On paper, this has the makings of a major mismatch. The 49ers have looked and played like one of the best teams in football through two weeks, while the Giants have looked respectable for all of one half.
New York mounted a huge comeback against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Before that, the Giants were outscored 60-0 in six quarters. They looked absolutely lifeless during a 40-0 shutout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
While the Giants have some defensive talent, they have been atrocious on that side of the ball, ranking 26th in yards per pass attempt allowed, 25th in yards per rush allowed and dead-last in points allowed.
It's hard to see New York slowing Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and the rest of the 49ers offense.
To make matters worse, the Giants won't have star running back Saquon Barkley because of an ankle sprain, though head coach Brian Daboll initially refused to rule him out.
"We'll just take it day-to-day with him. If he can make it, great, if he can't, let's see if he can get better by the following week," Daboll said early in the week, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
San Francisco stumbled early against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 but pulled away in the second half. Expect the 49ers to get off to a fast start under the bright Thursday night lights
The Giants shouldn't play the sloppy brand of football they did against Dallas, but the results are likely to be closer to those of Week 1 than Week 2.
Prediction: 49ers 31, Giants 17
