By TOM CANAVAN
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants aren’t worrying about another meltdown in the second half of the season despite starting it with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Coach Tom Coughlin seemed slightly amused Monday when asked about the team’s recent trend of getting off to good starts and then folding down the stretch. New York failed to win a playoff game after the 2008 season and then missed the postseason the next two years.

Coughlin dismissed any similarity after a 27-20 loss on Sunday that left the Giants (6-3) with a one-game lead over Dallas (5-4) in the NFC East.

Different year. Different team. And Coughlin wasn’t about to apologize for a loss on the road to San Francisco (8-1), which has the second best record in the NFC.

“I can’t imagine why this question keeps coming up,” Coughlin said Monday. “You have to take each year one at a time, You have to take each game one at a time. This is a game against a team that was 7-1. It’s not that we played poorly or not that we da-da-da-da. We didn’t win the game.

“We don’t feel we should ever give up 27 and I am certainly not satisfied with 20 points,” the 65-year-old coach said. “As far as analyzing why and what — we didn’t play well enough to win. Does it have to do with anything in the second half? No!”

Coughlin’s biggest problem with the performance was the two interceptions thrown by Eli Manning and the ability of the offense to generate one touchdown in four trips to the red zone.

Even with those problems. the Giants were in position for their sixth fourth-quarter comeback of the season before their final drive stalled at the San Francisco 10 yard line when they failed to convert on third and fourth down. Manning’s final pass was batted down by Justin Smith.

“We did some positive things but there are no moral victories here,” Giants Pro Bowl guard Chris Snee said. “We felt like we left stuff out there on the field. We left a game out there in San Fran that we thought we should have had. We are well beyond being happy about playing and coming up losing. That is not the mentality that we have around here.”

Safety Kenny Phillips believes this group of players is a different that the past two year.

New York missed the playoffs two years ago after losing eight of its last 11. Despite a 10-6 record last season, the Giants cost themselves a playoff berth giving away a 21-point fourth quarter lead to Philadelphia in December with first place in the NFC East on the line. They also lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers in Green Bay with a playoff berth on the line.

Phillips knows there are people who expect the Giants to stumble again, but he said no one is spending a lot of time thinking about it.

“We’re more mature, knowing the opponents we have coming up,” he said. “I think we are ready for this stretch. You could tell by the moral in the locker room, just by the way we handled this loss. As far as individuals and as a team. I think we are heading in the right direction.”

The Giants will get a chance to bounce back on Sunday night when they play the Eagles (3-6) in a game that conceivably could end Philadelphia’s hopes of repeating as the division winner. The Giants beat Philadelphia earlier this season and another win would give New York a four-game lead in the division with six to play.

Philadelphia also might be without quarterback Michael Vick, who broke two ribs in Sunday’s loss to Arizona.

New York will follow that game with a contest at New Orleans (7-3) and then one at home against the Packers (8-0). A game in Dallas would follow in what has to be one of the toughest stretches for any team in the league.

“We have a group of fighters,” Coughlin said. “We have a team of guys that will fight you and battle you. It’s not always going our way. Yesterday wasn’t. We didn’t play especially well yesterday, but we do fight and we do battle. Despite some errors and so-on and so-forth, our effort is good and we do fight. We do battle. That’s the key thing. As long as we continue to do that I think we can correct a lot of these other things. I know we can play better because many people who played yesterday didn’t play as well as they did the week before. That’s something that we have to get straightened around, no doubt. But there are a lot of positives, yeah, a lot of positives.”

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants aren’t worrying about another meltdown in the second half of the season despite starting it with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Coach Tom Coughlin seemed slightly amused Monday when asked about the team’s recent trend of getting off to good starts and then folding down the stretch. New York failed to win a playoff game after the 2008 season and then missed the post-season the next two years.

Coughlin dismissed any similarity after a 27-20 loss on Sunday that left the Giants (6-3) with a one-game lead over Dallas (5-4) in the NFC East.

Different year. Different team. And Coughlin wasn’t about to apologize for a loss on the road to San Francisco (8-1), which has the second best record in the NFC.

“I can’t imagine why this question keeps coming up,” Coughlin said Monday. “You have to take each year one at a time, You have to take each game one at a time. This is a game against a team that was 7-1. It’s not that we played poorly or not that we da-da-da-da. We didn’t win the game.

“We don’t feel we should ever give up 27 and I am certainly not satisfied with 20 points,” the 65-year-old coach said. “As far as analyzing why and what — we didn’t play well enough to win. Does it have to do with anything in the second half? No!”

Coughlin’s biggest problem with the performance was the two interceptions thrown by Eli Manning and the ability of the offence to generate one touchdown in four trips to the red zone.

Even with those problems. the Giants were in position for their sixth fourth-quarter comeback of the season before their final drive stalled at the San Francisco 10 yard line when they failed to convert on third and fourth down. Manning’s final pass was batted down by Justin Smith.

“We did some positive things but there are no moral victories here,” Giants Pro Bowl guard Chris Snee said. “We felt like we left stuff out there on the field. We left a game out there in San Fran that we thought we should have had. We are well beyond being happy about playing and coming up losing. That is not the mentality that we have around here.”

Safety Kenny Phillips believes this group of players is a different that the past two year.

New York missed the playoffs two years ago after losing eight of its last 11. Despite a 10-6 record last season, the Giants cost themselves a playoff berth giving away a 21-point fourth quarter lead to Philadelphia in December with first place in the NFC East on the line. They also lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers in Green Bay with a playoff berth on the line.

Phillips knows there are people who expect the Giants to stumble again, but he said no one is spending a lot of time thinking about it.

“We’re more mature, knowing the opponents we have coming up,” he said. “I think we are ready for this stretch. You could tell by the moral in the locker room, just by the way we handled this loss. As far as individuals and as a team. I think we are heading in the right direction.”

The Giants will get a chance to bounce back on Sunday night when they play the Eagles (3-6) in a game that conceivably could end Philadelphia’s hopes of repeating as the division winner. The Giants beat Philadelphia earlier this season and another win would give New York a four-game lead in the division with six to play.

Philadelphia also might be without quarterback Michael Vick, who broke two ribs in Sunday’s loss to Arizona.

New York will follow that game with a contest at New Orleans (7-3) and then one at home against the Packers (8-0). A game in Dallas would follow in what has to be one of the toughest stretches for any team in the league.

“We have a group of fighters,” Coughlin said. “We have a team of guys that will fight you and battle you. It’s not always going our way. Yesterday wasn’t. We didn’t play especially well yesterday, but we do fight and we do battle. Despite some errors and so-on and so-forth, our effort is good and we do fight. We do battle. That’s the key thing. As long as we continue to do that I think we can correct a lot of these other things. I know we can play better because many people who played yesterday didn’t play as well as they did the week before. That’s something that we have to get straightened around, no doubt. But there are a lot of positives, yeah, a lot of positives.”

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—The New York Giants aren’t worrying about
another meltdown in the second half of the season despite starting it with a
loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Coach Tom Coughlin seemed slightly amused Monday when asked about the team’s
recent trend of getting off to good starts and then folding down the stretch.
New York failed to win a playoff game after the 2008 season and then missed the
postseason the next two years.

Coughlin dismissed any similarity after a 27-20 loss on Sunday that left the
Giants (6-3) with a one-game lead over Dallas (5-4) in the NFC East.

Different year. Different team. And Coughlin wasn’t about to apologize for a
loss on the road to San Francisco (8-1), which has the second best record in the
NFC.

“I can’t imagine why this question keeps coming up,” Coughlin said Monday.
“You have to take each year one at a time, You have to take each game one at a
time. This is a game against a team that was 7-1. It’s not that we played poorly
or not that we da-da-da-da. We didn’t win the game.

“We don’t feel we should ever give up 27 and I am certainly not satisfied
with 20 points,” the 65-year-old coach said. “As far as analyzing why and what
— we didn’t play well enough to win. Does it have to do with anything in the
second half? No!”

Coughlin’s biggest problem with the performance was the two interceptions
thrown by Eli Manning(notes) and the ability of the offense to generate one touchdown
in four trips to the red zone.

Even with those problems. the Giants were in position for their sixth
fourth-quarter comeback of the season before their final drive stalled at the
San Francisco 10 yard line when they failed to convert on third and fourth down.
Manning’s final pass was batted down by Justin Smith(notes).

“We did some positive things but there are no moral victories here,”
Giants Pro Bowl guard Chris Snee(notes) said. “We felt like we left stuff out there on
the field. We left a game out there in San Fran that we thought we should have
had. We are well beyond being happy about playing and coming up losing. That is
not the mentality that we have around here.”

Safety Kenny Phillips(notes) believes this group of players is a different that the
past two year.

New York missed the playoffs two years ago after losing eight of its last
11. Despite a 10-6 record last season, the Giants cost themselves a playoff
berth giving away a 21-point fourth quarter lead to Philadelphia in December
with first place in the NFC East on the line. They also lost to the eventual
Super Bowl champion Packers in Green Bay with a playoff berth on the line.

Phillips knows there are people who expect the Giants to stumble again, but
he said no one is spending a lot of time thinking about it.

“We’re more mature, knowing the opponents we have coming up,” he said. “I
think we are ready for this stretch. You could tell by the moral in the locker
room, just by the way we handled this loss. As far as individuals and as a team.
I think we are heading in the right direction.”

The Giants will get a chance to bounce back on Sunday night when they play
the Eagles (3-6) in a game that conceivably could end Philadelphia’s hopes of
repeating as the division winner. The Giants beat Philadelphia earlier this
season and another win would give New York a four-game lead in the division with
six to play.

Philadelphia also might be without quarterback Michael Vick(notes), who broke two
ribs in Sunday’s loss to Arizona.

New York will follow that game with a contest at New Orleans (7-3) and then
one at home against the Packers (8-0). A game in Dallas would follow in what has
to be one of the toughest stretches for any team in the league.

“We have a group of fighters,” Coughlin said. “We have a team of guys
that will fight you and battle you. It’s not always going our way. Yesterday
wasn’t. We didn’t play especially well yesterday, but we do fight and we do
battle. Despite some errors and so-on and so-forth, our effort is good and we do
fight. We do battle. That’s the key thing. As long as we continue to do that I
think we can correct a lot of these other things. I know we can play better
because many people who played yesterday didn’t play as well as they did the
week before. That’s something that we have to get straightened around, no doubt.
But there are a lot of positives, yeah, a lot of positives.”

In discussing Justin Smith’s game-clinching play, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said the 49ers’ defensive tackle “decided not to rush” and “guessed right.”

Wrong.

In the aftermath of San Francisco’s 27-20 win over the Giants at Candlestick Park on Sunday, Smith said his bat-down of Eli Manning’s 4th-and-2 pass from the Niners’ 10 with 37 seconds left wasn’t inspired by savvy or studying video.

Instead, Smith was simply too tired to rush Manning for a 40th and final time. Fortunately for San Francisco, the typically indefatigable Smith was able to lift his right hand while the rest of his body barely moved after the snap.

“No. 1, I was tired,” Smith said. “No. 2, the (coaches) were telling us to get our hands up. I just put my hand up there. Luckily, it was where the ball went. It was just blind luck.”

In contrast with Smith’s assessment of his game-sealer, the 49ers’ eighth win in their first nine games wasn’t a result of good fortune against a team that entered with a 6-2 record, a mark built thanks to Manning, who had directed five fourth-quarter comebacks this season.

Mr. Clutch fell short against Mr. Game Manager.

That would be 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 242 yards and tossed a go-ahead, fourth-quarter touchdown to tight end Vernon Davis. Smith followed by connecting with wide receiver Michael Crabtree on the two-point conversion to give San Francisco a 20-13 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Smith’s razor-sharp performance came after Giants defensive end Justin Tuck disparagingly suggested in the days before the game that the 49ers were trying to keep their quarterback “out of position to win the football game.”

Harbaugh said such comments are clearly intended as slights to a QB who has thrown 11 touchdowns and three interceptions while posting a 95.8 rating this season. Smith said he felt no extra satisfaction in delivering in light of Tuck’s pregame comments.

“I just saw the one (comment) where I got called a manager or whatever, and this and that,” Smith said. “I could really care less, honestly. That is the honest truth. It feels good to be 8-1. I managed myself into a victory, and that’s all I care about.”

After establishing a run-heavy offense headlined by running back Frank Gore in the season’s first eight games, the 49ers created a game plan built around Smith. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman figured the Giants’ defensive blueprint would be simple: Stop the run.

Gore, who didn’t play in the second half because of a knee injury he didn’t consider serious, entered with five straight 100-yard games, and New York’s 25th-ranked run defense had allowed four 100-yard rushers this season.

So the Niners opened by passing on 17 of 25 first-half plays and built a 9-6 lead on three field goals from David Akers. Roman said Tuck’s comments might have tipped the Giants’ hand “a little bit.”

“We had kind of went ground-and-pound there for a while and the table was set to throw the ball,” Roman said. “As the defenses continue to load the box more and more … we wanted to come out throwing this game a lot, and the guys did a great job executing it.”

Smith’s counterpart also sparkled.

Manning (26-for-40, 311 yards, two TDs, two interceptions) gave the Giants a 13-12 lead on an exquisitely placed 13-yard pass to Mario Manningham in the right corner of the end zone with 2:25 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Smith answered with his touchdown to Davis and, 59 seconds later, the Niners struck again after Manning’s pass was intercepted by cornerback Carlos Rogers. On the next play, running back Kendall Hunter, subbing for Gore, scored on a 17-yard run to give the 49ers a 27-13 lead.

Justin Smith still didn’t feel comfortable against Manning, who, he said, was channeling his more-established older brother Sunday.

“It felt like you were playing Peyton out there,” Smith said. “He checked every play, waited for our secondary to rotate late and still changed the play. He’s a heck of a quarterback.”

Manning also channeled some of his previous fourth-quarter performances this season, connecting with Hakeem Nicks on another perfectly placed 32-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 27-20 with 8:43 left.

But after completing 6 of 9 passes for 58 yards on the Giants’ final drive – converting two fourth downs in the process – Manning’s final pass was knocked down by an exhausted Pro Bowler who got “lucky.”

“Those guys have a knack for being in the right place at the right time and making a play,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Part of the reason was I’m sure he was so tired he didn’t get anywhere near the quarterback and stuck his hand up.”

This article appeared on page B – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

While New York Giants fans certainly aren’t thrilled with the result, nobody can be too disappointed Sunday evening. This was one great football game.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Giants 27-20. A full game recap and box score can be found here.

The game changed: When the 49ers put 15 points on the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. A completely blown defensive assignment allowed Vernon Davis(notes) to get wide open over the middle of the field in the New York red zone. Davis accepted an Alex Smith pass and then sped down the left sideline before completing the run with a leap into the end zone. A two-point conversion gave the 49ers a 20-13 lead with 13:22 left to play.

The score didn’t stay that way for long. A miscommunication between Eli Manning(notes) and Mario Manningham(notes) resulted in a “Bad Eli” ball thrown into double coverage. Carlos Rogers(notes) made the interception, his second of the game, and the 49ers did what all good teams do in such a situation. They made the Giants pay. Some stellar blocking sprung Kendall Hunter(notes) free on the very next play, and his 17-yard run to glory gave the 49ers a two-score lead with 12:21 left on the clock.

The game was over: When a questionable play call stalled and subsequently killed New York’s most important drive of the game. With Big Blue trailing by a single touchdown, Manning drove the Giants down to the 49ers ten-yard line with under a minute to play. On third and two, the New York QB stepped back into the shotgun before handing the ball off to D.J. Ware(notes), who was stuffed on his run up the middle. Instead of using one of two timeouts, the Giants let the clock run down before casually assembling at the line of scrimmage. Manning’s fourth down pass was batted down at the line, and the 49ers had secured the team’s eighth win of the season.

That third down play is one which just cannot happen in that situation; not with under one minute remaining and with two timeouts in your pocket, and not against this run defense. Several Giants fans I spoke with immediately following the game were unhappy with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride regarding that particular play. You can’t forget that Eli Manning has every right to either change the play or call a timeout in that scenario. Regardless, it was the wrong play at the wrong moment, and it ultimately prevented the Giants from tying the game.

NYG MVPs: The roller coaster ride that is Eli Manning’s 2011 NFL regular season continues. Manning was picked off twice, and he was also guilty of at least three “Bad Eli” balls that probably should have been intercepted. At the same time, Manning made several beautiful throws, including highlight reel touchdown passes to Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks(notes), and he had the Giants knocking on the door of the end zone with under 60 seconds remaining. Manning was hardly perfect at San Francisco, but he once again showed why he can play quarterback for my favorite football team any day of the week.

Corey Webster(notes) was the definition of “shutdown corner” in the red zone, turning Braylon Edwards(notes) into a non-factor in clutch situations. While many focus their attention on the New York pass rush, Webster has quietly turned into one of the NFC’s most reliable corners.

Overall: The San Francisco 49ers are the second best team in the NFC, and they proved that Sunday afternoon. They were more physical than the Giants when it mattered most, and the team’s defense made two big stops with the clock ticking away. There’s no shame in losing to the Niners, and I think a January rematch featuring these two teams could be a game of the year candidate.

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