Persistence proved fruitful for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in their effort to run the football against the New York Giants.
The Giants held Pierre Garçon to just 12 yards on eight first-half carries.
El Guapo went on to turn 13 carries into 81 yards over the final 30 minutes for a final stat line of 21 carries, 93 yards and one touchdown. Hyde's 4.4 yards per carry average was even more impressive when taking into account that the Giants defense entered the game allowing a league-best 3.1 YPC.
Much of the 49ers second-half success on the ground can be attributed to a few long completions in the passing game.
One play in particular, a 37-yard strike from Colin Kaepernick to Anquan Boldin deep down the right seam, opened up running lanes for Hyde. Two plays later, Hyde broke off a run of 22 yards. The following snap, Hyde rattled off nine more yards.
The 22-yard run marked Hyde's longest of the season.
"Kap making plays on the field opened it up for me," Hyde said postgame. "He was on tonight, and when he's on, I'm able to get on. Offensively we were able to get the run game going, which was good because we've been struggling the last few weeks. It was good to see Kap out there throwing it around."
Hyde's touchdown came from two yards out and was his first score since Week 1. The touchdown also gave the 49ers a 27-23 advantage before the Giants retook the lead for good in the game's final seconds.
"That was tough," Hyde said. "That's a tough way to lose. Battling back, taking the lead, and then they came out with a late score to win the game," Hyde said of Eli Manning's 12-yard touchdown pass to Larry Donnell to give the Giants the 30-27 victory. "There are a lot of great things that we did out there that we can go back and watch the film. We need to carry the momentum into next week and we'll be alright."
The 49ers workhorse running back said he was excited to see Kaepernick play so well in the game. After struggling against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers, the quarterback turned in a 262-yard, two-touchdown performance.
What's more, Kaepernick was turnover free.
"I definitely see his confidence growing," Hyde said. "Being out there in the huddle I saw a smile on his face. When you see your quarterback smiling, you gotta smile too. He was telling us, 'Let's go. We're going to score right here.' I believe in our quarterback."
Hyde said the offense came together following the loss to the Packers and knew that the struggles were more comprehensive than just the play of Kaepernick. That resolve showed against the Giants.
San Francisco's 27 points were the team's highest total this season.
"Offensively we all haven't been playing well," Hyde said. "We had to get closer and play for one another. Kap is our leader and we wanted to get our leader going."
