EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –- Facing the biggest crisis of his NFL career, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had the nation’s football eyes focused on him Sunday night.
Kaepernick could not match Eli Manning’s numbers, but he did enough for a 49ers’ offense that produced their most points of the season in a 30-27 at Metlife Stadium in front of a national television audience.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Kaepernick completed 23 of 35 passes for 262 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. And it appeared as if he engineered a winning drive in the minutes as Carlos Hyde scored on a 2-yard run to give the 49ers a 27-23 lead with 1:45 remaining.
But the 49ers left too much time for Manning. He posted the 34th 300-yard passing game of his regular-season career. He completed 41 of 54 passes for 441 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Manning rallied the Giants to the victory with his 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Larry Donnell, who made the leaping grab over the tight coverage of NaVorro Bowman for the winning points with :21 remaining in the game.
A good chunk of Manning’s production came when he teamed up with Odell Beckham, who caught seven passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with a hamstring strain after catching a 17-yard scoring pass late in the third quarter.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Beckham returned late and drew a pass interference call on cornerback Kenneth Acker to help set up the winning score.
After struggling offensively for the past two weeks and being held out of the end zone in the first half Sunday night, the 49ers finally found their way into the end zone with 8:00 remaining in the third quarter on Kaepernick’s three-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin. The two hooked up on a 37-yard pass play as part of the 88-yard scoring drive. Boldin finished with eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
With Reggie Bush out with an aggravation of the calf strain that forced him to miss all or parts of three games, Jarryd Hayne picked up a key first down on an eight-yard run on a third-and-one play to the Giants’ 4-yard line to set up the 49ers' first touchdown.
The 49ers tied the game at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter on Kaepernick’s five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Garrett Celek. It was the 49ers’ first touchdown reception from a tight end since Vernon Davis had two touchdown catches in the first quarter of the 49ers’ season-opener last season at the Dallas Cowboys. Davis was inactive for Sunday’s game with a left knee bruise.
Clearly, offensive coordinator Geep Chryst wanted to get Kaepernick going early. On the team’s second play of the game, Kaepernick threw to Bruce Ellington on a wide receiver screen to the left side. Ellington turned it up field and gained 30 yards.
If it tried once, why not try it again? The next play, the 49ers ran the identical play to the other side. This time, Ellington made the catch for a 9-yard gain.
Overall, it was another largely ineffective first half for the 49ers’ offense. The 49ers settled for Dawson field goals of 43 and 22 yards and trailed 13-6 at halftime.
Kaepernick was coming off his worst back-to-back performances of his NFL career in losses to the Arizona and Green Bay. He entered the game ranked 32nd of 34 NFL quarterbacks with a passer rating of 67.7 with two touchdowns and five interceptions on the season.
Kaepernick completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 118 yards for a respectable passer rating of 89.8. He also gained a team-high 23 yards rushing on three carries while running back Carlos Hyde and the run game continued to struggle.
After 30 minutes of action, Hyde gained just 12 yards on eight rushing attempts. His best run was seven yards. His worst run resulted in a seven-yard loss.
Brock buckles down: The 49ers opened the game with a Dawson field goal on their first drive, and they ended the half with another Dawson field goal. And after Dawson’s 22-yard field goal with one minute remaining in the half, the defense stepped up its first stop of the game.
The Giants drove the ball down the field and decided to take a shot at the end zone from the San Francisco 14-yard line with :11 remaining in the half. But cornerback Tramaine Brock, matched in single coverage against Odell Beckham, recorded the interception of Giants quarterback Eli Manning in the end zone. It was Brock’s second interception of the season. A year ago, the 49ers intercepted Manning five times in a 16-10 victory.
Eight O-linemen: The 49ers -– and just about every NFL team -– typically keep seven offensive linemen active for games. However, the team went with eight lineup in uniform for the first time in recent memory.
Rookie guard Ian Silberman was the only 49ers’ offensive lineman not active for the game. Starters Joe Staley, Alex Boone, Marcus Martin, Jordan Devey and Erik Pears were active, along with backups Andrew Tiller, Brandon Thomas and Trent Brown.
Tiller entered the game at right tackle for the 49ers’ third series of the game. Tiller was promoted Saturday from the practice squad. Thomas, a third-round draft pick in 2014, suited up for the first game of his NFL career. Thomas sat out his entire rookie season after sustaining a torn ACL during a pre-draft workout with the New Orleans Saints.
Devey returned to open the second half. And Tiller replaced him later in the second half.
This ‘n’ that: Hyde had his best game since the season opener, as he gained 93 yards and a touchdown on 21 rushing attempts. . . Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin made an interesting decision in the third quarter. In a 13-13 game, the 49ers picked up 8 yards on a third-and-10 play to the SF 42. But Coughlin accepted a holding penalty, giving the 49ers another third-down shot. The Giants held Quinton Patton to just 4 yards on a fly sweep on third and 20 to force the punt. The move worked out, as the Giants benefitted from better field position. The Giants took over at their own 39 and scored on Manning’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Beckham against 49ers cornerback Kenneth Acker. . . It was not third and 11, but the 49ers’ first drive Sunday night ended in a similar fashion as a week ago with an odd play call. The 49ers had already drive 56 yards and had a third-and-3 situation at the Giants’ 24-yard line. Reggie Bush got the handoff over the right side and was thrown for a 1-yard loss. The 49ers settled for a field goal for the first points of the game. Last week against the Packers, Bush got the call on a third-and-11 situation to open the third quarter and was stopped for no gain. . . The 49ers had a mixup in the secondary that enabled Odell Beckham to catch a 49-yard pass and lead to the Giants’ first points of the game. Brock let Beckham go off the line of scrimmage. Safety Eric Reid took a poor angle, allowing Beckham to get behind him for the big gain. . . . . Giants linebacker Jon Beason left the game in the first series with a concussion, which he sustained on a tackle of Hyde. Beason did not return to the game. . . . In the third quarter, as Antoine Bethea was jumping a route to break up a Manning pass, a fan ran onto the field wearing a 49ers, No. 59, Aaron Lynch jersey. A team of security and officers took down the fan and carried him off the field.