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10 Things To Watch For

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10 things to watch in Giants vs. 49ers

10-THINGS-WEEK-9-49ers

'TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE MOMENTS'

It's fair to classify the last month of the Giants' season as a whirlwind of emotions. Jaxson Dart took over as the starting quarterback in Week 4. The unit has averaged 24.2 points per game over the last five outings, including two games with 30+ points. It hasn't been all positive, though. During that same span, the team lost two of its top playmakers in wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo to season-ending injuries. Mixed in with the injuries has been a game in which the Giants turned the ball over on five consecutive drives, along with fourth quarters that made history for the wrong reasons. Adversity is part of the game, though, as Dart told the media earlier this week.

"I feel like I've had a lot of adversity just in my career," the rookie quarterback said. "So, I've had to make strides when things didn't really look the brightest in moments. For me, losing hurts. It crushes us just because of the work that you put in and the expense that you put out there on the field. That's just kind of how I've just played the game. I give it everything that I have, so it definitely sucks when some things don't go your way. But I'm also very optimistic and I see a bright future here. I just know that it's going to take each rep, each game, and you've got to be able to just take advantage of those moments."

The Giants have the opportunity to snap their two-game losing streak at home this week with the 49ers coming to MetLife Stadium. Dart is 2-0 as the starter at home, with wins over the Chargers and Eagles. After starting the season 3-0, San Francisco has gone 2-3 over its last five games, including a road loss to Houston last week.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The New York Giants (2-6) will host the San Francisco 49ers (5-3) on Sunday, November 2, at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm ET on CBS.

This will be the 36th regular season meeting between the two teams. They last met in Week 3 of the 2023 season in San Francisco. The Giants' last victory over the 49ers came in 2018, when they defeated them on the road, 27-23.

The team will wear their classic 80s era blue uniform and rebrand the stadium to include their classic helmet design at midfield and vintage red end zones with "GIANTS" block lettering. The Vintage White and Legacy uniforms are an homage to the 1980s, when the franchise won its first Super Bowl.

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 9 matchup against the 49ers.

INJURY REPORT

Giants

Out: CB Paulson Adebo (Knee), CB Cor'Dale Flott (Concussion), DL Chauncey Golston (Neck), CB Art Green (Hamstring)

Doubtful: TE Daniel Bellinger (Neck), T Jermaine Eluemunor (Pec)

Questionable: S Jevón Holland (Knee), CB Rico Payton (Groint)

49ers

Out: C Jake Brendel (Hamstring), DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Knee/Hamstring), DE Bryce Huff (Hamstring), Ricky Pearsall (Knee)

Questionable: Ben Bartch (Ankle), T Spencer Burford (Knee), DT Jordan Elliott (Ankle/Not Injury Related - Personal), DE Sam Okuayinonu (Ankle), QB Brock Purdy (Toe), Dee Winters (Knee)

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & STREAM

TV

Channel: CBS

Announcers: Kevin Harlan (Play-By-Play), Trent Green (Analyst), Melanie Collins (Sideline)

Postgame: Giants Postgame Live presented by Hackensack Meridian Health

MSG Networks, The Gotham Sports App, YouTube, Giants.com, Giants App, Giants TV

Radio

Channel: WFAN 101.9PM / 66 AM

Announcers: Bob Papa (Play-by-Play), Carl Banks (Analyst), Howard Cross (Sideline)

Pre- and Postgame: John Schmeelk, Tiki Barber

Pregame: Giants Gameday begins at 11:00 AM, presented by Hackensack Meridian Health.

Postgame: Giants Extra Point

Stream

This week's game can be streamed on NFL+.

REPLACING SKATT

The Giants lost more than just the game last weekend in Philadelphia, as rookie running back Cam Skattebo suffered a season-ending ankle injury on a tackle by Eagles linebacker Zack Baun. Through eight weeks, the Skattebo back leads all rookies in total yards from scrimmage (617) and total touchdowns (seven). His first season has been cut short, though, as both the Giants' offense and the locker room overall will take a hit without the fiery, young back.

"For a guy that has come in and, say, sparked us with a lot of energy and toughness, but the personality that he has as well," Daboll said about Skattebo's impact on the team. "But it's like all your other players that you're close with. These guys spend a lot of time together, meeting time, outside the building. And that's always a tough element to this game is when guys go down and get hurt. You hate to see it. Unfortunately, it's part of the business."

The backfield will now turn back to Tyrone Tracy Jr., who began the season as the starter before a Week 3 shoulder injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks. In six games (two starts) this season, the second-year back has gained 159 yards on 45 carries with 10 receptions for 68 yards and one total touchdown. As a rookie fifth-round pick last year, Tracy racked up 1,123 total yards of offense with six touchdowns.

"Tracy is a really good football player," offensive lineman Greg Van Roten said earlier this week. "He kind of got sidelined with an injury earlier in the season, so we're just excited for him to get back to form and kind of build on what he did last year, because I think he's a better player this year than he was last year. He was a rookie last year, now he's a second-year guy. He's seen a lot of stuff. He's getting more comfortable in his role. It'll be good for him to get back out there. I think he's anxious to kind of show, like, he's still a good running back."

CONTAINING McCAFFREY

In last week's loss to the Eagles, the Giants gave up a season-high 276 yards on the ground to Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby, as both backs topped 100 rushing yards and had double-digit yards per carry averages. Heading into Week 9, the Giants are surrendering 5.7 yards per carry, the highest mark in the NFL.

The defense will have yet another difficult matchup this weekend as the unit tries to slow down Christian McCaffrey. The 29-year-old is averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry as he's gained just 490 yards on 140 rush attempts. The numbers would look even worse if it weren't for his 129-yard performance against the Falcons in Week 6, a game that saw him score two of his three rushing touchdowns on the season. Despite his limited success on the ground, McCaffrey has still registered seven games with 100+ total yards from scrimmage due to his excellence in the pass game. The talented back ranks second in the NFL with 56 receptions, while his 559 receiving yards are the eighth-most. His 1,049 total yards from scrimmage are only seven yards shy of Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor for the most in the league.

"He's one of the better players in the league in his position," Daboll said on Wednesday. "He's a mismatch in the passing game, a mismatch in the running game. They run a wide variety of run schemes. He can run them all. They put him on a wide variety of routes, receiver routes that receivers would run, running backs. He can do pretty much everything. He's a very valuable piece for their offense. He's extremely good."

PLAYER TO WATCH

QB Jaxson Dart – Through five starts, Dart has completed around 60 percent of his passes for 984 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 90.8, while adding 195 yards and an additional four touchdowns on the ground. This led to him being named the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. After his performance last weekend in Philadelphia, he became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era with eight or more pass touchdowns, four or more rush touchdowns and less than 5 turnovers in his first five career starts. The best way to keep McCaffrey, George Kittle & co. off the field is to sustain long drives, which starts with the rookie QB.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

OLB Brian Burns vs. LT Trent Williams – Burns heads into this matchup tied with Cleveland's Myles Garrett for the most sacks in the NFL with 10. Williams has allowed 36 pressures on 320 pass block snaps for an 11.3 percent pressure rate, according to Next Gen Stats. This is the 10th-highest rate among left tackles with 100+ pass block snaps and the highest for Williams since at least 2018. Prior to this season, the tackle had not allowed a pressure rate above 8.4 percent in any season as a member of the 49ers. The Giants are going to need Burns, along with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter, to get pressure on the quarterback and set the edge in the run game.

49ER TO WATCH

TE George Kittle – While McCaffrey might garner the most attention among the 49ers playmakers, Kittle cannot be overlooked. The veteran tight end injured his hamstring in the season opener after catching four passes for 23 yards and a touchdown, which led to him being placed on injured reserve. After a quiet return in Week 7, Kittle caught four passes for 43 yards and his second TD of the season last week on National Tight Ends Day. In two career games against the Giants, Kittle has caught 16 passes for 173 yards.

STAT TO KNOW

Jaxson Dart has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 101.4 passer rating when not pressured. On plays that he is pressured, Dart's numbers drop to 46.2 completion percentage, four touchdowns, and three interceptions for a 72.4 passer rating. Heading into Week 9, the 49ers have pressured opposing quarterbacks on only 25.9 percent of drop backs this season, the lowest rate in the NFL.

View rare photos of the history between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

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