49ers-Giants final score: Defense is key in ugly San Francisco win

The San Francisco 49ers somehow escaped New Jersey with a hideous, but much needed win over the New York Giants. The 49ers won by a final score of 16-10, behind a dominant performance by the 49ers defense, and some hideous decision-making by Eli Manning.

The big story for the national papers will be Eli Manning's five interceptions. He made some fairly awful decisions, and the 49ers defense was opportunistic. However, the 49ers got some of those picks thanks to a much improved pass rush. The return of Aldon Smith started slow, as Smith got little work early on. However, he essentially replaced Ahmad Brooks in the starting lineup as the game wore on, and he and Aaron Lynch were on fire. A big game ball goes to Chris Borland, who had two interceptions, and led the team with 13 tackles. He is an absolute machine.

The 49ers offense struggled to get anything going at times. They seemed to have a more balanced approach, but the execution was just off once again. They got a big day from Phil Dawson though, and it was enough. That being said, forcing five interceptions and only winning 16-10 is not going to cut it down the road. Frank Gore put together a strong day, rushing for 98 yards on 19 carries, but the passing game struggled to do much. The 49ers could not get enough conversions, and it once again came down to the wire.

The 49ers head back home in Week 12 to face a 3-7 Washington squad. Washington dropped a 27-7 home game to the awful Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so we'll see how they look next weekend as they are approaching playing out the string. The 49ers are back home for two games, including Thanksgiving against the Seahawks, and then a trip over to Oakland. This means they get to stay home until traveling up to Seattle Saturday December 13 before their December 14 game at CenturyLink Field against the Seahawks.