A head coach is judged on many things other than wins and losses. Nothing is more important than the record, of course. But how a team wins and how a team loses is always a part of the equation when it comes time to evaluate the pluses and minuses of the one in charge of the operation.
Still flush with emotion, one of the first things Pat Shurmur said to the Giants after their 27-23 comeback victory over the 49ers in the visitors’ locker room inside Levi’s Stadium was to express how proud he was his players were able to “block out the noise” swirling around this team. It was not merely lip service. The Giants were 1-7 in the first half of the season, and there were all sorts of rumblings. Players were sent packing, players were traded away, Eli Manning’s hold on his starting job grew tenuous, Odell Beckham Jr. said some things that caused a stir, a backup quarterback was arrested, the losses piled up. The Giants could not win nearly enough, but the front office and ownership no doubt observed how Shurmur did not lose control of his team.
“Our guys do a really good job of keeping the noise out,” Shurmur said. “We counsel them to do that and just keep playing and keep believing in one another and keep doing it for each other.”
Assembling something amid deconstruction is never easy and often impossible. The Giants have revamped nearly their entire roster. As Shurmur put it, “There’s a lot of things that have changed running parallel.” The overhaul began before all the losing and accelerated once it became clear the Giants were not going to contend for anything this season, other than an extremely high pick in the 2019 draft. Such turbulence rarely allows for smooth sailing.
“You fight and you fight and you do everything you can to win and at some point you break over the top like we did,” Shurmur said.
If the Giants listened to all the criticism and speculation, Shurmur said, “We’re going to be cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.”
After victory No. 2, their sanity was saved, at least for another week.
More out of the victory in Santa Clara, Calif:
– It remains troubling how much of a struggle it is for Saquon Barkley to get moving on the ground. Coming off the bye week, it was evident Shurmur wanted to emphasize the running game, and, as a result, Barkley carried the ball a season-high 20 times. In the first quarter, he actually got the call on three consecutive plays on runs of 8, 18 and 1 yard.
“I thought we had a good game plan and tried to stick with the run,” Manning said. “We’re good with it, we’re patient with it.”
The problem is that the run-blocking was again subpar, even with the arrival of newly signed Jamon Brown at right guard. Barkley gained only 67 yards and averaged only 3.4 yards per rushing attempt.
“Tried to,” said Shurmur about trying to get Barkley established. “I think we can do a better job. There’s going to be some times on some of those runs where there was a guy in the hole. There’s maybe some times where Saquon could have run it better. It’s always a mixed bag.”
The bag should not be this mixed with a talent such as Barkley carrying the load. As a team, the Giants rushed for only 97 yards on the 49ers — the sixth time this season the Giants failed to reach 100 rushing yards. This is the first time they won.
– This is how the Giants, with a 37-year-old quarterback, must play. Run the ball, even if the yards are not flowing. Do not get into predictable passing situations. Manning was sacked only one time, matching a season low set against the Panthers. In that game, the Giants reached 30 points for the only time this season. In this game, Manning’s 19 completed passes for 188 yards were both season lows. Less is more and less is better for Manning and the Giants.
– The Giants were thrilled to see the end of these streaks. They lost their previous 17 regular-season games when they trailed at halftime. They also had lost 28 consecutive road games when they trailed at halftime. The last time they overcame a halftime deficit on the road? Dec. 11, 2011, in Dallas.
– Sterling Shepard was thrilled with the victory but not with his own performance.
“It was a rough day for me,” he said.
Shepard was targeted only three times all night and ended up with two receptions for 9 yards. One of his catches, with 53 seconds remaining, was a 3-yard touchdown to give the Giants their winning points.
– It was a strange game for Evan Engram. The focus on the running game meant Engram was not on the field for long stretches in the first three quarters, as Rhett Ellison and Scott Simonson were used as blockers. Once the Giants fell behind by 10 points, the offensive thrust shifted to more of a passing attack. Engram had one catch for no yards through three quarters and came up with receptions of 31, 6 and 9 yards on the 75-yard game-winning drive.
“It’s a different style of game at the end,’’ Shurmur said. “We’re throwing it almost every down so he was in there. Early in the game we were pounding it out and heavy play-action, I had the other two guys in there.’’
– For one week, the red zone woes took a hike. After eight games, the Giants were 31st in the NFL in red-zone efficiency, scoring a touchdown on only 40 percent of their trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. They scored all 27 of their points against the 49ers from the red zone: three touchdowns, two field goals.
– On consecutive plays in the third quarter, rookie linebacker Lorenzo Carter flashed the potential that could make him a fixture on the Giants’ defense for years.
A first-down pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk was stopped by Carter for a loss of 1 yard. On second down, a pass to tight end George Kittle was stopped by Carter for a loss of 1 yard. Carter’s range and speed were evident on these plays. He needs to become more diverse and show more variety on his pass-rush moves, but as he develops, the Giants have to be encouraged with their third-round pick from Georgia.
– Eli Manning now has 350 career touchdown passes. He is the seventh player in NFL history to reach that total.