Remember that 0-2 hole the Giants were in to start the season? Ancient history.
The good times are rolling in the Meadowlands after Big Blue climbed back to 2-2 with an 24-10 win in Buffalo over the solid Bills. With a win Sunday night at MetLife Stadium over the 49ers (1-3) — and losses by the Cowboys and Redskins — the Giants will sit alone atop the NFC East.
The prospects of that are looking good, and here’s why…
Room to run
The Giants are averaging just 3.5 yards per carry this season, fifth-worst in the league. But the Niners are allowing 4.1 per attempt and have surrendered a total of six rushing touchdowns thus far. Giants running backs Rashad Jennings (3.2 ypc) and Andre Williams (3.3) have not found much room to run behind an injury-plagued O-line, but could break through here.
Swiss cheese secondary
San Francisco’s pass defense is even worse. The Niners are tied for second-worst in yards per pass attempt (9.2). Clearly, this unit is a far cry from the one that helped this franchise reach the Super Bowl less than three years ago. Eli Manning should have a field day picking apart a punchless defense. The odds are pretty good Odell Beckham Jr. will get to showcase his skills, too.
Crumbling Colin
Not long ago, Colin Kaepernick was the face of the Niners with his gazelle-like runs and ability to air it out. The quarterback, much like his Niners, has fallen on hard times. His two touchdown passes and 727 passing yards are tied for last and next to last, respectively, among passers with 100 attempts this season. The Giants have as many interceptions this season (5) as Kaepernick, and both seem poised to raise that number sizably Sunday.
