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Turnovers help sloppy Giants get past 49ers

Oct 19, 2008 - 10:16 PM EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- With a league-low two takeaways entering Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin spoke of the need to force more turnovers.

The Giants responded with three takeaways, converting them into 14 points, and did enough to get past the 49ers, 29-17, despite an overall sloppy performance.

Brandon Jacobs rushed for two touchdowns in the first half for New York (5-1), which rebounded from Monday's 35-14 loss at Cleveland.

"It (lack of turnovers) wasn't starting to wear on us," New York linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. "It just became more of an emphasis."

Still, the Giants kept the 49ers in the game with a litany of mistakes, including 10 penalties and a blocked field goal that Nate Clements returned 74 yards for a score to bring San Francisco (2-5) within 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.

One of the penalties was an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the second quarter against receiver Plaxico Burress, who was upset over an offensive interference penalty whistled against him two plays earlier.

Burress, who has had an icy relationship at times with Coughlin and recently served a one-game suspension for missing a team meeting, got into a brief exchange with his coach on the sideline.

Jacobs, who ran for only 69 yards, scored on TD runs of 26 and 2 yards, helping the Giants grab a 17-10 halftime lead.

"We're going to have to play a lot better next week (at Pittsburgh)," Jacobs said. "We can't settle for field goals and keep teams in the game."

Eli Manning had quiet game for New York, completing only 16-of-31 passes for 161 yards, though he did toss a 6-yard TD strike to Burress that the Giants a 24-10 lead with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

"We're happy to be 5-1," Manning said. "It's all about finding ways to win."

The 49ers came into Sunday's game with an NFL-high 15 giveaways, and obliged with two turnovers deep in their own territory.

"We can't allow four-man rushes to get to the quarterback the way they did," said 49ers coach Mike Nolan, whose club has dropped four in a row. " Still, (quarterback) J.T. (O'Sullivan) has to hold on to the ball."

O'Sullivan, who completed 16-of-28 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown, was responsible for all three interceptions with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

All three turnovers were costly, as two led to scores and one denied the 49ers an opportunity to possibly tied the game before halftime.

"That was an ugly game," Nolan added. "Turnovers cost us field position. Our offensive line didn't protect the quarterback and that's a disappointing thing."

The 49ers closed to 14-10 on O'Sullivan's 30-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan with 11:25 left in the second quarter, but New York safety Michael Johnson picked off O'Sullivan twice in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the half.

The first came at the 49ers' 9-yard line and set up on John Carney's 21-yard field goal that made it 17-10.

"This week, the difference was we played with more intensity," Kiwanuka said.

On their ensuing possession, the 49ers reached the Giants' 19, but Johnson picked off O'Sullivan in the end zone with 22 seconds left in the half to deny San Francisco's threat.

Kiwanuka recovered O'Sullivan's fumbled at his 18-yard line, leading to Manning's TD pass to Burress that gave the Giants a 24-10 cushion with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

New York appeared ready to put away the game late in the third quarter, but linebacker Manny Lawson blocked Carney's 35-yard field goal. Clements scooped up the fumble and raced untouched to the end zone, stunning the crowd at Giants Stadium.

The Giants regrouped, however, as Carney converted a 48-yard field - his longest of the season - on New York's next possession.

New York got its final points on a safety when the ball was intentionally kicked out of the end zone after O'Sullivan was sacked and lost control for one of his four fumbles.