49ers dominate Giants in 30-12 Thursday night victory

The San Francisco 49ers were expected to take care of business handily Thursday night against a New York Giants team that was without injured running back Saquon Barkley, and they didn't disappoint, outgaining the Giants 441 to 150 in a 30-12 victory.

The 49ers totaled 26 first downs in the game to just 10 from the Giants and held possession for over 38 minutes. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a career regular season high 310 yards on 25-of-37 passing with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel caught six passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones finished with 137 yards on 22-of-32 passing with zero touchdowns and one interception, while the offense was held to just 29 yards on the ground in Barkley's absence.

First Half

The 49ers opened the game with a lengthy 15-play drive that spanned 64 yards and took over six minutes off the clock, but the possession ended with a 28-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody after the offense stalled at the Giants' 11-yard line. The Giants responded with a similar possession -- a 12-play, 49-yard drive that took over five minutes off the clock and ended with a 44-yard field goal from Graham Gano to tie the game at 3.

The 49ers moved to midfield on the next possession before punting the ball back to the Giants, then a first down sack by defensive end Nick Bosa pushed the Giants into a 2nd-and-18 at their own 2-yard line. A punt came two plays later from the 11-yard line, which the 49ers fielded at their own 28-yard line early in the second quarter.

From there, the 49ers put together an 11-play, 72-yard drive that ended in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to rookie Ronnie Bell for a 10-3 lead. The 49ers made three third-down conversions on the drive, the first two coming on a 3rd-and-15 completion to Samuel for 30 yards and a 3rd-and-13 completion to running back Christian McCaffrey for 17 yards, then Purdy hit Bell on a 3rd-and-5 from the 9-yard line to take the lead with 7:49 remaining in the half.

A three-and-out from the Giants that ended with a third-down sack by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave resulted in a punt back to the 49ers, who took over at their own 27-yard line. The 49ers then engineered an 11-play, 73-yard drive that featured an 18-yard run by running back Elijah Mitchell and a 15-yard catch on a deflected pass by Bell, then after a third-down penalty for roughing the passer on defensive lineman Leonard Williams gave the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal at the 4-yard line, McCaffrey ran in for the game's second touchdown of the night and a 17-6 lead with 1:40 remaining.

The Giants put together an eight-play, 37-yard drive that culminated with a 57-yard field goal from Gano to cut the 49ers' lead to 17-6 right before halftime. The 49ers dominated the stat sheet in the first half, totaling 14 first downs to just five for the Giants while holding a total yardage edge of 242 to 88 and a time of possession advantage of 20 minutes to 10. The 49ers also went 7-for-10 on third down conversions in the first half, while the Giants finished 3-for-7. Purdy finished 14-of-23 for 157 yards and one touchdown in the first half, while Jones completed 12-of-17 passes for 92 yards.

Second Half

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter, then the Giants cut the lead to 17-12 on an 8-yard touchdown run from former 49er Matt Breida to finish a 2-play, 37-yard drive. The Giants started the drive in 49ers territory after a 15-yard fair catch interference penalty on defensive back Shemar Jean-Charles, then a 22-yard pass interference call on cornerback Deommodore Lenoir set the Giants up with a 1st-and-Goal from the 8-yard line. Breida ran in from there for his first touchdown of the year, then the Giants fell short on a two-point conversion attempt to leave the score at 17-12.

The 49ers got things going quickly on the next possession with a 40-yard completion to Deebo Samuel that moved them to the Giants' 35-yard line, then they eventually found themselves with a 1st-and-Goal at the 7-yard line with the help of two third-down penalties from the Giants. But the Giants' defense stiffened and forced the 49ers to settle for a 21-yard field goal from Moody to open up a 20-12 lead with 4:08 left in the third quarter.

A three-and-out from the Giants followed the field goal, then the 49ers moved inside the Giants' 25-yard line by the start of the fourth quarter. Their drive stalled from there, forcing them to settle for the third field goal of the night from Moody, this one from 36 yards to extend the lead to 23-12.

The Giants started their next possession at their own 25-yard line after a touchback, then a 15-yard face mask penalty on offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu pushed them back to a 1st-and-25. Another punt was soon to follow, then the 49ers took over at their own 30-yard line with 12:47 left to play. Samuel opened the possession with an 18-yard catch that drove the ball close to midfield, then six plays later Purdy found Samuel again, this time for a 27-yard touchdown that put the game out of reach at 30-12 with 5:58 remaining.

The 49ers defense helped finish the job on the next possession, forcing the game's first turnover on an interception by safety Talanoa Hufanga. The Giants moved the ball into 49ers' territory but moved back across the 50 when linebacker Oren Burks tackled Breida for a 9-yard loss on a reception, then a third down pass from Jones bounced off the hands of tight end Darren Waller and into the arms of Hufanga, who gave the 49ers possession at their own 48-yard line.

The 49ers punted to the Giants after a three-and-out following the interception, then both teams gave their backup quarterbacks a series before the game came to a close. The 49ers moved to 3-0 with the win, while the Giants fell to 1-2 on the season with the loss.

Game Notes: The 49ers took a 22-21 lead in their series against the Giants with the win... The last meeting between the two teams before Thursday came on September 27, 2020 -- a 36-9 win for the 49ers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey... Bell's touchdown catch in the second quarter was also his first NFL reception... McCaffrey tied the 49ers' club record for consecutive games with a touchdown (12), a mark currently shared with legendary receiver Jerry Rice... The club record 15-game streak extended throughout the 1989 and 1990 seasons... The 49ers will be back in action on Sunday, October 1 at Levi's Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET/1:25 p.m. PT). The Giants will be hosting the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football on October 2.