The whole gang has never been together, not all at once, for any game this season.
That could change Sunday, and it may need to change Sunday. The Giants for the first time could have all of their passing targets on the field, giving quarterback Eli Manning options galore against a 49ers defense that it makes sense to throw against rather than run against.
Hakeem Nicks is making all the necessary strides to leave his hamstring injury behind. Without him, the Giants got plenty of production in their 24-20 victory over the Patriots, with Victor Cruz smoothly transitioning into the starting lineup, Mario Mannigham hauling in a touchdown pass, tight end Jake Ballard making a highlight-film catch at a key moment, and Ramses Barden making a contribution in his first game this season.
It is highly likely Manning needs to put it in the air more often than the norm this weekend, and if that’s the case, all hands will be on deck.
“I think we’ll be pretty tough,’’ Cruz said. “Individually we all bring great things to the table but as a group, myself, Jake Ballard stepping up huge this year, the entire receiving corps, the entire offense as a whole, if we get everybody going full speed ahead we could be a pretty dangerous team.’’
Dangerous could be the approach needed when planning on staying with a balanced offensive attack for this game. Running on the 49ers might be an exercise in futility. They give up an NFL-low 70.8 yards per game on the ground, with speed linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman combining for 172 tackles and chasing down everything and everyone in sight. The Niners haven’t allowed a running back to run for 100 yards in a game in 30 consecutive games. In the past two years, the Niners have allowed an average of 3.42 yards per rush on first down, second only to the Steelers. Add to this that the Giants will almost definitely go in again without their leading rusher, Ahmad Bradshaw, who continues to sit out because of a stress fracture in his foot.
“Obviously, when you play the 49ers, you know there is a possibility that it will be a low-scoring, defensive game,’’ Manning said. “Offensively, we have our mindset of what plays we want to run, what we like and what are our chances to hit plays.’’
Those chances increase with Nicks on the field. He missed the victory in New England with a hamstring issue, but after running full-speed on the side on Wednesday he was able to participate yesterday in individual drills. He offered a double thumbs-up when asked how he’s feeling, and unless he experiences a setback he’ll play on Sunday.
“If he can go, he is an extremely talented guy that we can put on the field,’’ Tom Coughlin said. “The more we have, the more difficult it will be in terms of what they want to do in terms of coverage. The more players we have available to help us, especially a guy like Nicks who is an exceptional player, the better off we will be.’’
No one is insinuating the Giants will scrap their running attack altogether and put the game in Manning’s hands, but they can set up the run with the pass.
“Each game you have to figure out what kind of game it is going to be and you play to those circumstances,’’ Manning said.
The 49ers are not wildly vulnerable in pass defense, but attacking that area is preferable to knocking heads with Willis and Co. up front. When healthy and complete, the Giants usually present matchup problems for any secondary, especially the way Manning is throwing the ball around.
“They’re aggressive, they take some gambles and they like to bite on routes and anticipate what’s coming and kind of get a bead on things,’’ Cruz said. “They leave themselves open. It’s going to take a few drives just to kind of feel them out and see what they want to do and see how they’re going to play us. Once we get a bead on them, I think we’ll be straight.’’