EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Any 49ers-Giants matchup should ooze excitement.

Maybe that’s because each franchise has four wins in their playoff matchups, two of which the Giants pulled out at Candlestick Park en route to Super Bowl wins in the 1990 and 2011 seasons.

Maybe it’s a West Coast vs. East Coast thing.

Regardless, it will be a world away from Houston’s dreary den in which the 49ers sleepwalked their way to a 26-15 defeat last Sunday and fell to 5-3.

This will be the 49ers’ first visit to MetLife Stadium since the COVID-conflicted 2020 season, when they beat the Jets and the Giants there in Weeks 2 and 3 but sustained a slew of injuries on a turf field that’s since been replaced but remains suspect.

Tight end George Kittle missed that game and said of this visit: “It’s the last stadium I haven’t played in, so I’m super excited for it. Besides that, I’m just excited to play football with the boys.”

Here are five ways the 49ers can upend the host Giants (2-6):

1. EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER

The 49ers certainly can relate to the emotional blow of losing key players to injury, having bid farwell to defensive end Nick Bosa in Week 3 and linebacker Fred Warner in Week 5. Plus, quarterback Mac Jones will make his fifth straight start this game — and seventh in nine games — as Brock Purdy copes with a toe injury.

The Giants could have a malaise about them as they forge ahead without rookie running back Cam Skattebo, who sustained a Warner-esque ankle dislocation last Sunday. Skattebo and quarterback Jaxson Dart were the toast of New York the past month.

The Giants’ offense already suffered a big blow a month earlier when wide receiver Malik Nabers, last year’s first-round pick, sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament tear.

In their past two road games, the 49ers lost despite their opponents missing key wide receivers, so they can’t afford that again. They must bow up to face wide receivers Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton and tight end Theo Johnson. And the 49ers’ run defense must be ready for the slashing style of Tyrone Tracy, who produced 1,123 scrimmage yards last season.

2. RUN OVER THEM

Coach Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers are traditionally at their best when running the ball. The Giants are allowing an NFL-high 5.7 yards per carry. Sounds like an ideal matchup the 49ers can exploit and revive their rushing attack.

Look, the Giants have a fierce row of pass rushers (not run defenders), and the 49ers can’t afford to let them tee off on third-and-long passes. Moving the ball with McCaffrey on early downs will set the table for success.

“You look at their front, the way they fly to the ball, they’ve got a lot of potential each play to wreak havoc,” McCaffrey said. “It will be our job to do what we’ve got to do, make sure we’re straining every play and get it rolling.”

The Eagles did that last Sunday. Saquon Barkley burst for a 65-yard touchdown run on the game’s second snap, then finished with 150 yards while backup Tank Bigsby also cracked 100 yards.

Now would be a great time for McCaffrey’s first 20-yard run of the season. Limited to eight carries against the ball-hogging Texans, he needs to replicate his 129-yard, two-touchdown outing from the previous week against Atlanta. Two years ago, he had over 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in the 49ers’ home-opening win over the Giants.

3. GET TO DART

Last November, the Giants cut 2019 first-rounder Daniel Jones, and while he’s now leading the Indianapolis Colts to a 7-1 start, 2025 first-rounder Dart is off to a highlight-reel start to his career. “New York hit on this one big time,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “He’s dynamic, decisive, accurate and a joy to watch just studying his tape over the last, what, five starts now?”

Dart is the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month, having gone 2-3 since Russell Wilson’s benching. He’s completing 59.9% of his throws for 984 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His off-schedule ability and aggressive mobility (474 yards, four touchdowns) in an up-tempo rollercoaster could prompt the 49ers to spy him with a linebacker or safety.

With just four sacks the past five games and none amid last Sunday’s attrition in Houston, the 49ers scrambled this week to spice up their front. They brought in Keion White (Patriots trade) and Clelin Ferrell (free agent; 2023 starter). They also could welcome Yetur Gross-Matos back from a three-game hiatus as he seeks his first sack and just his second QB hit.

Saleh’s blitzes backfired last week, but expect his all-gas, no-brake mentality on full display as he returns to MetLife Stadium, where he went 10-17 as the Jets coach from 2021 to Week 6 2024.

4. BLOCK BETTER

A week after Will Anderson Jr. and the Texans’ pass rush mutilated the 49ers’ game plan, the Giants’ get their turn with a front featuring NFL sack leader Brian Burns and homegrown first-rounds picks Abdul Carter (2025), Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022), and Dexter Lawrence, a seventh-year defensive tackle and three-time Pro Bowler whose effort and production got critiqued this past week by Giants legend Carl Banks.

While Burns has 10 sacks, some have come thanks to pressure from elsewhere on the line, so don’t dismiss the low sack totals of Thibodeaux (2 ½ sacks, nine quarterback hits) and Carter (half-sack, eight hits). The 49ers’ offensive line could have a new look, if rookie left guard Connor Colby sits in favor of a veteran such as Spencer Burford or Ben Bartch. Matt Hennessy again will start at center for the injured Jake Brendel.

Injuries will keep out the Giants’ top cornerbacks – Paulson Adebo, Cor’Dale Flott and Art Green – and that will tempt the 49ers and Jones to challenge backups, no matter the score or situation. Look for quick passes rather than sitting-duck quarterbacking. Purdy is questionable, so there’s a chance he comes in place of Jones, who is battling knee injuries.

5. DON’T LOSE DUE TO LOGISTICS

Another 10 a.m. PT kickoff on synthetic turf? Splendid.

The 49ers have to deal with those away-game elements for a second straight week and they must not let that negatively impact their mindset. “If you think it’s going to affect you, jump in a cold shower and wake up, because it’s your job,” Kittle said of the early start.

Since 2017, the 49ers are 16-13 in games that start at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), including a Week 2 win at New Orleans and last Sunday’s sleeper in Houston. The 49ers maintained their routine of holding practices in the afternoon, after 1 p.m.

Another obvious storyline this week is MetLife Stadium’s so-called sticky turf. Yes, it’s been changed and presumably upgraded since the 49ers’ last visit, when Bosa and others got hurt in a Week 2 win over the Jets before a Week 3 encore victory there over the Giants.

“I’ve never played there but I see what people say about it and don’t like playing on it. It’s a turf,” Kittle said. “I’ll go experience it for myself and hopefully the whole team makes it off the field in extreme health and happiness.”

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Jones’ final start with the Patriots came against the host Giants and he got benched at halftime of that Nov. 26, 2023 loss. Jones, however, did go 3-0 on that field against the Jets. Said Jones: “I played on it multiple times and didn’t have any issues, so I think it’s a cool stadium and they’ve got a good fan base.”