Week 4 of the NFL season sends the Bears to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the New York Giants. The Bears are coming off a great win (although many people are saying that the Packers lost the game more than the Bears won it) against a division rival at home, while the New York Giants are coming off one of the worst performances anybody has had in the NFL through three weeks. They were undisciplined in the way of penalties, they turned the ball over, and they didn't make many adjustments to fix their play throughout the game. Add to that the Giants were downright embarrassed in week 2 against the Colts. The Giants have alot to prove this week, and their fans at home are going to let them hear it if they come out flat against the Bears.
Offensive Preview
Quarterback: Advantage Even
NY Giants: Eli Manning: Eli is a good quarterback, but I wouldn't say he's elite. Yes, he's won a Super Bowl and has led his team to the playoffs a couple of times when Cutler hasn't. But when his team won the Super Bowl, they won it on the strength of their defense. This year, Manning has been inconsistent, and his offensive line has had very little continuity. He's been pressured alot, and since he isn't that mobile of a quarterback, he has taken some big hits and sacks. He also looked terrible last week against the Titans. That left handed toss near the goal line that got picked off was a really bad decision. I would look for Eli to struggle again this week against a Bears defense that will be aggressive.
Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler: Cutler had a "so-so" game against the Packers. He threw for 221 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception. He could have thrown for one more TD, but he also could have had 2 more interceptions. His decision making was poor compared to weeks 1 and 2, and he started throwing off his back foot toward the end of the game, which isn't good. That being said, he did make enough plays in the passing game (and running game, by the way) to lead his team to a crucial victory. I have said in prior posts that I like what I see from Cutler so far this year. He's shown the ability to bounce back from poor performances in the past, and I would expect the same from him this week against the Giants. The Giants secondary has not played well, getting shredded against Indianapolis and then playing poorly against the Titans. I will say around 290 yards, 2-3 TD, 1 interception for Cutler this week. He'll probably have similar numbers passing in every game this year since the Bears haven't shown the ability to run the ball at all.
Running Backs: Advantage Even
NY Giants: Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs: The Giants have a true 2 back system. Each guy usually sees several carries in every game, depending on the situation (down and distance). Lately, the Giants have been using Bradshaw alot more as it seems Jacobs is falling out of favor with Tom Coughlin. Bradshaw is a shifty back, and has an explosive burst when he gets in space. The Bears run defense has been so good the first three weeks, so I wouldn't expect the Giants to run wild in this game, especially with the injuries to their offensive line.
Chicago Bears: Matt Forte, Chester Taylor: I really like both of these backs, especially Matt Forte. If the Bears made any attempt at improving their run blocking, their offense would be dynamic, and I would give the RB edge to the Bears in this game. However, the Bears have shown clearly that they are a pass first team now, which is very different from what Bears fans are used to. Forte has been terrific in the passing game, although the past 2 weeks he hasn't been used as much in the screen game. I would expect the Bears to get their screen game going again this week against a 4-3 base defense that likes to send the defensive ends up field. I think Forte could have a big impact on this game.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Advantage Bears
NY Giants: Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Kevin Boss, Travis Beckum: The Giants top 2 receivers are decent (Nicks and Smith), but they aren't the best receivers the Bears will face, or even have faced this year. Manningham might not play with a concussion, and the tight ends aren't very good in the passing game. Kevin Boss is an ok receiver, but isn't anybody you would definitely focus on. Nicks does have 4 touchdown catches, but 3 of those came in week 1 against the Panthers. Steve Smith leads the team with 18 receptions, but there isn't alot of evidence that the Giants are spreading the ball around to everybody. They are a decent group of receivers, but not the best the Bears have seen.
Chicago Bears: Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Devin Aromashodu: I will list Aromashodu even though he hasn't played the last 2 weeks. Reports are out there saying that Aromashodu doesn't understand, or maybe doesn't want to line up as a slot receiver, and doesn't want to go over the middle. If that is the case, screw him. The coaches are right to bench someone who isn't willing to play tough and learn the whole system. I like the Bears' receivers better than the Giants' receivers because they have more depth and spread the ball around alot more. Johnny Knox looks like he's just waiting for a break out game, and I think he could find the endzone against the Giants secondary, which looks a little slow to start the season. Hester had a fantastic game on special teams against the Packers, and I would love to see him roll that forward to his offensive game this week. Again, it seems the Bears' best weapon in the passing game is Greg Olsen, who has 11 receptions, 140 yards, and 2 TD in the last 2 games. Not bad for the Tight End that everybody thought would be wasted in the Mike Martz system. I like the Bears receiving corps to have a breakout game this week against the Giants. Oh, and don't sleep on Matt Forte in the passing game. He showed in week 1 against the Lions that he can torch you in the screen game, as well as when he lines up out wide.
Offensive Line: Advantage Even
NY Giants: David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'hara, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie: The Giants have had issues on their line so far this season. The O-line was very undisciplined last week, taking several personal foul and holding penalties in the second half against the Titans. Shaun O'hara has also been banged up at center, and it looks like he might not play this week against the Bears. This would be the week for the Bears to really ramp up their pass rush and get after Eli Manning.
Chicago Bears: Frank Omiyale, Roberto Garza, Olin Kreutz, Lance Louis, Kevin Shaffer: The Bears' O-line played well againt last week, although they continue to get off to slow starts. They did have some minor success in the running game early, but eventually got away from the run, as they will most weeks while Martz is the coordinator. I was impressed at how the O-line handled Clay Matthews. Matthews had six sacks in the first two games of the season, and the Bears kept him away from Cutler for most of the game. The Bears will have a challenge with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, who are pretty good pass rushing defensive ends. The Giants don't have as aggressive a blitz package as the Packers do, and they play a base 4-3 defense, which the Bears have more experience playing against.
Defensive Preview:
Defensive Line: Advantage Giants (by a slim margin)
NY Giants: Justin Tuck, Barry Cofield, Chris Canty, Osi Umenyiora: I am giving the edge (slightly) to the Giants on the D-line because they have Tuck and Umenyiora, who have historically been very good pass rushing defensive ends. I am not particularly impressed with the DTs for the Giants, but their ends are pretty good, and they even have some depth at the end position with Mathias Kiwanuka.
Chicago Bears: Julius Peppers, Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams, Marcus Anderson: Julius Pepper was an absolute beast in the game against the Packers. He was all over the field, especially in the running game, and caused several false start and holding penalties with his quickness off the snap. I would expect Peppers to have another big game. Harris didn't play last week, and hasn't been spectacular for a few seasons. Anderson isn't rushing the passer like Alex Brown did. The D-line has played extremely well against the run, but needs to step it up against the pass.
Linebackers: Advantage Bears (by alot)
NY Giants: Michael Boley, Jonathan Goff, Clint Sintum, Keith Bulluck: Keith Bulluck is the best in this group, although reports are saying that he is sitting out practice this week with an undisclosed injury, and might not be available Sunday night. Boley is a serviceable weakside linebacker, and Goff and Sintum (who would replace Bulluck) are mediocre at the linebacker position.
Chicago Bears: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Pisa Tinoisamoa: Again, Urlacher and Briggs are studs. It is possible that the Bears have 2 of the top 5 linebackers in the NFC on their team. Those two are by far better than anybody the Giants can put out there at the linebacker position. Look for Urlacher and Briggs to play key roles in stopping Bradshaw and Jacobs in the running game. I wouldn't be surprised to see them get after Eli Manning quite a bit as well. They always play well, but need to tackle better than they did against the Packers. I am not worried about that though.
Secondary: Advantage Even
NY Giants: Corey Webster, Deon Grant, Antrel Rolle, Terrell Thomas: The Giants secondary has not performed well so far this season. The safeties (Rolle and Grant) are pretty solid football players, but the cornerbacks aren't fantastic. They were torched against Indy (who doesn't get torched against Indy), but they played just as poorly against the Titans, who are not a passing team. The Bears could have a great day against the corners, and should use their speed on the outside the stretch the field, force the safeties to cheat over, and then attack the middle of the field with Olsen, Forte and Earl Bennett.
Chicago Bears: Zack Bowman, Danieal Manning, Chris Harris, Charles Tillman: The Bears secondary has been lit up for alot of yards the past 2 weeks, but they haven't allowed many points. They definitely have that "bend, don't break" style working for them. It would be nice to see them play tighter in zone coverage. They seem to be in better position when they play man coverage, but Lovie Smith is going to live and die by his Cover 2, which leaves holes in the secondary. The Bears secondary is still doing a nice job forcing turnovers (the Bears have forced 8 turnovers through 3 games, which is a decent total). They need to get more pressure with their front four in order for the secondary to make impact plays on defense.
Special Teams: Advantage Bears (again, by alot)
NY Giants: The Giants have Lawrence Tynes and Matt Dodge kicking and punting. Tynes is ok, but not one of the best kickers in the NFL. Mario Manningham has been their best return man, and does have the ability to take one back to the house, but he isn't as dynamic as any of the Bears' returnmen.
Chicago Bears: Hester finally got the monkey off his back with a punt return touchdown against the Packers. I think the Giants will likely kick away from him this week, but that could leave the Bears with great field position. If they kick to him, watch out. He often gets his return yards in bunches, and could look to make a big impact again. Knox and Manning are very good kickoff returners, and Robbie Gould, despite missing a 49 yard field goal on the opening drive last week, still is the most accurate kicker in the league. The Bears have a better special teams unit than most teams, and they get a big edge over the Giants.
Prediction: The Bears have beaten 2 straight quality teams, who on paper should have beaten them. I like the Bears roster more than the Giants so far this season. They have momentum, and have played with far greater poise and discipline. The offense could have a big week against a defense that isn't among the top units in the league. They are just waiting for a breakout game, and I think they could get one this week in New York. My prediction: Bears 31, Giants 14. I don't normally predict a blowout, especially for the Bears to win, but I like where the Bears are headed, and the Giants are going the opposite way.
There you have it. Leave your predictions if you'd like. Thanks for reading.
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