"Giants defensive end Justin Tuck used an old football maxim to describe what he thinks Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers is going to be like.

"It's going to be a 4-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust kind of game," he said.

Against the Niners' rush defense, that may be a bit hopeful. The numbers are extensive and they make a compelling argument that running the ball in San Francisco will be a tough road to travel.

The Niners own arguably the best rush defense in the NFL. They allow a league-low 71 yards per game on the ground and 3.5 yards per carry. And their 3-4 defense is designed to funnel ball-carriers into the waiting arms of linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman.

"I think those guys are playing tremendously well," guard David Diehl said. "In order for them to do what they need to do they have to be able to eat up blocks and push the line of scrimmage. They're able to do that. It allows those guys to fly around and make plays. All around, defensively, they're just very sound.""