The New York Giants are 2-9 for a reason, as their mistakes once again compounded and resulted in an embarrassing loss to the lowly Chicago Bears.
Man, does that Tampa Bay game seem like eons ago or what? Much – if not all – of the goodwill that was gained in back to back wins against the Bucs and Redskins early on in the season has eradicated, as the New York Giants now find themselves tied for the second-worst record in the NFL. Rookie QB Daniel Jones once again played admirably and did all he could, as his unit was badly overmatched against one of the league’s premier defenses.
It’s difficult to put this loss on Head Coach Pat Shurmur, although i’m sure there are many people out there that will. While he surely didn’t do much to help the team in it’s cause (like usual), if 2018 All-Pro kicker Aldrick Rosas can find a way to hit two makeable field goals, the New York Giants walk away from Soldier field with a win. Those six points proved to be crucial, as the Bears won by five, 19-14.
Struggling Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky showed flashes of why he was chosen so high in the 2017 NFL draft, as he arguably had his best game of the season. While his final numbers didn’t look terrific, he also had an easy touchdown pass dropped and a 50-yard pass called back on a hands to the face call (Giants rookie safety Julian Love made an amazing tackle to stop that from being a touchdown). Trubisky did throw two picks on the day, but he made chunk plays with ease in the second half and scored a touchdown with his legs, as well.
Julian Love was a highlight for Big Blue, as the rookie played the most meaningful snaps of his young career and excelled, leaving many wondering even more why it’s taken him so long to get on the field. Alec Ogletree recorded the other Giants interception, and if there was a way for him to only play the Chicago Bears maybe he would still have a future in this league. Markus Golden was a terror off the edge once again, picking up a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss, while also having another sack negated by a third-down holding call on Janoris Jenkins. Lorenzo Carter continued his impressive late-season run, as the second-year pro also chipped in a sack and two QB hits.
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Saquon Barkley still did not look like himself, as other than one 22-yard run he was largely ineffective. Barkley dropped an easy screen pass early on in the contest where he had a full head of steam, which was a killer for the offense as it was on third down, and it looked like he had a chance to take it to the house. It may have been the single best screen pass dialed up by Shurmur all season, and we’ll never know what could have been – can’t blame the ankle for that one.
Daniel Jones almost made it through the entire game with no turnovers, but Nate Solder (of course) got whipped by Khalil Mack later on in the game and was blasted while attempting to throw the ball. It’s hard to put this one on Jones in any capacity, as Mack got to him in under two seconds, and he was in his throwing motion. That set the Bears up inside the Giants five-yard line, and they punched it in easily to take a 19-7 lead, outscoring the Giants 16-0 in the decisive third quarter.
For a minute there it looked like Jones might have some more fourth-quarter magic in him, as he took Big Blue down the field on a 97-yard drive to bring the team within five-points when he hit Golden Tate for a 23-yard touchdown strike. After the Giants ‘D’ forced a three and out, Jones and the offense had one more shot to go on a game-winning drive, but they never made it past their own 35-yard line.
With seven losses in a row, and Green Bay and a hungry Philadelphia (twice) squad still on the schedule, this season has a chance of being a historically awful one for Big Blue.