The New York Giants (2-8) head out to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears (4-6) in a meeting between two of the NFC’s most disappointing teams this season.
Here are six things to know:
The history
This is the 52nd meeting between two of the NFL’s most iconic franchises dating back to 1925. With a win on Sunday the Giants would improve their all-time record against the Bears to 22-28-2. A victory this week would also improve the Giants’ road record against the Bears to 12-13.
The Giants are making their first trip to Soldier Field since 2013, a 27-21 Bears victory on Thursday Night Football in Week 6.
The teams have met just 18 times since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger and had played only three times between 1970 and the January 5, 1986 NFC Divisional Playoff game in which the Bears shut the Giants out, 21-0, at Soldier Field.
The Giants are 7-5 against the Bears since the teams last met in the postseason — a 31-3 victory in the 1991 NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Bears will be in throwback uniforms this week
The Bears will be wearing their 1960s-era helmets with a white “C” and gray face masks this Sunday. The white “C” made its debut in 1962 and was last worn in 1972.
For those who can remember the end of the George “Papa Bear” Halas era (which ended in 1967) and when the Bears played in Wrigley Field, these uniforms will hearken back to the days of Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus.
The Monster of the Midway have returned
The Bears currently rank fourth in the NFL and second in the NFC in fewest points allowed per game (17.4) and has held opponents out of the end zone on its opening drives in 20 straight games dating to last season.
They are not quite the ’85 Bears, widely considered the greatest defense in NFL history, but they could be good enough to stifle this Giants’ offense, which averages 20.3 points per game.
Bears’ defensive players to watch
LB Khalil Mack has 5.5 sacks this season and 54.5 since the start of 2015, the third-most in the NFL behind the Rams’ Aaron Donald (58.5) and Arizona’s Chandler Jones (66.0). Mack has four forced fumbles on the season, tying him for second in the NFL. His 18 forced fumbles since the start of 2015 is also tied for first in the NFL over that period.
DT Nick Williams has recorded a career-high and a team-best 6.0 sacks for minus-34 yards to go along with nine QB hits, five tackles for a loss, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
LB Roquan Smith, the 8th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, leads the Bears with 78 tackles this season. Smith has 32 tackles in his last three games with an INT, one pass defenses and a tackle for a loss.
Bears’ offensive players to watch
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has thrown for four touchdowns against one interception in his last two games with a passer rating of 89.4. Against the Detroit Lions in Week 10, Trubisky scored a passer rating of 131.0, the third-highest of his career.
Wide receivers Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller each experienced career highs in catches in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams. Gabriel tied a career high with seven receptions for 57 yards while Miller set a high with six (for 54 yards). Wide receiver Allen Robinson II leads the Bears in receiving this season with 57 catches for 633 yards and three touchdowns. Of his 57 catches, 34 of them (60.0 percent) have gone for first downs.
Rookie running back David Montgomery (497 yds, 5 TDs) ranks second in the NFL among rookie RBs behind Oakland’s Josh Jacobs (923 yds, 7 TDs) in both yards and rushing touchdowns.
It’s all about Daniel Jones for the Giants
Jones is shooting for his ninth consecutive game with at least one passing touchdown. Jones’ 15 touchdown passes in the most in the NFL among rookie quarterbacks. Jones’ touchdown streak is the longest by a Giants’ quarterback since Eli Manning threw touchdowns in eight consecutive games in 2017.
In the Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Jets, Jones became the third rookie since at least 1950 to throw one or more TD in each of his first eight starts. He joined Mike Glennon (2013) and Baker Mayfield (2018) as the only players to accomplish that feat.
Daniel Jones has four touchdown passes in two of the past three games. Jones trails only Deshaun Watson and former Giant great Fran Tarkenton for the most such games by a rookie since 1950 with three.
Jones is also aiming for his fourth consecutive game completing at least 62.0% of his passes. Jones’ 63.0 completion percentage ranks second among rookie quarterbacks this season.
*Stats and figures courtesy of the Giants and Bears public relations departments.
