No moral victories or excuses for NY Giants, who fall to 49ers in 30-12 loss

SANTA CLARA, Calif. − There are no moral victories. The scoreboard will certainly remind the Giants of that.

And there will be anger and frustration for all the things that went wrong for Big Blue.

But when you take a global view of this performance, and where this team was at halftime four days ago in Arizona, Thursday's 30-12 loss to the 49ers isn't the death knell that many predicted for this season this week.

Sure, there is still plenty to fix. The deficiencies are there on both sides of the ball.

From a competition level, against one of the league's most talented teams and one of two teams pegged to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl come February, the Giants fought. Some of it was ugly.

Yet without four starters, including Saquon Barkley and Andrew Thomas, the Giants slugged it out for three-plus quarters and were a couple of unlucky breaks away from this one being closer.

Again, no moral victories. The 49ers were difficult to stop when Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel got going. There were missed tackles aplenty, although some of that might be chalked up to a short week without any contact practices - Big Blue held two walkthroughs at Arizona State on Monday and Tuesday, opting to stay on the West Coast with two games against Arizona and San Francisco.

That sets up an enormous game against another playoff team form last season on Monday when the Giants play host to the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium on "Monday Night Football."

Here's what you may have missed during the game:

Matt Breida touchdown brings Giants within 17-12

Hanging around. Hanging around.

The Giants took over possession for their second drive of the third quarter and kept attacking after fair catch interference on San Francisco put the ball at the plus-37. Daniel Jones hit Parris Campbell for seven yards before taking a deep shot to Darren Waller, who drew defensive pass interference.

That resulted in a first-and-goal from the 8 and Matt Breida did the rest, sprinting into the end zone behind a great block from rookie center John Michael Schmitz for the touchdown. The Giants opted to go for two, but Jones was overrun by the San Francisco front and the try failed. They trail 17-12.

Halftime score: 49ers 17, Giants 6

The Giants have allowed the fewest points in any first half so far this season. They've also scored more points in the first half than in any game this season.

That's not much consolation on the scoreboard, however. The 49ers are too good in the right spots to make you pay, and they lead 17-6 at halftime. Graham Gano has a pair of field goals, including a 57-yarder late in the second quarter, with 13 seconds remaining in the half.

49ers star Christian McCaffrey ran for a touchdown to extend his streak to 12 consecutive games with a score, including the playoffs.

The Giants have given up three first downs on plays of third-and-long, and that just can't happen against a team of San Francisco's caliber. Kayvon Thibodeaux picked up a first-quarter sack, the first for the Giants this season, but they have been a bit unlucky in the quest for their first turnover.

Adoree' Jackson nearly had one in the first quarter, and so did Tae Banks, deflecting a pass away from Jauan Jennings in the end zone. Then late in the second quarter, Jackson made a great play on a Brock Purdy pass and deflected it up in the air, only to have the 49ers' Ronnie Bell come down with it not just for a catch, but a first down.

Later that series, Leonard Williams was whistled for a questionable roughing the passer penalty, and one play later, McCaffrey scooted into the end zone.

PREGAME OBSERVATIONS

Wan'Dale Robinson makes his debut

The last time we saw Wan'Dale Robinson on the field for the Giants, he had his best game as a pro.

Then Robinson had his worst moment in the same game.

Robinson was everywhere, hauling in nine catches on 13 targets for 100 yards before he injured his knee tumbling to the sideline in the Giants' 31-18 loss to the Lions at MetLife Stadium. It has been an arduous rehab process from a torn ACL that has tested him physically and emotionally, and Robinson shared that journey with me on my "All In with Art Stapleton" podcast earlier this month.

How much of a role can Robinson have against the 49ers? I wouldn't expect a ton of targets, but if the 49ers are vulnerable to the quick passing game, it's possible Robinson can get a few chances there. His presence could also allow for Parris Campbell to play in the backfield some as a complement to Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell in the running game.

Robinson was listed as questionable, but he is active and ready to go.

Shane Lemieux will start at left guard

Shane Lemieux is going to start at left guard for the Giants, an individual with knowledge of the situation told NorthJersey.com. With Ben Bredeson out with a concussion, veteran Mark Glowinski replaced him during Sunday's game. Lemieux was active, but did not play.

Now Lemieux is getting the nod against one of the best defensive fronts in football, while Glowinski, who had a very rough Week 1 at Dallas. He'll be on the bench for the second game in five days.

Inactives: 49ers won't have Brandon Aiyuk

While the Giants will be without four starters - Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas, Azeez Ojulari and Ben Bredeson - the 49ers will be down one of their weapons. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a shoulder injury against the Rams on Sunday and was listed as questionable, but he's officially a no-go.

Giants inactives: Barkley, Thomas, Ojulari, Bredeson, Cor'Dale Flott, Jordan Riley, Gervarrius Owens

Giants need more Jalin Hyatt

Jalin Hyatt knows who he is as a football player, and what he showed in his NFL debut, dropping his only target from Daniel Jones, is not representative of his swagger, his confidence nor his skill set.

So after the Giants fell behind 20-0 against the Cardinals, when the coaches drew up a play to open the second half that would use Hyatt's speed on a post route and Darren Waller's presence on a deep over, Hyatt went to Jones before the third quarter began and offered up a promise with a tinge of football arrogance.

Hyatt's plea was not exactly a repeat of Keyshawn Johnson's famous "Throw me the damn ball" demand, but the ex-Tennessee star was hardly bashful, either. It's part of his game - and a respected part, according to his quarterback, as the Giants prepare for "Thursday Night Football" and a daunting challenge of facing NFL heavyweight San Francisco at Levi's Stadium without four starters, including Saquon Barkley and left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring).

Against the Cardinals, the connection from Jones to Hyatt on the first play of the second half went for 58 yards. Then, after Jones hit Waller for four yards, he took a carry off left end for 14 yards and a touchdown. The Giants' scoring drought was broken after 91 minutes, 17 seconds.

Hyatt would up with a second catch that went for 31 yards on the Giants' drive that ended in Jones' TD pass to Isaiah Hodgins that ultimately tied the score, setting the stage for Graham Gano's game-winning field goal in the 31-28 triumph.

"You want guys like that. You want receivers that want the ball," Jones said of Hyatt, who turns 22 on Monday. "He’s had that same kind of confidence and desire to make the play, we’ve seen that since he got here, really. So got a lot of trust and confidence in him."

Hyatt put the disappointment of Week 1 behind him by changing up his approach.

"My whole week of preparation was different. I actually was watching film 24/7 - seeing who we’re playing," Hyatt said. "Not only that, DJ always standing in my corner saying, 'We’re going to get the ball to you, we’re going to get the ball to you,' and that’s what he did."

Hyatt's presence, in combination with Waller, should give the 49ers something to think about. If the Giants are creative enough, they should be able to put defenses in a bind; that is, if the reconfigured offensive line - left tackle Joshua Ezeudu, left guard Mark Glowinski, center John Michael Schmitz, right guard Marcus McKethan and right tackle Evan Neal - can hold up against Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrove and the rest of the 49ers.

"Obviously we’re just two games into it, and he’s made some big plays," Jones said of Hyatt. "So we’ll see how defenses adjust. But we’ve got to continue to make those plays and take advantage of the opportunities."

Time for the defense to step up

I'll be watching the deployment of defensive personnel closely Thursday night.

I know the Giants came into the season making a concerted effort to not run up the snap counts on Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. That's fine. But on all three Arizona touchdowns - from the 4-yard line, from the 23 and from the 3 - Lawrence and Williams were on the sideline.

On James Connor's touchdown run, Jihad Ward, D.J. Davidson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches were up front.

On the Josh Dobbs touchdown run, the Giants went with the same configuration.

On Hollywood Brown's touchdown catch, Oshane Ximines joined Nunez-Roches, Davidson and Ward, who lined up on the edge. I don't understand the thinking. Sometimes you get caught, but all three touchdowns, there was a miscalculation somewhere on personnel deployment.

The Giants need their best players to play big against the 49ers to have a chance. Last time I checked, Lawrence is that level of player; when he's not on the field, opponents exhale.

It's time for this defense to step up.

Keep checking back throughout the day for more updates.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers postgame updates and analysis