Week 3 begins with a lopsided matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants on "Thursday Night Football." The 49ers have looked like a top-three team in the NFL through two weeks, while the Giants needed a 21-point comeback in Week 2 to avoid a disastrous 0-2 start.
Does New York have any chance of hanging with the class of the NFC on a short week? Let's break it down.
Another "Thursday Night Football" game, another glaring mismatch.
The Giants were outscored, 60-0, in their first six quarters to start the season, and they needed a miraculous comeback to survive an upset bid against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. Now they have to face a top dog in the NFC on a short week without running back Saquon Barkley, tackle Andrew Thomas, guard Ben Bredeson and defensive end Azeez Ojulari. Not great!
The 49ers, on the other hand, have outscored opponents, 60-30, through two games, and they rank second in the NFL in net yards per play (1.91). This is a loaded roster on both sides of the ball facing an undermanned team missing their best offensive weapon, and that's how you wind up with a double-digit spread on "TNF."
It's hard to imagine the Giants staying competitive in this game. New York stayed out west following their comeback win against the Cardinals, and the coaching staff had to quickly piece together an offensive game plan without Barkley and two offensive linemen.
The problem for the Giants here is their weaknesses feed right into the 49ers' strengths. New York is allowing the second-highest sack percentage in the league (12.99 percent) through two weeks. How are they expected to block Nick Bosa and this deep, ferocious San Francisco pass rush? The Giants also rank 25th in yards per rush allowed, and here comes Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Kyle Shanahan's diabolical rushing offense.
A 10.5-point spread is a big one to swallow, but this game has 31-13 written all over it.
If you could choose one NFL head coach to dial up a scripted drive to start a game, it would be Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers are 2-for-2 in first-drive touchdowns through two weeks, and they should have no problem improving to 3-for-3 against a Giants defense that ranks dead last in the NFL in points allowed (68) and 27th in yards per play allowed (5.6).
In two game-starting drives this season, Brock Purdy is 9-9 passing for 74 yards and a touchdown. Shanahan is an evil genius when it comes to scripted plays, and that will be on full display this Thursday night.
More must-reads:
Bark Bets is Yardbarker's free daily guide to the world of sports betting. You'll get:
Subscribe now!