Tag: New York Giants

Shepard, Jenkins, Solder clear concussion protocol, will play Sunday vs Bears

New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and will play this Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and will play this Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Cornerback Janoris Jenkins and Nate Solder were also cleared and are ready to go as the 2-8 Giants attempt to snap their six-game losing streak.

Shepard was recovering from his second concussion this season and had not played since the Giants’ Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Jenkins and Solder were both concussed ring the Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Jets and recovered over the bye week.

Shepard’s return gives rookie quarterback Daniel Jones his full complement of wide receivers this week, but as fate would have it, tight end Evan Engram (foot) will miss another game as will TE Rhett Ellison (concussion).

In his four starts this season, Shepard was targeted 34 times, catching 25 of them for 267 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed four times for 42 yards. It will only be the second game this season that Shepard and Golden Tate will be on the field simultaneously.

Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky will start vs. Giants

Just days after suffering a hip pointer against the Rams, Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky is good to go and will start against the Giants Sunday.

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is good to go for Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants.

Less than a week after suffering a hip pointer in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Trubisky put in a full week of practice, including Friday, with no limitations, and he’s good to start for Sunday’s game.

Bears coach Matt Nagy said earlier this week if Trubisky was cleared to play that he’d “absolutely” be the starter against the Giants.

Trubisky has struggled mightily this season, where he ranks last in the leagye in passing yards per game (175.6), last in yards per attempt (5.6) and tied for 26th in pass TDs (9), among 33 quarterbacks.

Since Week 8, the Bears are averaging 14.3 points per game, which is second to last in the NFL during that time.

Trubisky has put together back-to-back solid performances against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams before suffering a hip injury. And going up against a Giants defense that has been terrible this season, Trubisky is hoping to make it a third.

As for the rest of the Bears’ injury report, right tackle Bobby Massie (back) is a full-go against the Giants. Linebacker Isaiah Irving (quad) practiced in full on Friday and is officially questionable for Sunday.

Meanwhile, tight end Adam Shaheen (foot) and linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow) have been ruled out.

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Giants vs. Bears: 3 keys to victory in Week 12

There are three things the New York Giants can do to ensure a victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday and get their third win this season

The New York Giants head to Chicago on Sunday to face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, one of the most hostile environments in the NFL.

The Giants’ season has been dismal at best, and while the Bears aren’t faring that much better, it’s still unlikely that Big Blue will make a turnaround this week. That said, there are three things the Giants can do to help ensure a victory.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Stop Khalil Mack

Mack has just one sack over the last six games, and didn’t appear on the stat sheet at all in the Bears’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week. Pat Shurmur and Mike Shula had better be watching that film very closely to implement a similar strategy to stop Mack on Sunday.

Double- and triple-teams, extra protection, holding, whatever it takes. The Giants season is a wash, so the goal now is to protect its assets, primarily Daniel Jones. Whatever the offensive line has to do to protect the future of the organization, that’s what needs to happen against the Bears defense this week.

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Bears determined to not let Giants RB Saquon Barkley beat them

The Bears defense isn’t about to let Giants RB Saquon Barkley return to form against them in Week 12.

The Chicago Bears are familiar with New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. The dynamic weapon lit them up for 125 yards on the ground last season in the thick of Chicago’s  playoff race, but it was his back-breaking runs on third down that were the most frustrating in the 30-27 overtime loss.

As the Bears prepare for a rematch against the Giants on Sunday, Chicago’s defense is determined to prevent a repeat performance by Barkley.

Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano praised Barkley’s speed, power, vision, patience, stiff-arm and stop-start acceleration — noting that containing him is going to be a tall order for this defense.

“If you don’t set an edge — no edge, no chance,” Pagano said, via the Chicago Tribune. “If he gets in the open field, he can take it the distance. He’s effective out of the backfield as a pass receiver as well, so he’s a three-down player.

“The only thing is pretty much the ankles on everyone are the same size, so you better get this guy wrapped up. We have to gang tackle, slide down and try and slide those ankles together. Usually if you do that, most guys will go down. Even this guy. He’s going to be a huge challenge for our defense.”

Barkley flashed during an impressive rookie season — where he averaged 4.7 yards per carry — but he hasn’t been as effective a runner this season, with 4.0 yards per carry, as he’s dealt with an ankle injury that sidelined him for three games.

Even without defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, the anchor of that run defense, the Bears’ defense is allowing just 3.6 yards per carry this season.

The goal for the Bears will be to contain Barkley and force rookie quarterback Daniel Jones to beat them.

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Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines are players to watch in Giants’ final six games

Linebackers Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines are players to watch down the stretch for the New York Giants.

At the beginning of this season the New York Giants were hopeful that their pass rush would turn things around and become an effective, if not an elite unit.

Through ten games that has not materialized. They have 24 sacks this season, an average of 2.4 per game, which is up from 2018 (1.875 per game) but still not the result they were expecting.

Outside linebacker Marcus Golden, signed as a free agent this past March, leads the team with 6.5 sacks followed by defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Dalvin Tomlinson and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter who all have 2.5.

Carter and this year’s third round pick, OLB Oshane Ximines, were being counted on take huge steps forward to lift the defense. Especially Carter.

“I think that everyone wants to be that competitor. They want to put themselves in that position and I know Lorenzo does,” said outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson.

“I know that he is a competitive guy, just being with him day in and day out. He wants to make those splash plays and I think you can look at a whole bunch of different factors. He’s been a guy that we have been able to move around. You see him on the ball, off the ball, he’s in coverage, he’s rushing, he’s doing different things that way. That’s a unique skill set that he has. I know there’s plays that he wants to be a step closer, accelerate a little more or do things like that. I think he is definitely holding himself to that high standard still and continues to work that. We have six more weeks to put the pedal to the metal with him. Hopefully those numbers start to come.”

Carter, who is second to Golden (15) on the team in QB hits with eight, has appeared to be just a little late on a lot of plays. Perhaps he can improve his reaction time and angles to the football.

As for Ximines, it’s more about getting the opportunities than anything else. He plays the same position as Carter and Golden. He has been in on 48% of the defensive snaps and has collected only two sacks. By contrast, Golden has been on the field 805 of the time and Carter has played 68% of the snaps.

“Oshane has been working his butt off and hopefully we keep getting him in the right direction,” said Dawson.

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Giants’ Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison out vs. Bears

New York Giants tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison are out for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

The New York Giants have clung to the hope that tight end Evan Engram (foot) would make his return against the Chicago Bears in Week 12, but those dreams were dashed on Friday.

Although Engram did not suffer a setback, he simply wasn’t able to get the required clearance and will be an injured inactive on Sunday alongside fellow tight end Rhett Ellison, who was also ruled out with a concussion.

In the absence of Engram and Ellison, the Giants will rely on Scott Simonson, Kaden Smith and possibly Garrett Dickerson, who currently resides on the practice squad.

“[Simonson] came back in really good shape, physical shape. Mentally, he’s done a nice job getting caught up to speed in terms of what we’re doing now. It really helps having a guy that has been here kind of knowing what we do and how we do things. It was good to have him come back,” tight ends coach Lunda Wells told reporters on Friday.

In some much-needed good news, wide receiver Sterling Shepard, left tackle Nate Solder and cornerback Janoris Jenkins did not receive an injury designation, which means all three are likely to clear concussion protocol on Friday night or at some point early on Saturday prior to traveling to Chicago.

All three will meet with the independent neurologist before being cleared.

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4 bold predictions for Bears’ Week 12 matchup vs. Giants

Can the Bears contain Saquon? Will Mitchell Trubisky continue his positive string of performances? Our Bears’ bold predictions vs. Giants.

The Chicago Bears (4-6) are coming off a deflating 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (6-4), a loss that essentially ended any playoff hopes in a stacked NFC.

The Bears will be looking to get back on track against the struggling New York Giants (2-8), who have lost six straight games.

While this is definitely a game that the Bears should win, that hasn’t been the case this season. Chicago will need to reduce the missed opportunities and self-inflicted mistakes that doomed them against the Rams if they’re going to beat the Giants.

Here are four bold predictions for the Bears’ Week 12 matchup:

1. Bears defense holds Saquon Barkley under 70 yards rushing

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Despite losing defensive tackle Akiem Hicks to injured reserve, the Bears run defense has remained solid this season. But they’ll face a familiar challenge this week when they go up against New York Giants running back Saturn Barkley.

Last season, Barkley rushed for 125 yards on a Bears defense that included Hicks. But it won’t be a cakewalk for Chicago’s defense, who nearly gave up 100 yards on the ground to Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley last week.

After starting the season with back-to-back 100-yard performances, Barkley hasn’t been able to surpass 72 yards since returning from an ankle injury. And the trend will continue as the Bears will hold him to under 70 yards on Sunday.

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Flashback Friday: Giants take down Bears in OT in 2018

In our Flashback Friday, we go back just one year to a thrilling overtime game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.

One doesn’t have to go back very far in the annals to find the last memorable game between the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears. It was just last Dec. 2, when the Giants edged the Monsters of the Midway, 30-27, in overtime at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants, who led the playoff-bound Bears, 27-17, with 1:49 remaining, allowed Chicago to score 10 points in the final 1:13 to tie the score at 27, forcing overtime.

No one in the building had much confidence the Giants would come away with the victory after blowing a two-score lead, but they did. The Giants received the ball first and drove 49 yards on eight plays to take a 30-27 lead on a 44-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas.

The Bears then took possession, but the Giants defense made a stand. They forced quarterback Chase Daniel to fumble three times (the Bears recovered them all) and thwarted them on a 4th-and-8 from their own 40 to end the game.

But there were a ton of highlights. This Giants team, which won for the third time in four games, had some life. They were fun to watch, unlike this year’s dreary bunch.

Linebacker Alec Ogletree returned an interception for a touchdown. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. threw for a 49-yard touchdown to Russell Shepard and then caught a touchdown pass himself several minutes later.

Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 124 yards on the day, but his signature play of the afternoon was when he hurdled fellow Penn State product Adrian Amos in the open field for a first down.

This week’s contest is probably not going to have the pizzaz of last year’s, but the groundwork is there. Daniel could see action again under center with Mitchell Trubisky (hip) hurting, and Barkley is slowly coming around from the high ankle sprain that has limited him most of the season.

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Report: Giants’ DeAndre Baker called out in front of team for ‘unacceptable’ play

New York Giants rookie CB DeAndre Baker got called out in front of the team this week for what his teammates deemed “unacceptable” play.

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When the New York Giants traded back up into Round 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft, many felt they got a steal with cornerback DeAndre Baker, who was known for his physical, hard-nosed style of play.

However, in his first NFL season, Baker has graded out among the worst cornerbacks in all of football, and his snafus are evident on a weekly basis.

To some degree, Baker’s issues stem from being used in soft coverage — the polar opposite of his strength — and a general misunderstanding of the team’s defensive scheme, which he humbly admitted just a few short weeks ago.

But some of Baker’s problems are of his own making, including but not limited to a lack of hustle that has exhausted some of his teammates. In fact, they’ve become so bothered by it that the rookie was reportedly called out in front of the team.

Being ripped in front of an entire team as a rookie is undoubtedly a difficult pill to swallow, but as you can see in the video footage above, the complaints are completely warranted and justified.

How Baker responds to being dressed down may not only define what remains of his rookie season, but where he stands on the roster entering the 2020 season.

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Why Ron Rivera could fit as next Giants head coach

If the New York Giants were to part ways with Pat Shurmur and the Carolina Panthers with Ron Rivera, there might be some synergy there.

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Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper spoke to the media earlier this week about the state of the team and refused to comment on the futures of general manager Marty Hurney, head coach Ron Rivera or quarterback Cam Newton beyond this season.

Tepper requested to not be quoted directly, but stated that mediocrity will not be tolerated. The Panthers went 7-9 last season and are off to a 5-5 start in 2019. If things head south in the final six games for the Panthers, there could ultimately be a shakeup, which could work in the New York Giants’ favor.

With Pat Shurmur’s Giants tenure off to a 7-19 start (17-42 as an NFL head coach overall), it is fair to wonder whether the Giants will make a coaching change at the end of this season. Despite receiving a vote of confidence from Giants brass, Shurmur has not shown any indication of improving as the head coach of a team that is off to a worse start in year two at 2-8, as opposed to 3-7 in 2018.

Shurmur has also refused to give up play calling, which has seen his offense take a step back ranking 24th in total yards (322) and scoring 20.3 points per game as opposed to averaging 358.8 yards and 27.7 in the final eight contests in 2018. The offense has only converted 40% on third-down, while sporting a lowly 51% (14-of-27) conversion rate in the red zone.

One of the few bright spots in Shurmur’s second season as head coach comes from the development of rookie Daniel Jones, who has put up promising numbers (15 TDs, 8 INTs, 1,984 yards, 63% completion rate, 208 rushing yards, 2 TDs). The only concerning factor is that Shurmur and his coaching staff have been unable to clean up Jones’ fumbling problem (13, leads NFL), which was also a problem for him at Duke (54 fumbles). Offensive coordinator Mike Shula has harped on keeping two hands on the ball in the pocket, but unfortunately, this remains an issue.

If the Giants do decide to move in a different direction following 2019, Rivera would make all the sense in the world if he is let go from Carolina. Unlike Shurmur, who previously failed as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2011-2012 (9-23), Rivera has proven himself with the Panthers going 76-60 (.558) in nine seasons. Rivera also has two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards (2013, 2015), four playoff appearances (3-4 record), and an NFC title (2015) during this span.

Rivera has won at least six games in every season since the Panthers hired him back in 2011. This is something Shurmur has yet to do in this league. Interestingly enough, Shurmur’s Browns teams regressed from a 5-11 campaign in 2011 to 4-12 the following year before he was let go. History has a funny way of repeating itself, as he is on pace to replicate this sequence in 2018-19 with the Giants.

An additional factor worthy of note stems from Rivera’s previous ties with Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, who served in this exact role with the Panthers from 2012 until he was fired in July of 2017. This duo went 51-28-1 during their five seasons together making the playoffs three-times (3-3 record), capturing three-division titles and making a Super Bowl appearance. What’s more impressive about this feat is that the Panthers have only made the playoffs eight times in their 24-year history.

The Shurmur-Gettleman duo has not gotten off to the most promising start in their first two seasons together. If Tepper decides to make wholesale changes in Carolina and Rivera becomes available, the Giants should jump to hire him given his prior success with Gettleman and proven track record in this league.

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