Tag: New York Giants

Studs and Duds from Bears’ Week 12 win over Giants

The Chicago Bears’ victory over the New York Giants followed a familiar script for the 2019 season. The offense was allergic to first downs in the first half as they fell behind an inferior opponent. Something changed at halftime and Mitchell …

The Chicago Bears’ victory over the New York Giants followed a familiar script for the 2019 season.

The offense was allergic to first downs in the first half as they fell behind an inferior opponent.

Something changed at halftime and Mitchell Trubisky looked like a new quarterback in the third quarter, giving the Bears a lead and giving the fans new hope.

Then in the fourth quarter, the defense forgets how to play football, Trubisky turns back into a pumpkin, and the Giants keep it close with one final drive to win it.

This time, Chicago’s defense held strong and they went to celebrate Club Dub for beating a two-win opponent.

Still, the signs of life the Bears showed on both sides of the ball brought some excitement back to a season that was lacking it.

Here are the studs and duds from win number five.

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Giants dropped by Bears, 19-14: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the latest New York Giants loss in which they fell to the Chicago Bears, 19-14, in ugly fashion.

The New York Giants blew into the Windy City this weekend with nothing to lose unlike their opponent — the Chicago Bears — who at 4-6 had a lot to lose.

This was a contest between two teams who have had a boatload of issues between them this season and the flow of the game was choppy from start to finish. For a Week 12 game, it was an undisciplined mess. If these two teams weren’t playing each other they would have embarrassed themselves against a real NFL team.

The Bears had several opportunities early on but penalties, turnovers and drops kept them off the board. The Giants ended up opening the scoring with a three-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Jones to rookie tight end Kaden Smith midway through the second quarter.

Then, Aldrick Rosas’ struggles continued, missing two field goals in the first half, one from 42 yards and the second from 43. Both snaps from Zak DeOssie were errant. The Bears finally got on the board with a field goal with eight seconds left in the first half.

In the second half, after Rosas’ opening kick went out of bounds giving the Bears the ball on their own 40, the Giants’ defense thought they had the Bears stopped when Marcus Golden sacked Mitchell Trubisky on a third-and-10 from the Giants’ 37.

But Giants’ corner Janoris Jenkins was called for holding wide receiver Allen Robinson, negating the sack and giving Chicago a first down on the Giants’ 32. On the very next play, Trubisky found Robinson streaking over the middle past rookie corner Corey Ballentine to give the Bears a 10-7 lead.

The Bears would take control of the game from there, kicking a field goal on their next possession. Then, Bears’ linebacker Khalil Mack blew past Giants left tackle Nate Solder and stripped the football away from Jones. The Bears would take a 19-7 lead after Trubisky punched it in from two yards out.

The Giants next scored with 4:10 remaining when Daniel Jones, on a 4th-and-18 from the Giants’ 23, threw up a desperation pass into the end zone. Golden Tate managed to reel it in to narrow the score to 19-14 which ended up being the final.

In short, the Bears were awful and the Giants were worse. The Giants lost their seventh straight game and are 2-9 after 11 games, one game worse than they were last year at this time.

Notes

  • Safety Jabrill Peppers left the game midway through the third quarter with a hip injury. Rookie Julian Love took his place. Entering the game, Love had only played three defensive snaps all year. He picked off an ill-advised Trubisky pass early in the fourth quarter.
  • Saquon Barkley was not a factor in the game, rushing 17 times for 59 yards and allowing a swing pass to slip through his hands in the first half which would have gone for a huge gain.
  • Jones sustained a cut on his right hand on the Giants’ final possession that may or may not have hindered him as he threw several incompletions as the Giants turned the ball over on downs.
  • The two missed field goals ended up being the difference in the game.
  • The Giants had their first team offensive line intact after missing some time due to injury. Jon Halapio was back at center while the two tackles – Nate Solder and Mike Remmers — also both started.

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Giants fall to Bears: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants fell to 2-9 with a 19-14 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 12, and here’s a look at the winners and losers from that game.

The New York Giants lost their seventh consecutive game on Sunday, falling to the Chicago Bears, 19-14, at Solder Field in what may have been the ugliest display of football all season (if not longer).

The Giants did have a chance to pull off a miracle at the end, but Daniel Jones was unable to channel his inner Eli Manning and watched as his final fourth-down attempt fell harmlessly to the ground.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s winners and losers (and those in between):

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Winners

Julian Love: Love wasn’t just eased into the defensive rotation, he was straight-up thrown into the fire. The results? They were largely positive. While it wasn’t perfect, Love made several key plays, including his first career interception off the arm of Mitchell Trubisky. He also made two other potential touchdown-saving plays.

Markus Golden: On a defense that simply doesn’t play well at all, Golden continues to make his presence felt and Sunday was no different. Not only did Golden record another sack, he added several other pressures and a couple batted balls at the line of scrimmage. He also came up with a huge 3rd-and-1 stop late in the fourth quarter, giving the Giants an opportunity for a last-minute win.

Riley Dixon: It’s a sad day when a punter is one of the few players to appear in the “winners” column, but here we are. But don’t let that be a reflection of Dixon himself, who had quite a day, averaging 51.4 yards per punt with four being downed inside the 20.

Others: Golden Tate, Jabrill Peppers

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Giants lose seventh straight game, fall to Bears, 19-14

The New York Giants fell to 2-9 on the season after losing their seventh consecutive game, this time to the Chicago Bears, 19-14.

The New York Giants returned from their bye week on Sunday and took the field against the Chicago Bears looking to end their six-game losing streak and delay their playoff elimination for at least one more week. And with jobs very much on the line, there was obviously something to play for.

However, when you pit two bad teams against each other, guess what you get? Bad football. And that’s exactly what a regional audience saw in Week 12.

The Giants and Bears started about as slowly as two teams could, exchanging three punts to open the game with neither team gaining more than 18 yards on their respective offensive drives before Mitchell Trubisky finally got things moving for Chicago.

The Bears were engineering a potential scoring drive and had moved inside the Giants’ 20 before Trubisky uncorked an errant throw into the back of the endzone that was picked off by linebacker Alec Ogletree, whose athleticism on the play can not be overstated.

Things settled back down briefly and the two teams again exchanged a series of punts before Daniel Jones finally got things moving in the right direction for Big Blue, connecting with tight end Kaden Smith one a three-yard touchdown to cap off a six-play, 42-yard drive. It was Smith’s first NFL touchdown.

The Giants defense then forced Chicago to a quick three-and-out and Jabrill Peppers nearly broke off a touchdown run on the ensuing punt, but he was brought down by the last line of defense.

With momentum swinging in their direction, the Giants could have gone up two scores, but an ugly third down play (outside toss to Saquon Barkley, who looked like he wanted to throw) led to a 42-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide right as the result of a terrible Zak DeOssie snap.

Eight combined plays later, the Giants were back in field goal range, but for the second time on the day, an Aldrick Rosas field goal sailed wide. This time, the snap was better, but Rosas just pulled it left.

With 1:55 remaining in the half, the Bears finally pieced together a solid drive against a Giants defense that was playing prevent. And while they weren’t able to put the ball into the endzone, they did chip away at the lead, connecting on a 26-yard field goal to bring the game within 7-3 at halftime.

The Bears remained hot to open the third quarter, aided by great field position after Rosas booted the second half kickoff out of bounds. It took just 2:48 to capture their first lead of the game, capping off a five-play, 60-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Trubisky to wide receiver Allen Robinson II.

After forcing the Giants to a quick three-and-out, the suddenly dominant Bears offense was back at it and they found a weakness to exploit — rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine.

Trubisky began to follow Ballentine pre-snap and made sure to throw to whatever receiver he was covering, eating up massive chunk plays time after time. However, this time around, Chicago’s offense stalled in the red zone and they were forced to settle for a short field goal, increasing their lead to 13-7 with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter.

On the very next play, Khalil Mack, who had been held in check, finally made his presence felt, skirting around Nate Solder for the strip sack of Jones. And the long-struggling Bears offense again came alive and made the turnover count, running three consecutive plays inside the 5-yard line, culminating with a two-yard touchdown run courtesy of Trubisky. However, Chicago missed the PAT after a bizarre series of penalties, leaving the score at 19-7.

Chicago was quick to get the ball back once again, forcing the Giants to a three-and-out (broken record, anyone?), but this time they weren’t able to put additional points on the board as Trubisky reverted back to his early season form, launching a ball down the middle of the field to no one in particular that was picked off by rookie Julian Love.

No matter, however. The inept Giants offense continued to be exactly that, turning the ball over on downs and once again supplying Chicago an opportunity to essentially put the game away.

But the Bears couldn’t get the job done — a theme of theirs all season — burning just 3:53 off the clock before punting the ball back to the Giants, who appeared poised to let time melt away before a miracle 4th-and-18 touchdown pass from Jones landed in the arms of wide receiver Golden Tate and breathed new life into Big Blue.

With the score 19-14, the Bears once again could have run the clock down and escaped with a win, but were denied when Markus Golden crashed through the line of scrimmage to stop a 3rd-and-1 giving the Giants one final opportunity to drive 94 yards for the win.

Almost immediately, the Giants were faced with another fourth down, but once again, Jones came through, connecting with Darius Slayton to move the chains. However, history would not repeat itself on the next fourth down attempt as Jones’ pass fell harmlessly to the ground, sending the Giants to their seventh consecutive loss.

In defeat, the Giants fall to 2-9 on the season. They will take on the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium in Week 13.

A Bears fan snuck an entire pumpkin pie into Sunday’s game and rightly became a hero

Not all heroes wear capes. Some just bring pies with them.

Chances are you or somebody you know has snuck a flask filled with some special juice into a game to keep you warm or just to make things more interesting as you sit outside for a bunch of hours watching football.

Well, a Chicago Bears fan took things to a whole new level on Sunday as he snuck in an entire pumpkin pie (because it is pumpkin pie season) and a can of whipped cream and casually enjoyed his little snack while watching Mitch Trubisky and the Bears play the New York Giants at Soldier Field.

Check out this fancy gentleman:

I mean, what a gosh darn hero, right?

Right.

 

Giants vs. Bears Week 12 inactives: Who’s in, who’s out?

The full list of inactives for Sunday’s Week 12 game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears have been released.

The New York Giants (2-8) and Chicago Bears (4-6) square off on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois in a game that could officially end Big Blue’s dying playoff hopes.

Both teams have officially announced their inactives for the game. Below is a full list:

New York Giants

  • TE Evan Engram (foot)
  • TE Rhett Ellison (concussion)
  • QB Alex Tanney
  • OT Eric Smith
  • OL Chad Slade
  • WR Bennie Fowler
  • OLB Chris Peace

Chicago Bears

  • TE Adam Shaheen (foot)
  • LB Danny Trevathan (elbow)
  • DB Duke Shelley
  • OL Alex Bars
  • DL Abdullah Anderson
  • TE Bradley Sowell
  • WR Riley Ridley.

For the Giants, Scott Simonson and Kaden Smith will replace the tight end combination of Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison, while wide receiver Sterling Shepard will make his return and start in favor of Darius Slayton.

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Report: Giants would be interested in Jason Garrett if fired by Cowboys

The New York Giants would reportedly be interested in hiring Jason Garrett as their next head coach if he’s fired by the Dallas Cowboys.

The New York Giants appear committed to Pat Shurmur as their head coach in 2020, but that could change if Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were to fire Jason Garrett at season’s end.

Garrett has often been connected to the Giants in one way or another, and we ever pondered the possibility of him becoming their next head coach earlier this year. However, what began as mindless speculation suddenly has a little smoke brewing.

NFL Network inside Ian Rapoport reports that the Giants would have interest in Garrett if he were to be fired and that Garrett’s desired destination would be — you guessed it — New York.

“My understanding is that the Giants have emerged as a real and legitimate potential landing spot for Garrett,” Rapoport said. “First of all, it’s his preferred destination if he can’t stick with the Cowboys. And second, back in 2014, the Giants were trying to decide should they fire Tom Coughlin. My understand is they would have fired Coughlin if they could get Jason Garrett. Instead, he signed an extension and the Giants held onto Coughlin.”

Of course, a series of dominoes would have to fall in order for Garrett to land in New York, including the termination of Shurmur, who just recently appeared to receive a vote of confidence.

Still, if the Giants continue to struggle down the stretch despite a noticeably softer schedule and Garrett does become available, co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch may pounce after waiting for a half decade. However, knowing that, Jerry Jones may be less inclined to send Garrett out the door.

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Is Eli Manning’s absence hurting Saquon Barkley?

Is the absence of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning actually hurting running back Saquon Barkley?

For years, the narrative has been that Eli Manning was dragging down his New York Giants teammates and not the other way around. However, in the aftermath of Manning’s benching, it’s been quickly established that was not the case at all.

Out in Cleveland, Odell Beckham Jr. is having his worst season to date, which is a common theme for wide receivers who went from Manning to another quarterback. But that’s hardly where these revelations begin or end.

The Giants offense has seen a sharp decline since Daniel Jones took over under center, and in no way is that a knock on a rookie so much as stating the reality of the situation. Perhaps more specifically, we’ve seen Saquon Barkley’s production go into a nosedive.

Yes, part of that has to do with Barkley sustaining a high ankle sprain earlier in the season. Another part of that has been the horrendous run blocking up front, while the suspect play calling and poor use of the running back’s talents also factor in.

But you know what else factors in? No Eli Manning.

Manning took relentless heat for his willingness to check down in recent years, but that worked to Barkley’s benefit in 2018 and over the first two games this season. With Jones now under center, there’s been a sharp shift for the Giants offensively as the rookie is more prone to look down the field, essentially eliminating Barkley from the passing game.

“It’s safe to say Daniel’s got his eyes downfield a little bit more,” head coach Pat Shurmur said, via the New York Post. “That maybe has something to do with it.”

With Jones looking down field much more, Barkley has just 46 targets on the season and 13 of those came when Manning was still starting quarterback. That’s a drastic decrease from the 121 targets he had a season ago.

“Where do you win in that situation?” Barkley said. “When Eli was our quarterback and I was getting the ball too much, everyone would say, ‘He throws check-downs too much.’ So now that we’re not throwing check-downs, ‘Oh he’s looking down the field too much?’ Me personally, I don’t ever want to get in his way. Daniel Jones is a great player and a great quarterback and going to be an even player as time goes on. He’s going to be one of the best in the league, I believe. That’s gonna come to him.

“Check-downs are always a safety-valve for a quarterback, but be you. In college we used to say they dig the deep ball. Be you, go out there and play your game. I’m going to be there if you need me to be there.”

Barkley may be modest, but there’s no denying he’s the Giants’ best offensive player and after being taken second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, should be getting many more opportunities than he is, injury be damned. If the team isn’t going to shut him down, they need to use him — and what better way to use him than out of the backfield matched up against much slower linebackers?

Daniel Jones plays a different style of football than Eli Manning, but that shouldn’t result in Barkley becoming an afterthought. It’s on both Shurmur and Jones to devise a way to get the most talented player on the field the ball more. Period.

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Sticking with Pat Shurmur named Giants’ dumbest decision of 2019

Was the decision to stick with head coach Pat Shurmur the dumbest decision the New York Giants made in 2019?

The New York Giants have made several boneheaded moves this year, but is there one decision that stands out above the rest? Well, if you were to ask Chris Roling of Bleacher Report, he’d tell you yes — one does, in fact, stand out.

In breaking down the dumbest move for each NFL team in 2019, Roling hammered the Giants for sticking with head coach Pat Shurmur instead of completely blowing things up for the second time in three years.

Pat Shurmur, who guided the Cleveland Browns to a 9-23 record during his two seasons as their head coach, seemed like an odd choice for the New York Giants before last season.

After he directed the Giants to a 5-11 record during his debut campaign, it was surprising that they didn’t yank the rug out from under him this offseason.

Instead, the Giants stuck with him, but they’ve gotten even worse. They’re now 2-8 heading into Week 12, which means Shurmur has a career record of 17-42 as a head coach.

The Giants’ front office hasn’t given Shurmur enough talent to compete in the NFC East, but his seat is getting warmer by the week regardless.

Roling makes the case that the Giants should have parted ways with Shurmur prior to the start of the season, which really doesn’t make much sense. Yes, the argument could be made that Shurmur should be fired now, but before the 2019 regular season even got underway? That arguments holds far less water.

If the argument is, “Shurmur should have been fired because he was so awful with the Cleveland Browns,” then every other head coach that’s come and gone in Cleveland, Bill Belichick included, should be fired based off that logic.

The Giants weren’t expected to compete in 2018 and it was foolish for anyone (myself included) to believe they were going to be competitive in 2019. The roster is as thin as paper, there’s been a quarterback change and injuries have only made things worse.

Shurmur will get one more chance in 2020, but unless he can finally get things turned around, then it might be the end of the line for him in East Rutherford.

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Week 12 NFL picks: Who are the experts picking in Bears vs. Giants?

The Bears will host the Giants on Sunday, and the experts have overwhelmingly sided with one team.

The Chicago Bears (4-6) will host the New York Giants (2-8) as the Bears look to rebound from a disappointing loss in Week 12 and the Giants look to end their six-game losing streak.

The experts are feeling confident about the Bears’ chances against a struggling Giants team as 88 percent of experts polled believe the Bears will beat the Giants on Sunday, according to NFL Pick Watch.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who left last Sunday’s game against the Rams with a hip pointer, will get the start for Chicago and look to continue a string of good performances in what’s been a disappointing third season for the young quarterback.

There’s no better time than against a Giants defense that has been torched over the last several games. But the Bears will need more than just Trubisky. They’ll need the whole offense working on the same page.

Can the Bears offense take advantage of a bad Giants defense? Can the Bears defense stop Saquon Barkley? Can the Bears avoid the devastation that would come with a loss to the lowly Giants?

We’ll see Sunday when the Bears and Giants kick things off at noon CT on FOX.

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