No rest for San Francisco pass defense

SANTA CLARA - Staggered but ultimately upright, the 49ers' secondary survived the epic battle with the New Orleans Saints receiving corps last Saturday. For their efforts, the defensive backs got a pat on the back, a hot shower and a date with a trio that is every bit as dangerous.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire: that could be their motto as they refocus from the Saints to the New York Giants.

"They're both two great offenses," 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown said. "I mean, you can't go wrong with either team."

Well, technically you could go wrong - by not covering these guys tightly enough. The Giants' receiving corps wasn't considered anything special coming into the season, but Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham have emerged as a trio to be reckoned with.

Cruz has been the biggest surprise. The Massachusetts grad played in three games as a rookie in 2010, but didn't catch a pass. This year he emerged as the speedster the Giants had been lacking for years, catching 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns. The yardage figure is a franchise record. Cruz averaged more than 123 yards per game over the final seven weeks of the regular season, and had a 99-yard touchdown against the Jets.

"Third down, a lot of my work's gonna be done on the inside, facing against Cruz," said cornerback Carlos Rogers, who had two interceptions when the 49ers beat the Giants in Week 10. "And he's a very good receiver that's come a long way. And I'm gonna have to do the same thing again this game when opportunities call, because when facing that guy, they're gonna get him the ball."

Manningham was the least productive of the three this season, but still a contributor with 39 receptions for 523 yards and four scores.

And then there is Hicks. Part of the 2009 draft class that included the 49ers' Michael Crabtree and Oakland's Darrius Heyward-Bey (Hicks was the fifth receiver taken, at No. 29), he had a superb season, with 76 catches for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns. But he has redefined himself in the playoffs, shredding Atlanta and Green Bay for a combined 13 receptions, 280 yards and four TDs. Nicks has scored on a sky-high grab, on long catch-and-runs and even on a Hail Mary to stun the Packers on the final play of the first half of New York's 37-20 victory last Sunday.

"We are a dangerous corps," Nicks said before the Green Bay game. "I feel like we're all No. 1 receivers. With our offense, if you try to take one guy away, it opens it up for the other two guys. You try to take two guys away, it opens it up for the third receiver and the tight end as well."

As Brown put it: "Very explosive guys. I think you have to prepare for all of 'em."

He and his cohorts are coming off an interesting game against the Saints, who brought the most prolific offense in NFL history into Candlestick Park. The secondary was incredible for most of the day, making big plays and limiting New Orleans receivers to sporadic success.

"T-Brown had an excellent game, tremendous interception, got us a stop there," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday. "Carlos Rogers, big time, he had a touchdown-saving pass breakup, which he had on the post. He also had one on a critical third down to force a punt. He tackled well. He's a get-em-down tackler. Donte (Whitner) and Dashon (Goldson), they really bring a tone-setting physicality to their tackling."

Yes, Brown had the acrobatic steal over Devery Henderson late in the second quarter, Rogers had the textbook breakup against Adrian Arrington late in the third quarter and Whitner turned the tide of the game with his fumble-forcing knockout of running back Pierre Thomas to end the Saints' first drive.

But Harbaugh was accentuating the positive. Drew Brees passed for 462 yards, and his fourth-quarter touchdown passes to running back Darren Sproles and tight end Jimmy Graham left 49ers defenders strewn like battlefield tanks in a video game - including Goldson, Whitner and Rogers. Either play could have spelled doom for the Niners.

Granted, the Saints and Giants present different challenges. New York does not have a tight end or a pass-catching halfback who can come close to Graham and Sproles. Then again, with Cruz's speed, Hicks' size and Manningham's moves, the Giants' wide receivers may be even harder to cover one-on-one - especially with the way quarterback Eli Manning has been playing.

The trio was pretty productive at Candlestick in Week10. Cruz had a game-high 84 receiving yards, and the other two each had a touchdown catch. The Giants left more yards on the field, too, with a few overthrows and drops - including a deep ball that skidded off Manningham's fingers with 2:50 left that could have been a game-tying touchdown.

To win this Sunday, the Niners will need a little more luck, and a whole lot of good coverage.

"You put the ball in their hands and he lets them run, and they get a lot of YAC (yards after the catch)," Brown said. "So anytime you go against a team like that, you really have to be dialed in."

You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.