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SANTA CLARA — The 49ers let another close game slip away, something that has been commonplace for the team over the past two seasons.
The 49ers squandered a 10-point lead in the second half, as Eli Manning found Sterling Shepard on a 3-yard touchdown pass in the closing minute to enable the New York Giants to pull out a 27-23 victory at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers (2-8) have lost four games by four points of fewer this season. Last year, the 49ers lost five consecutive games by three points or less during a stretch early in the season.
Here are the grades from another game in which the 49ers couldn’t find the winning formula in the fourth quarter:
Rushing offense
Matt Breida continues to thrive as the 49ers’ primary running back. He looked explosive Monday, as he was able to take advantage of the long rest to get as healthy as he has been in a while.
Breida had 101 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Backup Alfred Morris managed just 19 yards on nine attempts, however.
Grade: B
Passing offense
Quarterback Nick Mullens didn’t play too poorly, but it definitely was a major step down from his debut last week against the Raiders. Mullens wasn’t sacked, but he threw two interceptions. The first one set up the Giants’ first touchdown of the game. The second came on a deflection off Marquise Goodwin’s hands.
Mullens threw for 250 yards, including an 11-yard TD pass to Breida.
Grade: C
Run defense
The unit did a good job against exciting Giants rookie Saquon Barkley, who averaged just 3.4 yards with 67 yards on his 20 carries. New York’s biggest run play came on Shepard’s 27-yard run on a reverse.
The 49ers got a good game from Richard Sherman in run support, as the veteran cornerback made two tackles for losses.
Grade: B-plus
Pass defense
Eli Manning threw three TD passes without an interception. Odell Beckham caught two scoring passes, and Shepard accounted for the winning points with the 3-yard scoring reception in the final minute against 49ers reserve safety D.J. Reed.
Ahkello Witherspoon was in coverage on Beckham’s second TD, a play on which the cornerback expected over-the-top help from safety Antone Exum. Witherspoon also was called for pass interference on the Giants’ game-winning drive.
Earlier on that same drive, linebacker Malcolm Smith was flagged for defensive holding and an automatic first down on a third-and-12 play. All those mistakes weren’t good, and they were costly.
Grade: D
Special teams
After the 49ers took a 10-point lead early in the third quarter, the coverage team surrendered a 51-yard kickoff return to Corey Coleman. That was a momentum shift. Four plays later, the Giants got into the end zone. Tarvarius Moore’s 15-yard penalty for an early hit on punt returner Quadree Henderson led directly to a Giants field goal.
Robbie Gould made three field goals for the 49ers, including a season-long 53-yarder.
Grade: C-minus
Overall
If the game is close, the 49ers will find a way to lose it. Whether it was offense, defense or special teams, they had enough slip-ups throughout the game to prevent them from pulling away to close out the win.
“We let them get back in it fast,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Kept them around. Kept them around too long, and then we didn’t make the plays at the end and we had every opportunity to, and just as a team, players, coaching staff, we didn’t get it done.”
Grade: D-plus
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