The 11-7 New York football Giants will travel to Candlestick Park on Sunday to face the 14-3 hometown 49ers. The Giants bring in an explosive offense who can move the ball through the air and on the ground while the 49ers provide a strong defense that gives up little. The matchup will be a matter of strength versus strength and should answer whether or not defense can still win championships. The following will breakdown just how effective the two teams are on each side of the ball while showing just why this should be a tight game.

Offensively, the Giants are clearly more effective in some areas, but 9er fans would be glad to hear that San Fran is not far behind in many areas. In overall yards per game, the Giants get 385 yards a game while San Francisco gets 310. The Giants get nearly 300 yards per game though, while the 49ers get just 183 yards per contest. San Francisco rushes the ball much more effectively though getting 128 yards on the ground while the Giants get just 89. Both teams score effectively and get around 24 points per contest. It is the great San Francisco defense, however, that sets the 49ers up for opportunities and helps the offense have short fields to work with.

The defense of San Francisco is among the best in the league and has remarkable statistics that show just how tough they are. In terms of total yards, the teams are pretty close with New York giving up 376 yards a game and San Francisco giving up 308. San Fran gives up 25 less yards through the air and give up just 77 yards a game on the ground, which is best in the league. Most remarkable is the area of total points given up a game. In this category, New York gives up 25 a game while the 49ers give up just 14 points a game. That is just 2 touchdowns and should provide the difference in the ballgame.