49ers Today

<p><b>THE LINE: Giants by 10</p><p>THE SERIES: </b>The regular-season series is tied at 13-13. The teams have also met seven times in the playoffs, with the 49ers holding a 4-3 advantage.</p><p><b>LAST MEETING: </b>Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora forced a fumble by Trent Dilfer on a sack and returned it 75 yards early in the second half to bust open a close game. The Giants went on to a 33-15 victory at Giants Stadium on Oct. 21.</p><h3>INJURY REPORT</h3> <p><b>49ers: </b>T Jonas Jennings (shoulder) is out; LB Manny Lawson (hamstring), S Mark Roman (knee) and CB Donald Strickland (hip) are probable.</p><p><b>Giants: </b>LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee) is out; LB Antonio Pierce (quad) is questionable; C Shaun O’Hara (toe) and DE Dave Tollefson (knee) are probable.</p><h3>WHAT’S AT STAKE</h3> <p>The 49ers have already lost three games in a row, and are in desperate need of a victory to help coach Mike Nolan save his job. The Giants, coming off their Super Bowl championship, are trying to rally after a 35-14 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Monday.</p><h3>SPOTTING TRENDS</h3> <p><b>49ERS (2-4): </b>San Francisco has not beaten a quality team this season. The 49ers’ two victories have come against Seattle (1-4) and Detroit (0-5). They have struggled in East Coast games under Nolan, as they are 3-15 in games with early start times. In those games, the 49ers have been outscored, on average, 28-13. Quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan has really struggled in recent weeks. In the past three games, O’Sullivan has committed nine turnovers, including seven interceptions. Although Frank Gore is clearly the team’s best offensive player, offensive coordinator Mike Martz loves the passing game. After the Browns’ Derek Anderson tore apart the Giants’ pass defense, Martz might want to surprise the Giants with an all-out passing game at Giants Stadium.</p><p><b>GIANTS (4-1): </b>Quarterback Eli Manning has generally picked up where he left off after last season’s amazing run through the playoffs. Although he was intercepted three times in the Giants’ loss Monday to the Browns, Manning still owns a 91.4 passer rating, which ranks him several points ahead of brother Peyton’s 87.8. The Giants have one of the game’s top offenses. In addition to Manning and the passing game, they have gotten big production from the running game. Brandon Jacobs has rushed for 447 yards and four touchdowns on 79 carries (5.7 average), and Derrick Ward has 318 rushing yards with a 7.4 average. The Giants’ defense is coming off a poor showing against the Browns, with Anderson throwing for 310 yards.</p><h3>QUOTE TO NOTE</h3> <p>“We’ll see when we play the game this week. We’ll find out.”</p><p>— Coach Mike Nolan on whether his</p><p>team is capable of matching the physical</p><p>play they expect to see today from the Giants.</p><p><b>THE 49ERS WILL WIN IF . . . </b>They play their best game on offense, defense and special teams, and receive several breaks along the way.</p><p><b>THE GIANTS WILL WIN IF . . . </b>They show up and play reasonably decent football.</p><h3>KEY MATCHUPS</h3> <p>LB Patrick Willis vs. RB Brandon Jacobs</p><p>Willis, the 49ers’ best defensive player, will have his hands full against the rough-running, 264-pound Jacobs, who averages 5.7 yards per rushing attempt.</p><p>CB Walt Harris vs. WR Plaxico Burress</p><p>Harris, who has played well against Anquan Boldin and Roy Williams, will match up against Burress, who is back from a one-game suspension.</p><p>LG Adam Snyder vs. DL Justin Tuck</p><p>Snyder has battled issues with consistency this season. He’ll have his hands full against Tuck, who lines up inside in pass-rush situations.</p>