The San Francisco 49ers beat the New York Giants 30-12 to win their 13th straight regular season game as Christian McCaffrey stars again; watch the Los Angeles Chargers at the Minnesota Vikings from 6pm, followed by Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs in the 9.25pm kick-off.
Last Updated: 22/09/23 6:11am
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy passed for a regular season career-high 310 yards and two touchdowns to help the San Francisco 49ers post a 30-12 victory over the New York Giants in their home opener on Thursday night.
Christian McCaffrey rushed for a touchdown and totalled 119 yards (85 rushing, 34 receiving) for the 49ers (3-0), who won their 13th consecutive regular-season game.
Deebo Samuel had six receptions for 129 yards and one score, George Kittle caught seven passes for 90 yards and Ronnie Bell hauled in his first career touchdown catch for San Francisco.
With the running game hampered by the absence of injured star Saquon Barkley and the offensive line overmatched without left tackle Andrew Thomas, the Giants struggled to move the ball and finished with 150 yards of offense having fallen behind by double digits at the half for the third time in three games.
The Giants blitzed Purdy on 33 of his 39 dropbacks, according to NFL NextGen stats, and he capitalized with 247 of his 310 yards passing on those plays, including the touchdowns to rookie Bell and Samuel.
Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa recorded his first sack since signing a five-year, $170m extension with the 49ers. The contract is the richest for a defender in NFL history.
Former 49ers running back Matt Breida rushed for a touchdown for the Giants (1-2), who managed just 29 yards on the ground on 11 carries while without Barkley due to an ankle injury.
Daniel Jones was 22-of-32 passing for 137 yards and one interception for the Giants.
San Francisco controlled the ball for 39:10 and had a 78-46 edge in plays. Purdy completed 25 of 37 passes as the 49ers outgained the Giants 441-150.
New York moved within 17-12 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter on Breida’s eight-yard scoring run. Jones was sacked on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt.
Stats leaders:
New York Giants
- Passing: Daniel Jones, 22/32, 137 yards, 1 INT
- Rushing: Matt Breida, 4 carries, 17 yards
- Receiving: Darius Slayton, 3 catches, 32 yards
San Francisco 49ers
- Passing: Brock Purdy, 25/37, 310 yards, 2 TDs
- Rushing: Christian McCaffrey, 18 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Deebo Samuel, 6 catches, 129 yards, 1 TD
San Francisco tacked on a 21-yard field goal by Jake Moody to hold an eight-point lead with 4:08 remaining in the period. Moody added a 36-yarder to increase the margin to 23-12 with 12:47 left in the game.
The 49ers put the game away on Purdy’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Samuel with 5:58 remaining in the contest.
San Francisco scored two second-quarter touchdowns while taking a 17-6 lead into half-time.
Purdy connected with Bell on a nine-yard scoring pass to give San Francisco a 10-3 lead with 7:49 left in the second quarter. Just over six minutes later, McCaffrey scored on a four-yard run to boost the lead to 14.
New York’s Graham Gano kicked a 57-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining in the first half.
San Francisco opened the game with a 15-play, 64-yard drive before settling for Moody’s 28-yard field goal. The Giants answered with a 44-yard field goal from Gano.
Scoring summary
Scoring summary
| FIRST QUARTER | |
|---|---|
| Giants 0-3 49ers | Jake Moody 28-yard field goal |
| Giants 3-3 49ers | Graham Gano 44-yard field goal |
| SECOND QUARTER | |
| Giants 3-10 49ers | Brock Purdy nine-yard TD pass to Ronnie Bell (extra point) |
| Giants 3-17 49ers | Christian McCaffrey four-yard rushing TD (extra point) |
| Giants 6-17 49ers | Graham Gano 57-yard field goal |
| THIRD QUARTER | |
| Giants 12-17 49ers | Matt Breida eight-yard rushing TD (two-point conversion failed) |
| Giants 12-20 49ers | Jake Moody 21-yard field goal |
| FOURTH QUARTER | |
| Giants 12-23 49ers | Jake Moody 36-yard field goal |
| Giants 12-30 49ers | Deebo Samuel 27-yard rushing TD (extra point) |
What did they say?
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel: “They got a good bit of pressure on Brock and caused a couple of three-and-outs but it’s about how long you can sustain doing that. So in the second half we came out executing.”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan: “I thought it was just a huge challenge, one of the bigger ones Brock has been in with a short week to prepare for a scheme like that. There’s not a comfortable play throughout the game. I thought he settled down as the game went on.”
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones: “We didn’t create a rhythm. We didn’t execute, didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, That’s a good defense, a good team and when you are playing good teams you can’t afford to do that. We didn’t play well enough.”
What next?
The Giants will look to respond when they host the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night in Week Four, while the 49ers prepare to face the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday.
Watch the Los Angeles Chargers at the Minnesota Vikings from 6pm Sunday live on Sky Sports NFL, followed by Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs at 9.25pm and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders in Sunday Night Football.