Studs and duds from Giants’ Week 3 loss vs. 49ers

The New York Giants fell to the San Francisco 49ers, 30-12, on Thursday night, dropping their record to 1-2 on the season. It was another ugly showing and the injury bug bit hard, so things look murky for the team moving forward.

There was a lot more bad than good on the night, so the next 10-plus days will be a bit rough for the Giants and their fans. National media is not going to take it easy.

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Here’s a look at some studs and duds (and studly duds) from the game.

STUD: P Jamie Gillan

The fact that a punter leads us off tells you how bad the Giants were on an individual level in Week 3. But to Gillan’s credit, he was booming them against the 49ers. He averaged 52.7 yards per punt, downed one inside the 20, displayed impressive directional skill, and seems to have improved his hang time.

DUD: OL Shane Lemieux

It was a rough outing for Shane Lemieux, who started the game at left guard in place of the injured Ben Bredeson (concussion) and veteran Mark Glowinski. He was routinely beaten and gave up at least one sack, but the official numbers may look worse.

STUD: LB Micah McFadden

Micah McFadden may have missed a couple of tackles, which was the theme of the night on defense, but he played well outside of that. He needs work in coverage but ultimately led the team with 10 tackles (nine) solo and four impressive tackles for a loss.

DUD: TE Darren Waller

Tight end Darren Waller was supposed to completely transform this offensive unit but that has not been the case thus far. On Thursday night, Waller was targeted seven times but managed to haul in just three receptions. He had two drops, including one that resulted in an interception.

STUD: WR Parris Campbell

Wide receiver Parris Campbell hauled in all six of his receptions against the 49ers. Unfortunately, they went for just 24 yards. Still, there were no drops for the first time this season, so that’s an improvement.

DUD: OC Mike Kafka

Going into the game, you know you’re short-handed and going up against a very talented 49ers defense. That’s where Mike Kafka (and Brian Daboll) are supposed to excel but coaching did not help them on this night. The Giants were out-coached across the board and Kafka’s offense was put into a tiny box and not allowed to leave.

STUDLY DUD: S Xavier McKinney

Xavier McKinney continued his up-and-down season with another rollercoaster performance. He was all over the field early, making tackles no one else could seem to make, but then wore down later in the game. He began making some mistakes, missing tackles and struggling against stronger players.