49ers visit the Giants looking to bounce back from their loss at Houston

San Francisco (5-3) at NY Giants (2-6)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

BetMGM line: 49ers by 2 1/2

Against the spread: 49ers 4-4, Giants 4-4

Series record: 49ers lead 22-21.

Last meeting: 49ers beat Giants 30-12 on Sept. 21, 2023, at San Francisco.

Last week: 49ers lost to Texans 26-15; Giants lost to Eagles 38-20.

49ers offense: overall (13), rush (30), pass (2), scoring (26)

49ers defense: overall (22), rush (15), pass (22), scoring (8)

Giants offense: overall (18), rush (15), pass (18), scoring (23)

Giants defense: overall (29), rush (30), pass (24), scoring (T26)

Turnover differential: 49ers minus-5; Giants minus-4

49ers player to watch

WR Jauan Jennings. After nearly getting 1,000 yards receiving in 2024, Jennings has struggled this season while dealing with a variety of injuries and has only 18 catches for 212 yards. But Jennings did show some flashes last week when he had four receptions for 45 yards, including a difficult 25-yarder that set up a touchdown.

Giants player to watch

DT Dexter Lawrence. His production is down, leading to criticism from retired linebacker-turned-radio analyst Carl Banks, which Lawrence took issue with, calling it “delusional.” Opponents are double-teaming and focusing on Lawrence, so measuring his play comes down to some combination of what he does and the openings created for edge rushers around him. Lawrence should be plenty fired up and motivated to make a difference.

Key matchup

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Giants defense. McCaffrey is averaging just 3.5 yards a carry through eight games, good for 41st in the league going into Week 9. New York just got dominated by Philadelphia for an NFL-season-high 276 yards, including a 65-yard TD by Saquon Barkley on the way to rushing for 150. McCaffrey has been more effective catching the ball out of the backfield and ranks second in the league with 56 receptions.

Key injuries

49ers: QB Brock Purdy is dealing with a toe injury that has sidelined him for the past four games and is questionable this week. … WR Ricky Pearsall (knee), DE Bryce Huff (hamstring), C Jake Brendel (hamstring), DL Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) are all expected to miss the game. … LB Dee Winters (knee), DE Sam Okuayinonu (ankle), DT Alfred Collins (shoulder) missed practice early in the week and their status for this week is in question.

Giants: CB Cor’Dale Flott is in concussion protocol and not expected to play. … S Jevon Holland appears closer to returning from his knee injury than CB Paulson Adebo is from his.

Series notes

San Francisco has won two meetings in a row and three of the past four. … 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh returns to the sidelines at the Meadowlands for the first time since being fired as Jets coach a little more than a year ago.

Stats and stuff

The 49ers are averaging 20 points a game, their lowest total through eight games since being at 19.3 in 2016, the year before Kyle Shanahan took over as coach. … San Francisco ranks third in the NFL on third down, converting 46.4% of chances. … The 49ers ran only 44 offensive plays last week for their fewest in any game since 2007. Their 10 rushing attempts were tied for their fewest ever in a game. … San Francisco has one TD catch from a wide receiver this season, the fewest for the franchise through eight games. … The Niners have five sacks in their past six games for the fewest of any team over the same span. … TE Jake Tonges leads the 49ers with four TD catches. … McCaffrey was held to fewer than 100 yards from scrimmage last week for the first time this season. … McCaffrey became the fifth player with at least 5,000 yards receiving and rushing. … Jaxson Dart is 2-3 since taking over as the Giants’ starting QB, with 984 yards passing, a rookie-best eight TDs and three interceptions. Dart could become the first player since Jake Browning in 2023 to have a TD pass in each of his first six career starts. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson led New York with 48 yards receiving against Philadelphia. … TE Theo Johnson leads the Giants with four TD catches. … EDGE Brian Burns is tied for the league lead in sacks with 10. … DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches got his first sack of the season last week. … LB Bobby Okereke had a team-high eight tackles against the Eagles.

Fantasy tip

Skattebo’s injury means Tyrone Tracy returns to the feature back role for the Giants. Coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka are expected to mix in some Devin Singletary carries and more, but this is Tracy’s show now.

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