EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The play wasn't so much a turning point as it was an omen.

On a fourth-and-1 situation at the San Francisco 21-yard line in the second quarter, Giants coach Jim Fassel decided to test a young offensive line, and eschewed a field goal attempt. Opting to gamble in a game that was tied 3-3 at that point, Fassel sent in a play that called for a Tiki Barber run over the left side.

And the call blew up in his face as 49ers "plugger" linebacker Jamie Winborn knifed through to stuff Barber for a 3-yard loss.

"It kind of epitomized the night for us, at least as far as running the ball, and running it with any consistency," Barber said after his team's 16-13 loss to the 49ers in the NFL season opener Thursday night. "We just have to get better. We won't win unless we can run. It's that simple."

Against the 49ers defense, however, it was incredibly difficult.

The Giants had 22 rushes for 43 yards, averaging less than two yards per run, and just two attempts netted more than five yards. Take away a 16-yard burst by Barber midway through the first quarter and the numbers are numbingly dismal.

Then again, these statistics are discouraging enough, even with the 16-yard effort thrown in. Consider this: Of the Giants' 22 carries, 15 netted two yards or less, and eight of the runs were for zero yards or minus yardage. On its final 16 runs of the game, New York netted eight yards -- or 18 inches -- per attempt.

That kind of anemic production won't win at any level.

It is difficult to fault Barber, the superbly versatile standout, and a guy who played despite a severely strained hamstring. The injury clearly limited his quickness. More disappointing are the continued struggles of former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne, the team's first-round choice in the 2000 draft, who is running out of time to prove himself.

Dayne was mercilessly jeered by the Giants Stadium crowd every time he touched the ball, and with good reason, given his 10 yards on six carries. A power runner, Dayne seems ill-fit for a New York offense that is incapable right now of knocking defenders off the line of scrimmage.

That shortcoming can, at least in part, be attributed to a makeshift blocking unit playing without center Dusty Zeigler, its most experienced member. The quintet fielded by the Giants on Thursday had an aggregate 54 starts, but even that number is misleading since left tackle Luke Petitgout owned 40 of them.

Two of the linemen, left guard Rich Seubert and center Chris Bober, made their first regular-season starts. Jason Whittle started just his sixth game at right guard, Mike Rosenthal his 10th at right tackle. Petitgout, who spent his first three seasons at right tackle, is being asked to play the blindside now. It is certainly a unit that had to get younger, and thus the offseason releases of tackle Lomas Brown and guard Glenn Parker, but the alterations may have been too many and too fast.

Assistant coach Jim "Mouse" McNally is one of the best line coaches in the last quarter century; a miracle worker, though, he is not. Just don't try telling him, or his charges, they are suspect.

"We just have to work harder, if that's what it is going to take, and we have to come together as a group," Petitgout said. "Obviously, tonight was not the kind of first step we wanted to take. In fact, it probably was a step backward for us. But we're going to get there, believe me."

The running game had better come around quickly because, as a candid Fassel conceded, the Giants will not win throwing the ball 43 times, as they did against San Francisco. Kerry Collins was productive at times, completing 28 of 43 attempts for 342 yards. But he also threw three interceptions and the New York offense managed but one touchdown. The three pickoffs kept Collins' passer rating at a pedestrian 57.8.

Wide receiver Amani Toomer, brilliant early on and all but ignored in the second half, finished with nine catches for 134 yards. Ike Hilliard continued to resurrect his career, building on a very strong preseason performance with five catches for 65 yards.

As was the case at times in 2001, offensive coordinator Sean Payton seems overly enamored of the passing game for long stretches, but it's hard to lay the blame on him when the running attack is so morose.

Collins is most effective when the New York offense is more balanced, and some Giants players privately noted that when their quarterback is chased as much as he was on Thursday, he loses some confidence. A stand-up guy, the Giants quarterback wasn't about to make excuses for his turnovers or for the uneven play of the line in front of him, but agreed the Giants desperately need to get the running game on track.

"There were times out there when you could see (the 49ers) just daring us to run it," he said. "To not be able to stuff it back in someone's face when they challenge you like that, well, it's disappointing."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.