Justin Pugh and the rest of the Giant O-line did not give up a sack against the 49ers. Photo by Al Thompson

Giants vs. 49ers Postgame Notes
By Michael Eisen
Oct. 12, 2015

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Notes and statistics from the Giants’ 30-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers:

*The Giants won their third consecutive game and improved to 3-2. They are in first place in the NFC East, one game ahead of the Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington. They play the Eagles on the road next Monday night.

*Larry Donnell scored the game-winning touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Eli Manning with 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the latest the Giants have scored a go-ahead, game-winning touchdown since Nov. 6, 2011, when Manning‘s one-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard with 15 seconds remaining enabled them to win at New England, 24-20.

*The Giants broke a three-game losing streak on Sunday Night Football and improved their Sunday night record to 20-26-1, including 10-12 at home.

*The Giants gained 525 total yards, their highest total since they finished with 604 yards in a 41-34 victory over Tampa Bay on Sept. 16, 2012. It was just the eighth time since 1950 the Giants gained at least 525 total yards.

*The Giants had 441 passing yards, their highest total since they set the franchise record with 510 yards in that victory over the Buccaneers three years ago. It was the fourth time in their history the Giants passed for more than 440 yards.

*The Giants’ 30 first downs was their highest total since they 31 at Washington on Sept. 25, 2014.

*Eli Manning completed 41 of 54 passes for 441 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 110.2.

*The attempts were a career high. His previous high attempts total was 53, which he set three times, most recently in the 2014 season finale vs. Philadelphia.

*Manning’s 41 completions were a franchise record. The old mark of 40 was set by Phil Simms at Cincinnati on Oct. 13, 1985, two days shy of exactly 30 years ago.

*Manning shattered his career high for completions; his previous best was 34, set in a loss to Tennessee on Sept. 26, 2010. His previous best completion total in a victory was 31, against Tampa Bay on Sept. 16, 2012.

*The 441 yards were the third-highest total of Manning’s career. He threw for 510 yards vs. Tampa Bay on Sept. 16, 2012, and 450 at Dallas on Sept 8, 2013. The Giants lost both of those games.

*Manning completed a career-high 15 consecutive passes over three series spanning the third and fourth quarters. The streak ended on an incompletion to Myles White with 5:54 remaining. Manning’s previous best was 12 consecutive completions at Atlanta on Oct. 15, 2007.

*The victory was the 102nd of Manning’s career (94 regular season, eight postseason). That is a franchise record. Manning had been tied with Phil Simms (95 regular season, six postseason).

*This was the 27th time that Manning has rallied the Giants from a fourth-quarter deficit or tie to win a regular-season game. He’s also done it five times in the postseason, including two Super Bowls. It was Manning’s first game-winning drive since Oct. 5, 2014 vs. Atlanta.

*Odell Beckham Jr. tied his season high with seven receptions, for a game-high 121 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter. It was Beckham’s ninth career 100-yard game.

*The touchdown was Beckham’s team-leading third of the season, and the 15th of his 17-game career.

*Running back Shane Vereen led the Giants with eight receptions for 86 yards, including a 24-yarder on the game-winning drive, and a two-yard touchdown.

*Vereen’s touchdown was his first as a Giant. It was the former New England Patriots’ first touchdown since Dec. 14, 2014 vs. Miami, his first receiving score since Nov. 2 vs. Denver, and his eighth career receiving touchdown.

*Vereen replaced Dwayne Harris as the Giants’ primary kickoff returner, and had two returns for 44 yards.

*Harris had a career-high six receptions for 72 yards.

*Donnell caught a season-high six passes for 35 yards, including the game-winning score.

*Rookie Geremy Davis caught his second NFL pass, a 16-yarder on a third down in the fourth quarter. Davis entered the game after Beckham was sidelined with a hamstring strain.

*Tight end Will Tye had a big night in his second NFL game with his first four career receptions, for 48 yards. Tye’s first catch was a 12-yarder across the middle in the opening quarter, and he added 14- and 18-yarders on the final drive of the second quarter.

*Wide receiver Myles White was targeted four times, but did not catch a pass in his Giants debut.

*Rashad Jennings led the Giants’ rushing attack with 46 yards on 11 carries.

*Defensive end Damontre Moore picked up his first two sacks of the season, each a three-yard takedown of Colin Kaepernick.

*Second-year defensive tackle Jay Bromley made his first career start, as Cullen Jenkins moved from tackle to end. Bromley had three tackles (one solo).

*Defensive tackle Markus Kuhn returned to action after missing three games with a knee injury and had two tackles (one solo).

*Linebacker Mark Herzlich, who started eight games last season, made his first start of the season at strongside linebacker for the injured Devon Kennard. Herzlich had five tackles (four solo)

*The Giants, with Kennard and Jonathan Casillas inactive with injuries, lost a third linebacker less than three minutes into the game when Jon Beason suffered a concussion tackling Carlos Hyde. Beason was replaced by Uani ‘Unga, who started the first two games of the season when Beason was sidelined with a knee injury. Unga led the Giants with seven tackles, all solo.

*Fullback Nikita Whitlock again played some defensive tackle, and drew a holding penalty on Alex Boone in the third quarter.

*Cullen Jenkins joined team captains Manning, Jon Beason and Zak DeOssie at midfield for the coin toss.

*The Giants’ inactive players were linebackers Devon Kennard (hamstring) and Casillas (calf), defensive ends Robert Ayers (hamstring) and George Selvie (calf), wide receiver Victor Cruz (calf), tight end Jerome Cunningham, and offensive lineman Bobby Hart.

*In a halftime ceremony, Chris Snee, Osi Umenyiora, John Johnson and Jack Lummus were inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor, increasing the number of those honored to 39.

Several of Snee’s and Umenyiora’s teammates, including Shaun O’Hara, Kareem McKenzie and Rich Seubert (wearing Snee’s No. 76 jersey) watched the ceremony from the sideline.

*Tom Coughlin delivered some good news regarding tight end Daniel Fells, who has been hospitalized with a MRSA (staph) infection.

“We dedicated this game to Daniel Fells and his family,” Coughlin said. “And thank God we got him the game ball.

“Fells has had two very good says in a row. When I walked into his hospital room at about 7:30 yesterday morning with Ed Triggs (the Giants’ football operations project coordinator), he was sitting up, his wife was sitting up, and they both had a smile on their face. He had had really his first night of sleep for the whole week that night. Then he put two together. His MRIs have come back without any issues the last couple of days. Thank God, and hopefully he’ll just continue in that direction, so he can go home and see his kids.”