, who stayed in West Virginia to prep for the game. Robbie Gould added three field goals for San Francisco, which last week beat the Jets 31-13 here and denied Giants coach Joe Judge a chance for his first win this week. The Niners had Garoppolo (ankle), defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas (knees) and running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman hurt against the Jets. They complained about the new turf after the game, saying it was ''sticky'' and led to injuries. The NFL, the players association, the Jets and Giants and Field Turf, who installed the surface, re-examined the field and said it meet all standards. The Niners' play on Sunday made it a non-issue as Mullens hit 25 for 36 passes and finished with a rating of 108. 9. San Francisco outgained New York 420-231, held the ball for 39:44 and forced three turnovers without giving the ball up. Mullens led San Francisco to scores on seven of its first eight possessions. It would have been all eight if not for a snap-hold problem that caused Gould to miss a 55-yarder. He connected from 52, 32 and 26 yards. The Niners' ninth possession coincided with the end of the game. New York, which came into the game as the NFL's lowest-scoring offense, got three field goals from Graham Gano, the second of which tied the game at 6-all midway through the second quarter. A 10-yard touchdown run by McKinnon with 1:13 left in the half and a 26-yard field goal by Gould pushed the lead to 16-6 at the half. The field goal was set up by a interception by linebacker Fred Warner at the New York 32. Jones finished 17 of 32 for 179 yards, but the second half was all San Francisco. REPLACING SAQUONWayne Gallman and recently signed Devonta Freeman got most of the carries replacing Barkley, who was lost for the season to a knee injury last week. Jones once again was New York's best rusher, gaining 49 yards on five carries. However, he was stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak at his 30 late in the third quarter that sealed the game. MULLENS' RETURNMullens was making his first start since replacing an injured Garappolo for eight games in the 2018 season. He was 8 of 11 for 71 yards in relief last week. KEY INJURIES49ers: Were also without TE George Kittle, CB Ahkello Witherspoon and LB Dre Greenlaw for the game. They lost Emmanuel Moseley to a (head injury) and TE Jordan Reed (ankle) Sunday. Mosley was hurt making a tackle on a Jones' run early in the second quarter. Reed, who caught two TDs last week filling in for the injured Kittle, was hurt late in the first trying to make a catch in the end zone. He returned briefly in the second quarter. Giants: Safety Jabrill Peppers did not play after hurt his right sprained an ankle trying to block a (ankle). SOCIAL JUSTICEBoth teams stood on the sideline for the national anthem. Half the Giants knelt and half stood. The 49ers had two rows of players. Half stood on the sideline. Half stood in front of their bench, about 10 yards behind them. UP NEXTSan Francisco returns home after a week on the East coast and faces Philadelphia Eagles in a Sunday night game. Giants travel Los Angeles to face the Rams in Los Angeles for the first time since 1994. From 1995-2015, the Rams were based in St. Louis. ---More NFL: https://apnews. com/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL)
Sep 24, 2020EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. The San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants are battling the injury bug after just two games, as well some other scary issues. Wondering what might scare NFL players? For the Niners (1-1), it's just being back at MetLife Stadium on Sunday to face the winless Giants (0-2). It's not the Giants they find scary. New York is enduring yet another bad start and facing the prospect of missing the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years. San Francisco's concern is the stadium and it's new artificial surface. In a 31-13 win over the Jets last weekend, the 49ers saw four key players, including NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa, leave with knee injuries. The Niners complained to the league about the ''sticky'' surface and now they have to play on it again. Bosa, fellow lineman Solomon Thomas and halfbacks Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman are out. Quarterback Jimmy Garappolo (ankle) is doubtful, so Nick Mullens is expected to start. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan says he has put the field issue to rest, and told his players to focus on the game. The league inspected the field Wednesday and said it meets all applicable standards and protocols for a field surface. ''I'm a big believer of controlling the controllables, doing what I can and controlling what I can control,'' 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. ''The playing surface that we're going to play on Sunday, I have no control over that. I'm letting everybody else handle that. '' Giants coach Joe Judge has had his team work on the field since training camp opened in late July. None of his players complained about it, he said. What Giants fans have to complain about is the team's anemic offense, which will be without running back Saquon Barkley (knee) for the rest of the season. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard (toe) is out for at least three games. New York is averaging 14. 5 points and turned the ball over four times, with quarterback Daniel Jones throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. The offensive line has struggled and the running game is last in the league. The defense has been surprisingly good, allowing 43 points, only 10 in the second half. It has left Judge looking for his first win, which is par for the course. The Giants have started 0-2 every year since 2013, with the exception being in 2016, the only year they made the playoffs. ''We're not going to raise the white flag on anything,'' Judge said. ''Our guys are going to fight straight on through. We have a job to do regardless of the circumstance or outcome of the previous game. '' Some things to watch for Sunday:BY COMMITTEEWith Barkley gone, the Giants will employ a backfield by committee. Dion Lewis handled the load against the Bears with Wayne Gallman inactive. Expect Gallman back this week along with former Falcon Devonta Freeman, who was signed to a one-year, $3 million contract. Judge said the game plan will utilize each of their strengths. He added if one back starts to rip off yards, he may become ''the guy'' for a time. MULLENS' SHOTMullens appears set to get his first start at quarterback for the Niners in nearly 21 months. He started the final eight games of the 2018 season when Garoppolo was sidelined, averaging 284. 6 yards passing with a 90. 8 rating. Mullens didn't throw a single pass last season and went 8 for 11 for 71 yards and one interception last week against the Jets. ''I know our players believe in him and he'll be fine,'' Shanahan said. THE OTHER CORNERBACKFree agent signee James Bradberry gives the Giants a solid cornerback. He leads the league with six passes defended and last week he rallied New York with an interception and a tip that led to another pick by Julian Love. The other cornerback is a problem. Corey Ballentine started the first two games. He was replaced by Isaac Yiadom for the second half last week. The position is wide open and coordinator Pat Graham said Ryan Lewis and Brandon Williams are also in the mix for the job. ON THE ROADThe 49ers requested back-to-back East Coast games so they could stay over for the week and reduce travel. They ended up spending the week at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, which has hosted training camps in the past. The resort offers bowling, falconry, horseback riding and a gun club among other activities, although the 49ers are focused mostly on football. EVAN, PLEASE STAND UPEvan Engram looked so good in training camp, many predicted this would be the breakout season for the tight end who was New York's first-round pick in 2017. It hasn't happened. The oft-injured Engram had a drop on his first target this season and then was invisible for almost the next seven quarters. He woke up in the final 19 minutes against the Bears, catching six passes for 65 yards. Will he show up Sunday? --- Football Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report. ---More NFL: https://apnews. com/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL
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