Hope for the best early
For the Bears to keep this season from becoming more of a wreck than it already is, they have to take care of business in the games they absolutely must win. That means taking advantage of a home game Sunday against a last-place Giants team that hasn’t won since September. So what’s the pathway to victory? Here are our three keys to the game.
Take away any sense of hope the Giants have early on.
The Giants’ last win came in Week 4, and a trend has become obvious during their six-game losing streak. In five of those losses, they fell behind by double digits in the first half before scoring. In other words, there’s a golden opportunity for the Bears to do what they did so well in 2018: Take an early lead, build on it and never let it go. But there’s one big catch. This year’s team hasn’t exactly established itself as a fast starter. Quite the contrary. Over the last six games — five of them losses — the Bears have averaged 100.1 total yards, 6.2 first downs and 3.2 points before halftime. Boil that down further and it equates to 17.8 yards, 1.1 first downs and 0.6 points per firsthalf possession since Oct. 1. That’s a pattern of excruciating first-half performances that can’t continue.
Get Khalil Mack back on track.
It’s well-documented that Mack was a nonfactor in last week’s loss to the Rams. The All-Pro outside linebacker played 46 snaps and didn’t get his name in the box score. Not a single statistical contribution. Much of that had to do with the Rams’ game plan to limit his impact. But Mack has only one sack in the last five games and needs to find ways to break through. Opportunities should be plentiful Sunday, especially if the Bears can take care of Key No. 1, build an early lead and take advantage of playing from ahead for once. Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has 17 turnovers in eight starts and has been sacked 32 times. Offensive tackles Nate Solder and Mike Remmers can be beaten. And for those looking for a best-case scenario for Mack, take a look at Chandler Jones’ performance against the Giants in Week 7. The Cardinals standout had four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Take the passing game to a new level.
The Bears have struggled all season to generate big gains in the passing game. Mitch Trubisky has just seven completions for 30 or more yards.
For comparison’s sake, his 2017 draft classmates Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes have 21 completions apiece for at least 30 yards. Watson had five in the Texans’ win Thursday night over the Colts alone. But here’s the good news: The Giants pass defense is abysmal. It ranks second-to-last in yards allowed per play (8.3) and 25th in yards allowed per game (259). The Giants have allowed 16 completions of at least 30 yards, including a league-high 12 for at least 40 yards.