Niners Nation
After a disappointing Week 8 loss in Houston, the San Francisco 49ers bounced back and closed the quick two-game road trip with an impressive 34-24 win over the New York Giants.
The 34 points were the 49ers’ highest output of the season so far, meaning all three stars will come from that side of the ball. The defense improved after its poor performance in Houston. After allowing an opening drive score, the Giants wouldn’t put points on the board until the midway point of the third quarter. By the time the Giants scored their 14 points in the fourth quarter, the game was more or less decided.
With the effort from the 49ers offense, let’s look at the three stars from the win in New York:
Third star: RB Brian Robinson
The 49ers’ run game dominated the Giants on Sunday, and Brian Robinson played a significant role in that dominance.
After not having a touch in two of the last three games, Robinson exploded for a season-high 56 rushing yards with his first touchdown as a 49er, and Robinson’s 10.6 yards per rush attempt wasn’t boosted by one big run. Every time he touched the ball, he tormented the Giants’ run defense.
Robinson’s first run of the game came in the first quarter and went for 16 yards, his longest run of the season. He’d have to wait until the fourth quarter for his next rush attempt, but the wait would be well worth it as he got his most usage he’s had this season.
He would get three straight rush attempts in New York territory, starting with a modest five-yard run. On the next play, he would double his previous effort with a ten-yard carry to get the 49ers in the red zone. The third try would be the charm for Robinson, however, who would take his third carry in a row, bounce off a blocker, and then power through Giants’ cornerback Deonte Banks en route to an 18-yard touchdown run.
Robinson also added a huge special teams play to boot, a 41-yard kickoff return to set the 49ers offense up with good field position in the fourth quarter as they looked to put the game away. San Francisco would indeed use that field position to score the putaway touchdown, adding an emphasis on the big return.
Robinson has been used scarcely this season, but he finally found a way to make an impact with his limited carries on Sunday.
Second star: WR Jauan Jennings
After several weeks of struggles, Jennings put together the type of game we’ve expected from when he entered the season as the 49ers’ No. 1 receiver.
Jennings has made plenty of mistakes over the past few games, varying from drops to bad penalties, but he finally had a mistake-free game on Sunday. Most importantly, he scored his first touchdown since his game-winning score back in Week 2 against New Orleans.
It wasn’t a stat-stuffing game for Jennings, with STAT receiving yards on STAT receptions,...
