Wasted opportunities could haunt Giants

SAN FRANCISCO

It is tough to fault the bottom line of the Giants' past two Sundays:

They split road games against a pair of A-list opponents -- including a victory at New England with an off-the-charts degree of difficulty -- and held on to first place in the NFC East.

Even better: The Eagles' Dream Team continues to free fall.

But in the NFL, as in life, there is nothing quite as sad as squandered opportunities, which is why there is no way for the Giants or their fans to feel good about what went down at Candlestick Park Sunday.

They lost to the 49ers, 27-20, on a day when they produced three drives that totaled 13 or more plays and used more than six minutes apiece, all of which led to a combined six points.

It ended with the ball at the 49ers' 10-yard line, where after gaining 8 yards on first down, the Giants threw an incomplete pass, ran for no gain and had Eli Manning's final pass batted down at the line.

So instead of a surprising and inspiring 2-0 start to their challenging late-season schedule, a two-game lead over the Cowboys and temporary possession of the No. 2 seed in the NFC, the Giants again have given fans a reason to fear another late-season fade.

Harsh? Not if you have been watching Tom Coughlin's Giants in recent years.

"We had our opportunities,'' Coughlin said, then offered this hodgepodge of an explanation that pretty much covered it: "Too little. Too late. Not enough. Whatever you want to describe it as.''

The net result is a probable battle to the finish with Dallas in the division and an extremely difficult path to a first-round playoff bye.

The revived 49ers (8-1) now are two games better than the Giants, plus the head-to-head tiebreaker, and the only apparent threat to their status is boredom after they wrap up the awful NFC West.

Afterward, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and some of his players did the chips-on-their-shoulders routine about doubters in the media, and several Giants spoke about getting another shot at the 49ers in January. If that occurs, it is likely to be here, not in New Jersey.

But that is a long way away, with many big games to go, including two against the Cowboys.

"We've all learned from the past, you have to take care of your own business,'' guard David Diehl said. "You can't rely on other guys and other teams to take care of your business.''

To do so, the Giants must avoid the sort of mistakes that sunk them Sunday, including Manning's two interceptions, defensive breakdowns, the failure to field an onside kick, a shanked punt and damaging penalties.

One persistent weakness continues to stick out: If the offense is to become truly consistent, the running game must become more reliable, and put less pressure on Manning and his receivers.

On their opening drive, the Giants had a first-and-10 at the 13, then Brandon Jacobs ran for a total of 4 yards on the next two plays. Field goal.

On their second drive, Jacobs gained a yard on a second-and-10 from the 11. Field goal.

On their final drive, D.J. Ware gained nothing on third-and-2 from the 10. One play later, Justin Smith knocked down a Manning pass aimed at Victor Cruz. Game over.

Yes, the 49ers have been excellent against the run this year, and Ahmad Bradshaw is hurt. But this won't cut it.

"We tried to run the ball down there a little bit but didn't get anything, so you're stuck with third-and-8,'' Manning said.

The Giants will have many more opportunities to win their division and perhaps make a mark in January. But come January, they could well look back at their mid-November visit here and a tantalizing opportunity that was batted away.