The San Francisco 49ers defeated the New York Giants in Thursday Night Football. The 49ers won 30-12, moving to a 3-0 record, while the Giants fell to 1-2. The offense had the momentum but struggled in the red zone, while the defense stood strong until the end. Here is a look at the San Francisco 49ers week three top players and the ones who will need to step up next week.
San Francisco 49ers Slays
With Brandon Aiyuk out, wide receiver Deebo Samuel had himself a game. He had six receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. He only rushed the ball for two yards, but the team did rotate between Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell more this week. It was not just that Samuel was targeted more; it was how he fought for extra yards every time that the ball was in his hands.
Samuel has stepped up big time this season, even with fewer receptions. It is difficult to favor one player when there are that many targets on one team. On Samuel’s touchdown reception, he was able to not only turn his body at the perfect time; he was able to keep both feet in. Samuel is day-to-day with a rib injury but should be good to go by week four.
49ers WR Deebo (19) – Tony Avelar/AP Photo
In week three, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave had a strong game. With Nick Bosa getting back into football shape, the team is starting to see how dominant the defensive line is. Even when he didn’t get the sack, he had the Giants’ quarterback, Daniel Jones, under pressure.
In the game, Hargrave had just three combined tackles, but he also had one sack and one tackle for loss, according to ESPN. The stats do not represent the amount of pressure that Hargrave and the rest of the defensive line had on Jones. Now that the defensive line is looking stronger, which says a lot, this defense will continue to dominate.
49ers OT Trent Williams (71) – Scot Tucker/AP Photo
San Francisco 49ers Bombs
Trent Williams did well as a player on Thursday, and credit needs to be given there. The issue with Williams in the game was the amount of flags that were called because of him. This pushed the offense back too often, which continuously broke the momentum of the team. Yes, the offense still put up 30 points, but it could have been more if there were not that many flags backing up the team.
Williams was also lucky not to be ejected from the game. He did throw a punch at the Giants’ defender, A’Shawn Robinson. As a veteran, he should have known better. Next week, this is something that Willams has to be mindful of. Emotions are high during games, but the team cannot be impacted negatively because of it.
49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir (38) – Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Deommodore Lenoir did not have a bad game, but similarly to Williams, Lenoir was being caught with too many penalties. This pushed the Giants’ offense down the field when otherwise the San Francisco defense was doing well. Lenoir had just five combined tackles in the game, four solo, according to ESPN. As a whole, penalties are something that the team will need to work on moving forward.
While short weeks are rough for players, the 49ers get a couple of days of extra rest. The team came out fairly healthy, mainly with day-to-day injuries. Next up for the San Francisco 49ers is the Arizona Cardinals, their second NFC West opponent of the season. The team should be able to come to that matchup healthy and hope to continue their win streak.
