Ahmad Bradshaw Injury Spells Doom for Giants' Run Against the 49ers Defense

Adam Schefter has confirmed that Ahmad Bradshaw will not play Sunday against the 49ers due to his lingering foot injury, which spells doom for the New York Giants' chances to run the football against the top-ranked 49ers defensive unit.

Bradshaw's injury puts the Giants in the unenviable position of starting their behemoth plow horse, Brandon Jacobs. The last team that featured a big runner against this 49ers defense was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with LeGarrette Blount, and it didn't go well for them.

The 49ers defense features the most complete front seven in the NFL. 

In their base packages, J. Smith, Isaac Sopoaga and Ray McDonald play unselfishly and with discipline, allowing the best linebacker group in the league to mop up anything they missed.

Honestly, I dare someone to show me another group of linebackers as good as the group featured in San Francisco. 

When the team moves into a nickel package on defense, rookie Aldon Smith enters the game. He has been devastating as a pass rusher and holds the edge against the run as well as anyone. 

One of the hallmarks of this 49ers defense has been their ability to both stuff the run in their nickel packages as well as applying pressure with their base four-man rush.

It helps that linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorrow Bowman don't ever leave the field. They are so versatile and fast that the 49ers have no need to substitute. 

Brandon Jacobs will be in for a day of disappointment and bitterness as he is thwarted time and time again, and his current average of 3.3 yards per attempt is sure to go down even more after this game is over with.

I expect the 49ers' defense to force the Giants to rely solely on the talented arm of Eli Manning, as Bradshaw's injury gives them no other choice.