Renardo Green #0 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks up a pass intended for Darius Slayton #18 of the New York Giants during the third quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 02, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Here is how the 49ers (6-3) graded in Sunday’s 34-24 win over the host New York Giants (2-7):
PASS OFFENSE: A-
Mac Jones’ sensational first half saw him complete all 14 of his passes, including touchdown strikes to Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings on the first two drives to take a lead the 49ers would not relinquish. Jones finished 19-of-24 for 235 yards and posted a 135.2 passer rating that was his best in seven starts with the 49ers and second-best of his five-year career. Jones blamed himself for taking too long on a play that was a strip sack rather than a potential touchdown pass. Seven players had a catch longer than 10 yards, and it was rookie Jordan Watkins’ 19-yard grab over the middle that Kyle Shanahan raved most about afterward.
RUN OFFENSE: A-
McCaffrey not only led the 49ers in receiving (five catches, 67 yards, touchdown) but also rushing with his second 100-yard game this season (106 yards, 28 carries, touchdown). More eye-opening was Brian Robinson’s season-best 53 yards on five carries, highlighted by his fourth-quarter touchdown run. Spencer Burford made his first career start at left guard and relished playing next to Trent Williams in the 39-carry, 159-yard rushing attack.
PASS DEFENSE: B
Losing Mykel Williams to a potential ACL tear with four minutes will further depletes this unit. It’s a good thing the 49ers scored their most points in a game this season, because the Giants chipped away in the fourth quarter behind play-making rookie Jaxson Dart. Clelin Ferrell debuted with a sack and Sam Okuyainonu also had one. In coverage, Deommodore Lenoir failed to take down tight end Theo Johnson on an opening-drive touchdown, while Renardo Green and Ji’Ayir Brown later broke up potential touchdown passes.
RUN DEFENSE: B-
Tatum Bethune racked up 16 tackles and delivered some big hits, as did rookie Upton Stout on a second-drive effort that sparked the unit. The Giants lacked oomph without rookie Cam Skattebo, but Dart ran for a team-high 56 yards on eight carries, the same number of runs by Devin Singletary (43 yards).
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-
Eddy Pineiro made both his field-goal attempts and improved to 19-of-19 on the season. He snuck a 54-yard field goal over the crossbar for a 17-7 lead 1:55 before halftime, and his five field goal over 50 yards are one shy of David Akers’ 2011 club record. Brian Robinson’s 41-yard kick return set up McCaffrey’s fourth-quarter touchdown run.
COACHING: A-
Kyle Shanahan and his staff did it again, rebounding from a loss with an uplifting win. The offense scored its most points all year after averaging 20 points, the lowest mark in Shanahan’s tenure through eight games.
Originally published at Cam Inman