SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For a guy who did not record a sack, let alone even one single tackle, outside linebacker Aldon Smith sure made an impression on the 49ers’ win over the New York Giants on Sunday.

“They’re definitely aware when 99 is out there, and they’re looking for him,” noted 49ers defensive end Justin Smith. “They protect differently when he’s out there, and they definitely change their scheme up, so you definitely have to account for him.

“It’s kind of like having that No. 1 wide receiver. You know you’re going to roll coverage over to him. We know they’re going to roll the line to him.”

Smith played for the first time this season after serving a nine-game suspension. He entered the game late in the first quarter, then played almost every down.

Whatever the Giants did to “account for him,” as Smith observed, it worked. Sort of.

Smith’s only notation on the stat sheet: two quarterback hurries.

But while the Giants were focusing on the standout pass-rusher, they allowed Eli Manning to get sacked twice by Smith’s teammates and harassed into five interceptions in the 49ers’ 16-10 win.

“He was close and definitely put pressure on the quarterback,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh assessed Monday. “Think the quarterback felt him.”

Harbaugh came away pleased for two reasons in particular: 1) Because the 49ers won; and 2) Because Smith should improve after having practiced just one week before his first game.

“He was on his assignments and very good. Acquitted himself very well,” the coach observed. “There’s a lot of ways to grow, too.”

NOTES: NT Glenn Dorsey was added to the 53-man active roster Monday, opening the door for him to make his season debut Sunday against the Washington Redskins. Dorsey underwent bicep surgery during the preseason and had been on the Injured Reserve/Designated for Return list. … ILB NaVorro Bowman will return to practice this week, Harbaugh confirmed Monday. Bowman has not played since tearing up his knee in the NFC Championship Game in January. … ILB Chris Borland, playing for injured Patrick Willis, led the 49ers in tackles (13) and two interceptions. … OLB Ahmad Brooks pulled himself from the game after just 12 defensive snaps because he was unhappy with how he was being used with Aldon Smith active again.

REPORT CARD VS. GIANTS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C — In a game dominated by their defense, the most important thing for the 49ers’ offense Sunday was to avoid making mistakes. If little else, they were successful in that quest in their passing game. Colin Kaepernick’s numbers were rather ordinary (193 yards and one touchdown), but he was sacked only once and did not throw an interception. In the end, that one touchdown pass was enough to produce a key road victory.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B — The 49ers figured they could run the ball on the porous Giants run defense, and that they did in an effective, if not spectacular, fashion. They kept the chains moving with nine rushing first downs, averaged 4.0 yards on 37 attempts and totaled 148 yards, all positive numbers. The only setback was a Frank Gore fumble, but he made up for that with 95 hard-earned yards.

–PASSING DEFENSE: A-minus — Eli Manning was able to give the Giants a shot with 280 passing yards. But just when it appeared the 49ers were in trouble, their defense made a big play. If it wasn’t the five interceptions, it was the two sacks or numerous pressures that led Manning completing less than 50 percent of his passes. This says it all: Manning’s passer rating (36.6) was so bad, it was worse than 49ers punter Andy Lee (39.6), who threw one pass and it fell incomplete.

–RUSHING DEFENSE: A — Fourth-and-inches. Game on the line. 49ers need a stop. And they get it. That in a nutshell told the story of a great defensive game against the run, with the Giants finishing with just 65 rushing yards at 3.1 yards per attempt and just two rushing first downs. Stopping the run forced the Giants to throw, and that didn’t go well for New York, either.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: C — Phil Dawson was the difference in the game with three field goals and punter Andy Lee averaged 46.8 yards. Unfortunately, the 49ers didn’t do nearly as good a job once the ball got airborne. The Giants averaged 25.8 yards on kickoff returns and 13.0 on punt returns, both alarmingly high numbers. And Lee failed as a quarterback, throwing incomplete on one attempt.

–COACHING: D — The 49ers were supposed to beat the Giants. And they did. But a conservative offensive game plan allowed New York to hang around long enough to give it a shot at the end. And here’s the worst part: Jim Harbaugh knew going in that egos potentially could get bruised when Aldon Smith’s return meant less playing time for other linebackers. The Ahmad Brooks fiasco could have been avoided if handled better beforehand.