Giants vs. 49ers: Alex Smith Will Struggle with Accuracy vs. Stingy Defense

Alex Smith has come a long way in his NFL career.

From No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft after a storied career at Utah to being listed among the biggest busts of all-time to now having the opportunity for redemption. It’s been one heck of a roller coaster.

Unfortunately for Smith, the roller coaster is about to take another big dip.

He’s fresh off the best regular season of his career…by far. Smith threw for 3,144 yards, 17 TDs, five INTs while completing 61 percent of his throws. Calling him a game manager would be an insult. He followed that up with another 299 yards and three TDs against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game.

But take the Saints game with a grain of salt.

New Orleans was 30^th against the pass during the regular season because they really struggled to get pressure on the quarterback. Smith had all day to throw more often than not. He also dropped back 42 times, which has not been the recipe for success throughout the season for the 49ers.

Now he faces a Giants front four that is as intimating as it gets. If he drops back 42 times again, Smith might be exiting the game on a stretcher. The right side of the line is subpar and the left side isn’t much better.

That’s great news for the Giants.

The combination of Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora has been unstoppable now that everybody is healthy. JPP will have a gigantic advantage in any one-on-one matchup against the 49ers' protection schemes.

The athleticism among the defensive tackles stands out as does the units depth and overall versatility.

Forcing Smith on the run is going to create wobbly, inaccurate passes that the Giants secondary can gobble up. The 49ers aren’t particularly strong at wide receiver and can’t go up for jump balls the way Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks can for the Giants.

Smith isn’t capable of throwing well on the run and I think the pressure will eventually rattle him. When you factor that in with the enormous experience advantage the Giants have, it is hard not to like the Giants.

Prediction: Giants 24, 49ers 20