Eli knows Bears’ Mack is coming for him
EAST RUTHERFORD >> There won’t be any mistaking Khalil Mack when the Chicago Bears’ worldly outside linebacker plays at MetLife Stadium for the first time on Sunday.
Eli Manning has been around long enough to know.
“There’s been some good ones over the years, and he’s obviously kind of at the top of the list,” the Giants’ quarterback said before practice Wednesday. “DeMarcus Ware when he was in Dallas, we played him. And (Terrell) Suggs — what he’s done in Baltimore. He’s very disruptive, and you’ve got to have a plan to try to just keep him from taking over.”
Mack, a two-time First Team All-Pro and the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, anchors what is statistically the league’s most efficient defense, according to Football Outsiders.
As the Giants (3-8) attempt to win all five of their remaining games in order to finish .500, the Bears (83) will pose the most difficult challenge to New York’s offense.
“He’s got all the talent and qualities that you would ever ask for in a defensive end, but he plays with a really good team, too,” left tackle Nate Solder said of Mack. “They’re good across the board on their d-line, they’re good across the board on their linebackers and DBs. So it’s not just him. It’s the combination of everything that makes it that much more difficult.”
Seven players on Chicago’s defense have at least two sacks. Mack has eight sacks, nine quarterback hits, six tackles-for-loss, five forced fumbles and one interception — despite missing two games because of injury.
The Giants have allowed 38 sacks, tied with Dallas for second-most in the league, but the offensive line has performed better since the bye week. On 39 dropbacks against the Eagles this past Sunday, New York surrendered only two sacks and five quarterback hits.
The key for the Giants lately has been running the ball more with heavy formations. That plan went awry in the second half in Philadelphia, where Saquon Barkley had only three carries on 21 total offensive plays after churning 94 yards on nine rushes in the first half.
All signs point to a slower start for the Giants this week. The Bears are allowing the fewest firsthalf points per game (5.9) and second-fewest rushing yards per game (80.8).
“They have a sound defense,” Manning said. “It’s nothing exotic or confusing. It’s just good players and good scheme, and they play fast. You just have to stay on pace and stay in rhythm, and avoid those negative plays and don’t let them create those big plays.”
Mack moves around in Chicago’s defense, so both Solder and right tackle Chad Wheeler will have a say in whether the superstar leaves an imprint on the game.
Solder had a disappointing start to the season fresh off signing a record fouryear, $62 million deal in the offseason. But the veteran has been a bright spot since the bye week with only sack and two quarterback pressures allowed in three games, according to Pro Football Focus.
“What gives us confidence is that we work hard, we understand our opponents as best we can and we play at a high level,” Solder said.
Wheeler, an undrafted rookie out of USC last year, has had plenty experience lining across from the best. His first start last November came against Kansas City’s Justin Houston, and his first assignment after replacing Ereck Flowers in Week 3 was Houston’s J.J. Watt.
Wheeler also faced Mack last season in Oakland, prior to the Raiders trading him in September. The California native has already watched film of that game and said he is more comfortable and calmer on the field now.
“He has an internal drive that sometimes I match, so you’ve got to bring it,” Wheeler said. “There’s a chip on his shoulder. You can tell. Some players in the league, they have a chip on their shoulder. They’ve got some x-factor that makes him, I don’t know, different or unique. That’s what I think of when I see him.”
Engram Not Practicing
Tight Evan Engram (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Head coach Pat Shurmur said Engram participated in the team’s morning walkthrough. His status remains murky after missing the Eagles game because of a pulled hamstring in warmups.
Linebacker Lorenzo Carter (hip), linebacker Tae Davis (ankle), linebacker B.J. Goodson (neck), cornerback Grant Haley (hamstring), safety Curtis Riley (shoulder) and defensive end Kerry Wynn (concussion) were all limited in practice. Wynn also missed Sunday’s game and has yet to clear the concussion protocol.
Stewart Ready
Shurmur said running back Jonathan Stewart, who has been on injured reserve since Sept. 28, is “ready to go if we need him.”
Because Stewart returned to practice Nov. 15, the Giants have until next Thursday (21-day window) to decide whether to activate him again this season. With Barkley, Wayne Gallman and fullback Elijhaa Penny entrenched ahead of him in the backfield, Stewart is unlikely to return without an injury to another player.
Wide receiver Cody Latimer is another player on IR who returned to practice Wednesday, so the Giants have three weeks to make a decision on his status. Latimer was the team’s No. 3 receiver and returned four kickoffs in the first four games of the season.