The New York Giants travel to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bears in Week 12 at Soldier Field. Previewing and predicting how the matchup plays out.
Two of the most disappointing teams in the NFL meet on Sunday in Week 12 at Soldier Field when the New York Giants battle the Chicago Bears in the Windy City. This is one of the oldest rivalries in the league, dating back to 1925 (a 19-7 Bears victory).
Chicago is a six-point favorite, courtesy of The Action Network. The Monsters of the Midway lead the all-time series, 33-24-2 but the G-Men have captured the last two outings.
Let’s take a look at a preview for this contest with a prediction to boot.
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When the Giants (2-8) have the ball
Big Blue will be facing a Bears defensive unit that ranks fourth in the NFL in points per game allowed (17.4) and eighth in yards from scrimmage allowed (322.9). It’s imperative that rookie quarterback Daniel Jones (17 turnovers) takes care of the football. The Bears have one of the worst offenses in the league but the Giants don’t want to give them a short field to work with.
Jones must be careful here because the Bears, led by Khalil Mack, will be hell-bent to sack him and strip him of the football. Mack is having a little bit of a down year but he still has 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. He can still wreck a game.
The Giants will need to receive a productive game from Saquon Barkley, who is averaging just 4.0 yards per carry this season (compared to 5.0 in 2018). One of the reasons for that is New York’s lackluster offensive line. Another is that the Bronx, NY native has not looked like his old self since suffering a high ankle sprain against the Bucs in Week 3 (2.8 yards per carry).
Look for Jones to toss some screen passes to Barkley to try to get him open in space. The possible return of wide receiver Sterling Shepard (concussion) would help immensely. He’ll probably be a game-time decision.
When the Bears (4-6) have the ball
Let’s face it. Chicago’s offense stinks. The Bears rank 30th in yards from scrimmage (262.7) and 28th in scoring (16.9 points per gam). Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (hip) is expected to play but he’s struggled for the most part this year.
The offensive weapons around him are generally mediocre. David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen, Allen Robinson — do they really scare anyone? I didn’t think so.
Here’s the rub, though. The G-Men are not a good defensive team. As a matter of fact, they stink. Big Blue ranks 27th in the league in yards allowed from scrimmage (381.7) and 30th in scoring defense (28.9 points per game).
Something has to give here. Like Jones, Trubisky has to have solid ball security. Expect the Giants to blitz him often to force Trubisky into hurried throws that could lead to turnovers.
Prediction
This is one of the worst games on the Week 12 NFL docket. If Jones can avoid the turnover bugaboo, the G-Men can steal this one.
Jones simply has more offensive weapons at his disposal. Barkley needs to look like his old self in this contest because the Bears have struggled against the run without defensive tackle Akiem Hicks anchoring the line. Rookie Darius Slayton (five touchdown receptions) has become a factor for the Giants as well. The G-Men win a tight one on a late Aldrick Rosas field goal. Giants 19, Bears 16.