| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Tot | |
| NYG | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| SF | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
More self-inflicted wounds by the San Francisco 49ers ultimately led to yet another fourth-quarter collapse to the previously one-win New York Giants on Monday Night Football, as the Niners fell 27-23 and drop to 2-8 on the season.
San Francisco 49ers second-year quarterback Nick Mullens made his first major mistake of his pro career, tossing his first interception in the first quarter that led to seven points for the visiting New York Giants in Week 10 on Monday Night Football. And it wasn't the first of the night either, although Mullens' second pick of the game came off the hands of wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and into the hands of Giants defensive back B.J. Goodson.
Off the first turnover and trailing 3-0, that early Giants touchdown from veteran quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. gave New York an early 7-3 lead. And Beckham would haul in another in the third quarter to cut into what became a 20-17 49ers lead.
The Niners reached that lead thanks to two touchdowns by running back Matt Breida, a 3-yard rush in the second quarter and an 11-yard reception on San Francisco's first possession of the third quarter. And that pass by Mullens for Breida was an impressive one, for sure:
Touchdown #49ers. Nick Mullens hits RB Matt Breida for the 11-yard score. #NYGvsSF pic.twitter.com/k5fjkbmaCp
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) November 13, 2018
Breida was a major reason behind the 49ers' early offensive success, as was tight end George Kittle, who had 83 yards on nine catches.
The 49ers looked fairly dominant until halfway through the third quarter, when Manning operated the same pass play on two consecutive snaps, the second resulting in a 20-yard touchdown to Beckham over the head of cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who was banking on safety Jimmie Ward providing help over the top.
Following another Giants field goal late in the third, Mullens and the 49ers looked to retake the lead and hold onto it, thereby avoiding yet another fourth-quarter collapse from head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad. Yet the Niners defense held, giving San Francisco another chance to retake the lead in the quarter. But the offensive drive stalled with just under 11 minutes remaining, resulting in a punt. And Manning nearly hit Beckham again for a huge gain, only to underthrow the pass and give Witherspoon and Ward barely enough time to recover and record the pass breakup.
San Francisco defenders DeForest Buckner and Dekoda Watson sacked Manning the following play -- the first the Niners recorded against a Giants team having allowed a league-high 31 quarterback takedowns entering the game:
Buckner is a problem pic.twitter.com/0u4RQjaYYY
— Ty Wurth (@WurthDraft) November 13, 2018
Thanks to a key third-down pickup by wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, the 49ers managed to get their offense back in the red zone with just above three minutes remaining. Yet the drive stalled short, as Bourne was targeted four yards short of the first-down marker. The Niners were forced to settle for a 30-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould to go up 23-20 with 2:46 remaining in regulation.
So that left Manning and Co. to stage one of those fourth-quarter comebacks he used to be known for years ago. And it looked promising for New York too, especially after a 31-yard pickup by a wide-open tight end, Evan Engram. And a holding call on 49ers linebacker Malcolm Smith on 3rd-and-12 didn't help matters at all either. Nor did Witherspoon's 16-yard pass-interference call.
Notice a trend among bad teams in the fourth quarter?
That led to another fourth-quarter blown lead, as Manning connected with wide receiver Sterling Shepard from three yards out to take a 27-23 lead with 53 seconds left:
The Giants grab the lead late in the game!
(Via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/amVKDxX7f6
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 13, 2018
Mullens and the 49ers offense led a desperate scramble to retake the lead, coming down to a one-second play from the Giants' 21-yard line.
It sailed high out of the end zone, marking the fourth time this season the Niners lost a fourth-quarter lead.
San Francisco now falls to 2-8 on the year after committing so many late mistakes, which has become something of a trend for Shanahan and Co. this season.
| NYG | Team Stats | SF |
| 17 | First Downs | 24 |
| 277 | Total Yards | 374 |
| 180 | Pass Yards | 250 |
| 97 | Rush Yards | 124 |
| 8 (78) | Penalties (Yds) | 10 (97) |
| 0 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 5 (43) | Punts (Avg) | 3 (42) |
| 25:46 | Time of Pos. | 34:14 |
| Giants Player Stats | ||||
| Passing | Cmp/Att | Yds | TDs | INTs |
| E. Manning | 19/31 | 188 | 3 | 0 |
| Rushing | Att | Yds | TDs | Lg |
| S. Barkley | 20 | 67 | 0 | 18 |
| S. Shepard | 1 | 27 | 0 | 27 |
| W. Gallman | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Receiving | Rec | Yds | TDs | Lg |
| O. Beckham | 4 | 73 | 2 | 30 |
| E. Engram | 4 | 46 | 0 | 31 |
| S. Barkley | 4 | 33 | 0 | 23 |
| E. Penny | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| S. Shepard | 2 | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| C. Coleman | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| R. Ellison | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| S. Pulley | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Kicking | FG | Lg | XP | Pts |
| A. Rosas | 2/2 | 31 | 3/3 | 9 |
| Punting | No | Avg | I20 | Lg |
| R. Dixon | 5 | 47.6 | 3 | 59 |
| Kickoff Returns | No | Avg | TDs | Lg |
| C. Coleman | 3 | 30 | 0 | 51 |
| S. Simonson | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Punt Returns | No | Avg | TDs | Lg |
| Q. Henderson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Defense | T-A | Sck | INTs | FF |
| L. Collins | 7-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Carter | 6-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Ogletree | 4-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Riley | 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Goodson | 4-2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| J. Mauro | 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Jenkins | 5-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Webb | 5-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Hill | 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Tomlinson | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Thomas | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Haley | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| O. Vernon | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Edwards | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Chandler | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Martin | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49ers Player Stats | ||||
| Passing | Cmp/Att | Yds | TDs | INTs |
| N. Mullens | 27/39 | 250 | 1 | 2 |
| Rushing | Att | Yds | TDs | Lg |
| M. Breida | 17 | 101 | 1 | 23 |
| A. Morris | 9 | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| K. Juszczyk | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| N. Mullens | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Receiving | Rec | Yds | TDs | Lg |
| G. Kittle | 9 | 83 | 0 | 22 |
| M. Goodwin | 4 | 69 | 0 | 26 |
| K. Bourne | 4 | 33 | 0 | 13 |
| D. Pettis | 4 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| M. Breida | 3 | 31 | 1 | 19 |
| K. Juszczyk | 2 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| T. Taylor | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Kicking | FG | Lg | XP | Pts |
| R. Gould | 3/3 | 53 | 2/2 | 11 |
| Punting | No | Avg | I20 | Lg |
| B. Pinion | 3 | 44.3 | 1 | 47 |
| Punt Returns | No | Avg | TDs | Lg |
| R. James | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| D. Pettis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Defense | T-A | Sck | INTs | FF |
| M. Smith | 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Williams | 5-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Ward | 4-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F. Warner | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Buckner | 0-4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Exum | 3-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Sherman | 3-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Nzeocha | 3-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Witherspoon | 2-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Armstead | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Blair | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Watson | 1-1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| E. Mitchell | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Marsh | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
