffective run defense, but what I like is the violence he plays with. The antonym to Nubin’s hitting style. The Belton decision is tougher than some think, as I believe he can be a quality player in the right situation.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
-K Graham Gano: 1/2 (Made 22, Missed 45)
P Jamie Gillan: 5 punts / 46.6 avg – 35.8 avg
3 STUDS
-OT Andrew Thomas, QB Jaxson Dart, ED Brian Burns
3 DUDS
-OG Jon Runyan, DT Dexter Lawrence, ED Abdul Carter
3 THOUGHTS ON SF
(1) The Giants have played the Niners a few times in recent years. A 34-24 loss in 2025, a 30-12 loss in 2023, a 36-9 loss in 2020, a 27-23 win in 2018, and 31-21 loss in 2017. Kyle Shanahan is 4-1 against the Giants since he became the Head Coach of the Niners. CJ Beathard, Nick Mullens, Brock Purdy, and Mac Jones were the quarterbacks he engineered 30+ point performances with; three of them were backups at the time. I bring this up because of how repeatable this guy is to get to the same result no matter what the circumstances are. I have tracked the Niners very closely over the last decade and they have been as banged up as any franchise in the NFL, yet they still find ways to win. That is the mark of a Head Coach that you win because of, not in spite of. That is the ultimate goal.
(2) Tight End George Kittle is one of my favorite players in the NFL and is in the discussion for the best tight end in football. He is what many thought Jeremy Shockey would turn into. He is a 32-year old who has broken 1,000 yards five times (including last year) and has been named to the All-Pro team five times as well (including last year). The 2017 fifth rounder is the ideal leader of a football team who carries both intangible / leadership value as well as elite play on the field. He is just as good of a blocker as he is a pass game weapon. This is the prototype tight end and when you start looking to the future of NYG and that position in particular, use Kittle has the barometer. And know NYG has nothing even remotely close to half of what of Kittle is on a bad day.
(3) As usual, I always give extra attention to the projected free agents of the NYG opponent when I re-watch the tape. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings is a physical tone setter who gets the most out of himself and helps create a culture on that side of the ball. He will not add an explosive element to the offense, but he is a beast in contested situations who will be 29 years old next year. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott will likely shake free with how many young linemen they brought in this past offseason and a similar situation happened with Spencer Burford along the offensive line. Neither are guys you would sign to be a starter, but I do like them as rotational backups. The one guy who has the most interest from me is running back Brian Robinson. He provides the hedge should Skattebo struggle to regain his form, but also a guy that would provide a really solid 1-2 punch in the best case scenario as well. He will be 27 next season and still has the combination of juice, strength, and vision that makes him an efficient ball carrier most notably in short yardage situations. I have always liked his game.
3 CLOSING THOUGHTS
(1) Watching the contrast between the SF and NYG offensive schemes is as blatant as looking at a kicker stand next to a lineman and diagnosing who plays what position. I am enamored by how SF uses misdirection, motion, play fakes, and personnel to keep the defense guessing. I am almost sick by how easily NYG makes it for the opposing defense to play their scheme. For weeks and weeks, the opponent rarely seemed caught off guard. NYG has Fidone and McCloud running into double coverage. SF has Christian McCaffrey in space with no defender within ten yards of him. NYG has front seven defenders running in opposite directions while SF moves as one cohesive group to the action. I won’t pretend to know every in and out of the scheme, but it is obvious how different the creativity and levels of innovation these coaching staffs have.
(2) And that brings me to my second point. I am always one of the last guys to hop on board for firing coaches. I was that way with Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge. I believe there is value in chemistry and culture, but I also know a dead end when I see one. After nine weeks, I am fully on board with this coaching staff being done. I don’t think they are capable, I don’t think they can turn it around, and I don’t think the players believe in them. That is a two-way street and it just doesn’t seem to be there. I can bring up stats and trends, but at the end of the day it is simple, I am out on this staff. Front Office remains TBD.
(3) The trade deadline is hours away. No, I wouldn’t make the effort to ship players out (especially on the OL) to weaken the team and net a future day three pick. I would hold onto Dexter Lawrence, Jermaine Eluemunor, Bobby Okereke…etc. Nobody is going to give up anything for Evan Neal, Deonte Banks, Jalin Hyatt, or Darius Slayton. NYG will likely remain in a holding pattern and we will watch the back half of the year trying to find some positives for the vital roster build that will take place for the 2026 season. My biggest goal and concern is Dart staying healthy and on the field. If he continues to take these hits week after week, he’ll be in street clothes on the sideline soon. The Patriots cut Drake Maye’s season short last year as a rookie to protect him and now he is in the MVP discussion. Interesting…
On to the 2026 NFL Draft.