The 49ers finally got a win, with some help from a Giants team that looks like it’s given up

The 49ers have to be happy they had the Giants on the schedule this week. The matchup got the Niners their first win of the season.

New York head coach Ben McAdoo said after the Giants’ 51-17 loss to the Rams that he saw “no sign of quit” from his players when he watched the tape. He may have a different take after he watches the film from Sunday’s loss to San Francisco.

Eli Manning finished with 273 yards and two touchdowns. New York racked up 114 yards on the ground. Manning fumbled once, which was the Giants’ only turnover of the day.

Manning hit Roger Lewis with a 14-yard touchdown pass and Orleans Darkwa ran in the two-point conversion with just over a minute left in the game to narrow the Niners’ lead to 31-21.

But the offense couldn’t do enough to overcome the ineptitude on defense. The Giants defense mustered zero sacks and just two quarterback hits against an offensive line that allowed five sacks and 16 hits on C.J. Beathard last week.

McAdoo said after the game that he was “not embarrassed” by the Giants. But Giants players disagreed. And McAdoo should be.

New York’s defense let C.J. Beathard throw for 288 yards and two passing touchdowns. Defensive end Olivier Vernon did pick Beathard off once, but it didn’t matter. Beathard’s quarterback rating of 123.4 was nearly double his season average going into the game of 62.7.

Beathard’s big day comes just two weeks after the Niners traded for former Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo is expected to take over as the starter at some point, but Kyle Shanahan doesn’t want to rush him into it. The team is reportedly targeting Week 12, following next week’s bye, for Garoppolo’s first start.

Even Kyle Shanahan’s wife questioned his decision to start Beathard over Garoppolo against the Giants.

“I know everyone is very excited and wants to see him play,” Shanahan said, via Eric Branch of SFGate.com. “Including myself. Including our coaches and players. Including my wife. I get that. I’m very well aware of that. But I’m fortunate to be in a situation where we can do what we think is right.”

Beathard made that look like a wise decision on Sunday.

San Francisco finished with 186 yards and two touchdowns — including a Beathard 11-yard score — on the ground. That included this 33-yard score from running back Matt Breida. There’s not one single Giants defender in a position to even slow him down, and he basically walks into the end zone.

The defense was a strength of this team last season, which ended in a playoff bid. All of their core players returned except for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who’s now with the Colts.

It was the 49ers’ first win since Dec. 24, 2016. The team celebrated by showering Shanahan with an entire cup full of Gatorade.

Kyle Shanahan’s first season was always going to be a rebuilding year in San Francisco. And don’t rush to put too much stock in a win over a truly terrible Giants team. But a win is a win, and the Niners finally got one.