Sunday, September 27, 2020, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, 1 p.m. ET
49ers at Giants Betting Preview: 49ers (-4/+110), Giants (+4/-110)
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers (1-1) return to the scene of the crime on Sunday after seeing defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas sustain season-ending ACL tears and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (high-ankle sprain) and running backs Raheem Mostert (MCL sprain) and Tevin Coleman (knee) exit with injuries in last week’s 31-13 win over the New York Jets. San Francisco publicly complained about the “sticky” turf at MetLife Stadium, however the team will be stuck revisiting the same venue for the second time in as many weeks.
Nick Mullens, who started eight games for an injured Garoppolo in 2018, is projected to get the nod on Sunday after completing 8 of 11 passes for 71 yards and an interception last week. The backfield will be led by the versatile Jerick McKinnon, who made the most of his three carries by rushing for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Two-time Pro Bowl selection George Kittle (sprained knee) hopes to return after missing Week 2, although fellow tight end Jordan Reed led the team with seven receptions and found the end zone on two occasions in his absence.
First-round pick Brandon Aiyuk, who had just 21 receiving yards in his NFL debut, looks to make more of an impact along fellow wideouts Kendrick Bourne and recent addition Mohamed Sanu.
New York Giants
The Giants (0-2) don’t want to hear about anyone else’s injuries after seeing star running back Saquon Barkley sustain a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in last week’s 17-13 setback in Chicago. Former Pro Bowler Devonta Freeman signed a one-year contract to try to help a backfield that includes Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman as well as leading rusher (gasp!) Daniel Jones.
The hits kept coming on Wednesday as New York placed wideout Sterling Shepard (turf toe) on injured reserve, which is yet another blow for the second-year quarterback Jones. Veteran Golden Tate and Darius Slayton will serve as his primary wide receiver options while tight end Evan Engram looks to build off a solid performance in which he had led the team in catches (six) and receiving yards (65).
As for positives, the Giants defense is coming off a four-sack week and has allowed an NFL fourth-best 326.5 total yards per game and second-best 188.5 yards in the passing game. Cornerback James Bradberry collected four of his NFL-best six passes defensed last week and added an interception to boot versus the Bears.
49ers at Giants Betting Pick for Week 3
While Sunday’s contest is generating bigger headlines due to the injuries, the simple fact is the 49ers have enough in the tank to overcome the expected absences while the Giants have little offensive firepower to spare.
San Francisco hopes to get enough out of its ground attack before making tracks to leave northern New Jersey in its rearview mirror.
49ers at Giants Betting Pick:
49ers 24, Giants 10
49ers at Giants Best Bet for Week 3
Offensive chemistry could be an issue for both teams, and that’s not a good sign for a Giants team that ranks dead last in the NFL in both points (29) and average rushing yards per game (52.0).
Those numbers likely won’t get too much better against a San Francisco team that can ill-afford a setback to a lesser team while competing in arguably the best division in the league.
49ers at Giants Best Bet: UNDER 41 (-110)
