Three Mismatches Bears Can Exploit Against Giants

Some elite players on the Bears defense went quietly through last week's opener.

The matchups this week favor both Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks bouncing back. They'll need to, because the Giants and Saquon Barkely come to Soldier Field for the second straight year and two years go in New Jersey beat up the Bears on defense for a 30-27 win.

New coach Joe Judge in his debut had the Giants playing hard Monday night but they seemed overmatched personnel-wise against the Steelers, and now they get to go on the road in a short work week.

Judge's offensive coordinator is Jason Garrett, whose Cowboys offense last year was possibly the most explosive in the NFL but came to Soldier Field only to be dominated by the Bears. The Cowboys had 24 points but several late scores made the 31-24 final seem closer than it was.

The short work week can be the least of the Giants' worries if the Bears take advantage of three lopsided matchups featuring some of their best players.

Giants RT Cameron Fleming vs. Bears OLB Khalil Mack

Whether it's the knee issue Mack had or the Lions' well-conceived plan for blocking, the Bears' top pass rusher was stymied last week. It must be noted the Patriots always have had this ability to stop Mack and the Lions borrowed from their plan with help and play direction. They simply kept him off balance and guessing, and when the Bears had some unusual problems stopping the run, it kept their edge-rush ace even more off balance. Fleming has only been a part-time player throughout his career. He was a sub for Dallas last season and last week experienced a difficult day against Pittsburgh with a sack allowed and penalty, according to Pro Football Focus stats. Fleming had a PFF grade of 47.7 last week, an abysmal number. If the Bears get Robert Quinn back as they'd like, they'll have their three-pronged pass rush and will be better able to create pressure while freeing Mack up for one-on-one rush. The Giants could switch to rookie Matt Peart, but starting as a rookie against Mack could invite even more sacks. They'll look to help with tight ends, possibly even three tight ends, but will give up too much offense by doing this.

Giants CB Corey Ballentine vs. WR Allen Robinson

Against man-to-man pressure, Mitchell Trubisky showed an ability last week to drop the ball in along the sidelines to both Robinson and Anthony Miller during the fourth quarter. Ballentine trying to cover Robinson is a mismatch in zone or man, and the Bears took advantage of it last year for six catches, 131 yards and a touchdown. Robinson has a 3-inch height edge but more importantly Ballentine doesn't play the ball well enough to disrupt Robinson. Ballentine, an outclassed player from Washburn, had a passer rating against of 126.4 last year while playing in the slot and has moved out to boundary corner. In Week 1, Pro Football Focus gave him a 50.0 grade at defending the pass. The Giants haven't transitioned to playing mostly zone yet, and man doesn't work against Trubisky as well. Ballentine is going to need to adjust to playing a coverage they'd rather not be in against Robinson.

Giants RG Kevin Zeitler vs. DE Akiem Hicks

Zeitler is coming off a disastrous night, when PFF fixed him with a 29.5 pass-blocking grade, and 49.6 overall. Just when the 6-4, 315-pounder from Wisconsin could use a break, he gets to run up against Akiem Hicks one week after Hicks played one of his few mediocre games. Hicks did get a huge sack in the fourth quarter but was part of the defensive front that got shoved around by the Lions in the running game, allowing 138 yards on the ground to Adrian Peterson. Hicks had little training camp due to a quad injury and is working his way back into shape. Anticipate he'll make a statement, and help greatly to bottle up Barkley.

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