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SAN FRANCISCO — Here we are again, the Giants on the road for a game they cannot win. Or probably cannot win. Or might not win. Or won’t lose.
It goes round and round with these Giants, who under coach Tom Coughlin have often been at their best in such potentially
daunting situations. At New England last season. At Pittsburgh in 2008. At everywhere in the 2007 playoffs. Most of the truly memorable moments in fashioning two Super Bowl triumphs have come in hostile territory, including last January’s epic 20-17 overtime victory at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship.
This is not that, as today’s rematch won’t determine anything that significant, but it will tell the Giants if they are again a bona fide NFC power, or else, for now, a cut below the elite.
“We’re gonna know where our team’s at after this game,’’ Jason Pierre-Paul said. “They’re one of the great teams. … They’re hot in the NFC, right?’’
Right. White-hot. The 49ers, improving on last year’s emerging dynamo, are 4-1 and most recently beat the Jets and Bills by a combined 79-3. The Giants are bracing for a slugfest, but you never know, as Niners coach Jim Harbaugh had Alex Smith come out throwing in last year’s regular-season encounter.
“I think you know what to expect,’’ said Eli Manning, who is expected to add receiver Hakeem Nicks to the passing arsenal. “You know their talent level, and you know that you’ve got to play smart football. You can’t turn the ball over. You can’t make it easy for their offense, and you’ve got to play smart and know what it’s going to take to block them up. We know that we have to play great football if we want to win.’’
Right guard Chris Snee said he is bracing for impact.
“I’m going to be very sore,’’ he predicted. “It’s going to be one of those things where the next couple of days will be tough to move around. I’ll be moving slowly. But we’ll do what we have to do.’’
A look inside the game:
BEST BATTLE
49ers CB Carlos Rogers vs. Giants WR Victor Cruz. It’s personal with Cruz, who didn’t appreciate Rogers mimicking his salsa dance celebration. Cruz destroyed Rogers in the NFC title game. Rogers likely will need help with Cruz, who will get knocked around by the athletic Niners linebackers but is looking forward to the rematch.
“Obviously with Carlos, with the history of it, it’s always an added bonus,’’ Cruz said. “[I’m] just happy to go out there and see him again.’’
FOE FACT
One-time draft bust Alex Smith has evolved into far more than a game manager. He is the NFL’s top-rated quarterback and simply doesn’t make mistakes (one interception in 137 attempts). He completes 68.6 percent of his passes, has more options (hello, Mario Manningham), and the Giants must be wary of his scrambles, as he has gained 107 rushing yards. With Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, this still is primarily a running offense, but not exclusively.
WHAT’S UP FRONT THAT COUNTS
It is easy to dismiss coach Jim Harbaugh’s ramblings that the Giants were trying to influence the officials when offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, in the process of heaping praise on All-Pro defensive tackle Justin Smith, said, “Smith is a beast on the inside. He’s strong. He does as good a job of grabbing a hold of offensive linemen and allowing those twists to take place. He never gets called for it, so he gets away with murder.’’
Harbaugh overreacted by saying, “It’s obvious that the Giants coaching staff’s sole purpose is to use their high visibility to both criticize and influence officiating.” The truth is the Giants have great respect for Smith, who saved the day for the Niners in last year’s regular-season game by batting down a last-second Eli Manning pass, and batting away a Giants comeback bid.
BALANCING ACT
When Manning was reminded he was sacked six times and hit 12 times in the NFC title game, he quickly countered.
“We also had 64 drop backs last year,” he said. “You throw the ball that many times, you’re going to take hits.’’
Bingo. If the Giants can’t get RB Ahmad Bradshaw on track they won’t win. It’s no picnic running on the Niners, but it’s not impossible. In the 49ers’ only loss, the Vikings piled up 146 rushing yards, running it 41 times and throwing it 35 times.
Bradshaw is coming off a career-high 200-yard eruption against the lowly Browns and says “expect the unexpected’’ today. Cracking the 100-yard barrier would be unexpected.
GETTING VERNON DOWN
Tight end Vernon Davis last season caught three touchdown passes against the Giants on scoring plays of 31, 73 and 28 yards. He already has four TDs this season, and the Giants rarely have had success preventing Davis making big plays over the top. Enter, Jacquian Williams. He’s one of the fastest linebackers around, and he figures prominently in the game plan. The Giants have significant speed at the position with Michael Boley and Keith Rivers, but it’s Williams who, presumably, can run with Davis.
“We feel good about that matchup,’’ defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. “We like the speed that we have at linebacker.’’
BUM RUSH
Another week, another search-party deployed to find any vestiges of the once-mighty Giants pass rush. It has reached the point where dark humor has replaced swagger with Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. Tuck doesn’t have any sacks. Asked if sacks can be overrated, he said, “Depends on who you ask. For the guy not getting them yes, they are overrated. For the guy that is, no.’’
The Giants have just eight sacks in five games — 3 1⁄2 by their marquee defensive ends. They had 18 sacks after five games last season. Perhaps a special visit this week from Michael Strahan will help turn the lights on the dim rush.
PAUL’S PICK
Two meetings last season were great theater, but the perception is the 49ers have gotten appreciably better and the Giants have not. We’ll see. Key is if the Giants have a big defensive effort in them. Tom Coughlin’s club usually relishes these situations, and they do have Eli Manning.
GIANTS 23, 49ERS 20
paul.schwartz@nypost.com