Know Your Enemy: Previewing the Giants
As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Chicago Bears this week.
They will be taking on the New York Giants, who have been playing like a playoff team as of late. At 6-3, the G-Men are on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Bears. Chicago will be without Alshon Jeffery and Kyle Long, their two best offensive players. It’s not impossible, but a Bears victory seems improbablt at this point. Anyway, let’s take a closer look at what to expect from the Giants on Sunday.
The Giants have one of the best passing attacks in the NFL today. Quarterback Eli Manning is ninth in the league with 2,481 passing yards. He also ranks 12th in passing touchdowns with 15. This is largely because of the performance of star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ has 54 receptions, 773 yards and six touchdowns. He should have a field day against a weak Bears secondary. The Giants also have other weapons like Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz in their arsenal. However, Manning ranks fifth in the league with 10 interceptions thrown. If the Bears’ red-hot pass rush can put pressure on him consistently throughout the game, the secondary will be much better off.
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While the Giants have a very good passing attack, they do not have an impressive ground game. They are the second-worst team at running the ball in the league. Rashad Jennings leads the team with only 255 yards and one touchdown. The Bears have a top-ten run defense, so expect them to dominate the G-Men on that front.
The Giants are a middle-of-the-road team defensively, ranking 14th in total yards allowed. They have a great run defense (fifth in the league), but a bad pass defense (21st). Part of their struggles defending the pass comes from a lack of pass rush. Even though they spent a lot of money on Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants only have 14 sacks this year. To put it in perspective, the Bears have 10 more sacks this year.
However, the Giants have a bright spot in their secondary: Landon Collins. The second-year safety ranks third in the league with four interceptions. If the Jay Cutler we all have come to know shows up on Sunday, Collins could add another pick to that total. Collins leads the team in tackles with 74. He is also the team’s leading sacker, along with Olivier Vernon; they both have three sacks. As a unit, the Giants have allowed an average of 20.4 points per game.
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