NY Giants Drop Third Straight After 34-24 Loss Vs. 49ers

East Rutherford, N.J. – The New York Giants' execution woes continue as they dropped a 34-24 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon, snapping a two-game home winning streak and allowing an opponent to score over 30 points for the third straight week.

The Giants' offense ignited a bit late, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter, but looked woefully out of sorts for much of the first half. 

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart once again led the squad to an opening scoring drive, linking up with Theo Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown. He threw another in the fourth to Gunner Olszewski and also collected his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.

Not much came easily, however.

The No. 25 overall pick posted 191 yards on a paltry 5.8 yards gained per pass attempt, further exposing New York's need for more offensive reinforcements.

Darius Slayton tallied a team-high 62 receiving yards, and no other player exceeded 50. Dart could certainly use some help, but defense was the squad's most glaring problem in this Week 9 defeat. Everyone knew things could get dicey in the secondary, with Paulson Adebo, Jevon Holland, and Cor'Dale Flott all ruled out due to injuries.

Still, Shane Bowen's defense struggled to mount sufficient resistance at every level.

Despite managing only 3.8 yards per carry, San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey amassed 173 scrimmage yards, scored two touchdowns, and broke free for too many chunk plays. Even when it seems New York is performing better against the run, it succumbs to fatal lapses.

San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones completed 19-of-24 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, enjoying an efficient showing versus an undermanned unit that was already falling short of the lofty expectations that many set for it before the season started. When the defense did make plays, the offense was unable to capitalize.

Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns recorded his NFL-leading 11th sack late in the second quarter, stripping Jones of the ball and positioning New York for surefire points before going into halftime.

Graham Gano missed a 45-yard field goal attempt, and the team went into the locker room down 17-7. Questionable play-calling continues to exacerbate the Giants' injury problems, and the result is Big Blue's second three-game losing streak of the season.

Those who are looking for a ray of light amid the darkness could perhaps take some solace in knowing that the Giants were charged with only five penalties for 23 yards. Even so, the squad once again found itself on the wrong side of a controversial officiating decision.

The 49ers committed what appeared to be a false start on fourth-and-1 from their own 41-yard line in the first quarter. No flag was thrown, San Francisco got the first down, and Jones connected with McCaffrey for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

New York (2-7) has plenty to fix before next Sunday's road matchup versus the Chicago Bears (5-3).