NFL

Aikman: Giants will need to be at their best to beat Niners

The 49ers look like a team destined for the Super Bowl, while the Giants resemble one that will be fighting for a playoff spot.

But that is nothing new for a Giants organization that has become accustomed to inconsistent regular seasons — and still winning Super Bowls. The Giants have won two of the past five Lombardi Trophies despite going 10-6 and 9-7 in 2007 and 2011, respectively.

“It’s a team, a staff that doesn’t panic and there are some positives in that,” FOX analyst and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said. “And they are a good team. Looking at this game, having lost to Dallas and Philadelphia within the division and another tough game within the conference, this game is going to have some playoff ramifications. For a Week 6 game this is fairly important.”

The Giants are 3-2 after rallying past the winless Browns last Sunday, while the 4-1 Niners are rolling after outscoring the Jets and Bills 79-3 the past two weeks. But this uneven Giants run is nothing compared to a four-game losing streak the team endured in the middle of last season. That skid started with a Nov. 13 loss at San Francisco that the Giants later avenged in the NFC Championship Game.

“There’s enough guys in that locker room that have been through some tough times and have rallied to do some great things,” Aikman said. “Certainly last year was one of those years. They are a very resilient bunch, they don’t overreact when things aren’t going well for them. All of that’s really positive, but from my perspective, you think this is a team that at times can be really inconsistent, but, boy ,they always find a way to get it done and that’s because of what they did last year.

“As someone has been on some teams like that you have to be really careful to have that mentality because at some point there’s got to be some urgency. I am not saying now is that time .. but if your approach is when we really have our backs against the wall we will turn it around, well that then becomes difficult.”

One of the downfalls of this Giants’ team has been a lack of a pass rush, which is disconcerting considering the defensive line is the unit that carried the Giants to last year’s Super Bowl. Justin Tuck (0 sacks), Jason Pierre-Paul (1.5) and Osi Umenyiora have not performed as they have in the past, and the team just has eight sacks overall.

“The pass rush has to get better. It just has to,” Aikman said. “That team has been based on their ability to get after the passer and whether it’s fair or unfair is insignificant, those guys jobs is to sack the quarterback. And considering the injuries they’ve had, especially in the secondary, it becomes even more important. That has to be a factor in this game for the Giants if they are going to have a chance to win this game.”