With every time San Francisco pressured Eli Manning, with every hit the 49ers put on the Giants quarterback — and there were many — his feet got happier and his throws got worse. The 49ers claimed they rattled Manning, and the proof was in the picks.
Manning threw five interceptions in the Giants’ 16-10 loss to San Francisco, with the 49ers saying they got to Manning with their pass-rush. It sure looked like they were right.
“I think coach Vic [Fangio, defensive coordinator] called a great game. Guys were getting after him,” said rookie linebacker Chris Borland. “We have a great defensive line, and linebackers. He had happy feet all game.”
Borland insisted Manning was visibly shaken up as the pressure and interceptions mounted.
“Yeah, you could sense that later on, especially in situations where it became a must-throw,” Borland said. “He got happy feet. He’s still a great quarterback, but we were able to rattle him a little bit.’’
Borland had two of those interceptions, the first and fifth picks on Manning. And star pass-rusher Aldon Smith — making his season debut Sunday — didn’t seem the slightest bit shocked or surprised by the 49ers larceny.
“He’s playing against a good defense. We made it hard on him and my guys came up and did a good job,’’ Smith said.
“We scouted him and his tendencies, and tried to pressure him and make his throws harder. … Just pressuring him and making him uncomfortable in the pocket and forcing him to move around.’’
It appeared to work, with San Francisco hitting Manning seven times, sacking him twice and intercepting him twice.
“It was a spectacular performance by our defense today,’’ 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “So many guys stepped up and played great, living in the moment, competing like the dickens and making tremendous athletic, football plays.’’
Borland’s interceptions sandwiched picks by linebacker Michael Wilhoite, safety Eric Reid and corner Chris Culliver.
“It was a great group effort,” Antoine Bethea said. “The line got pressure on him. When the opportunity was coming, we capitalized on them. It was a good play on Dontae’s part, just getting a hand on the ball, and Chris always being around the ball and coming up with a big play.’’