One for the "You're gonna wish you could have it back" column

A brutal loss for the Giants Sunday, 27-20 in San Francisco. They committed way too many mental mistakes, something you just can't do against a playoff team on the road.

But here's the positive outlook. In spite of all of the following:

-Being unable to stop Alex Smith

-Allowing a surprise onside kick recovery

-Leaving Vernon Davis uncovered for an easy 31 yard TD

-Mario Manningham running the wrong route leading to Eli Manning's 2nd interception (a 3rd was nullified when the defender didn't get both feet down in bounds)

Again, all of this on the road against a 7-1 team...

The Giants didn't quit, fought back, and had a 3rd and 2 from the 49ers' 10 yard line before being stuffed on a draw to D.J. Ware for no gain (nice call, Gilbride), and a batted down pass on 4th down to seal their fate. It takes a talented team to be that close to a win in spite of all those maddening mistakes. Call me a delusion homer if you must, but although the 49ers are legit, I came away with the sense that the better team didn't win.

Going forward, I want to see less zone defense and more man-to-man, and more plays for Da'Rel Scott and less for D.J. Ware. To quote Jerry Maguire, when it comes to Ware and his skill set, "That's not what inspires people." This loss isn't the end of the world, but it's one that could really come back to haunt the Giants when they're losing out an a tiebreaker for playoff positioning at 10-6, or 9-7 or whatever.

They've got the Eagles this week, a game that has suddenly become crucial. The now 6-3 Giants can deliver a knockout blow to the 3-6 "Dream Team" and essentially make it a two team race between them and Dallas, while staying one game ahead of a Cowboys team that has a much more favorable remaining schedule than the Giants do.