EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A look at San Francisco 49ers players who were “up” and those who were “down” in Sunday night’s 30-27 loss to the New York Giants:
UP
Colin Kaepernick: The dual-threat quarterback started slowly, working on getting his confidence up with short- to medium-range passes on quick reads, even stepping up against the occasional blitz. Then he started taking deep shots, and the throws paid off. He engineered a go-ahead, seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Carlos Hyde 2-yard TD plunge with 1:49 to play -- too much time to play, it turned out.
Carlos Hyde: The battering ram running back had the run of the night, turning a 15-yard loss into a 50-yard gain that jump-started a second-half touchdown drive. “I’ve got to make defenders scared, man,” Hyde said. Rushing for a game-high 93 yards on 21 carries will do that.
Tramaine Brock: His end-zone interception of Eli Manning with five seconds to play in the first half kept the 49ers from falling behind by two scores, deflated the Giants and breathed new life into the Niners. Brock also nearly made a game-clinching pick, but the interception was reversed by the replay official. “I didn’t think there was enough evidence to overturn it,” Brock said.
DOWN
Reggie Bush: How can you miss something you never really had? Bush has dealt with injuries throughout his career, no doubt, but after being one of the Niners’ top free-agent acquisitions this offseason, he is hurt again. After one carry, for minus-1 yard, he aggravated his strained left calf, which he initially hurt on his second carry in the season opener. Bush has five touches for 13 yards as a 49er.
Kenneth Acker: Maybe it's not fair, considering the beastly receivers he’s been facing, but the cornerback did have a costly pass interference penalty while defending Odell Beckham Jr. that set the Giants up at the Niners’ 12-yard line with 30 seconds to play. One snap later, Eli Manning hit Larry Donnell for the game-winning score.
Aaron Lynch: I know, tough call here. But with Ahmad Brooks unavailable, all eyes were on Lynch after last week’s two-sack affair. But Lynch had only one tackle, though it was for a loss, and he did have five quarterback hits.