By the Numbers: Notable Stats Behind the New York Giants' Week 2 Loss
The Giants came up short on Sunday, as they could not complete a comeback in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears.
Here of five of the most significant numbers from the Giants’ 17-13 loss to the Bears.
Third Down Offense - 23%
The Giants offense converted on just three of 13 third-down conversion attempts on Sunday, for a 23% efficiency rating.
It was a substantial step back from the 53.3% the offense recorded Week 1 against the Steelers.
The Giants fell behind 17-0 in the first half because they converted just one of four third-down attempts.
But the Giants showed signs of life early in the third quarter. Following an interception of Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the Giants had the ball on Chicago’s 25-yard line.
However, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones could not find Darius Slayton on 3rd-and-6, and the Giants were forced to settle for a field goal. This was essentially the story of the game for the Giants.
Whenever they started with good field position or had a good drive going, the Giants failed to convert on third down. Making a few more of these conversions could have ultimately made the difference for the Giants in this game.
Total Rushing Yards - Bears: 135, Giants: 75
The Bears outrushed the Giants 135 yards to 75 yards on the ground in this game.
Bears second-year running back David Montgomery was coming off a somewhat disappointing Week 1 performance against the Detroit Lions in which he had 64 rushing yards and ten receiving yards. Against the Giants, he managed to put together a solid bounce-back performance.
Montgomery carried the ball 16 times for 82 yards and had three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley left the game after the first playoff the second quarter after suffering what is believed to be a torn ACL on the first play of the second quarter. Before his injury, Barkley had four carries for 28 yards.
Had Barkley not gotten hurt, the Giants probably would have had a much better day running the ball. Veteran Dion Lewis took over the lead back duties following Barkley’s departure, recording 20 rushing yards and one touchdown on ten attempts.
With Barkley out, the Giants’ running game has suffered a significant blow. The Giants are reportedly looking for help and were scheduled to host former Falcons running back Devonta Freeman Tuesday.
This was the second consecutive game that the Giants had an underwhelming rushing attack, as they gained just 29 total yards on the ground in their loss to the Steelers.
With Barkley believed to be done for the season, it remains to be seen if the Giants can improve in this area.
Red Zone Efficiency - 33%
The Giants scored a touchdown on just one of their three trips to the red zone. Daniel Jones drove the Giants deep into Bears’ territory on the Giants’ third drive of the game but was picked off by Deon Bush just outside the red zone.
Jones then led a drive inside the Bears’ 20-yard line early in the fourth quarter. This 11-play drive ended in a Dion Lewis one-yard touchdown run.
On their next possession, Jones drove the Giants into the red zone again, but the Giants had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Graham Gano.
Trailing 17-13 with about two minutes to play, the Giants got the ball back on their 40-yard line. With no timeouts remaining, Jones was able to keep finding his receivers and move the chains.
The Giants were able to get the ball all the way down to Chicago’s 10-yard line, but on the final play of the game, Jones was unable to hook up with receiver Golden Tate in the end zone.
Finishing drives is something that the Giants’ offense must get better at going forward. They also had a 33 percent red-zone efficiency rate in their Week 1 loss to the Steelers.
Between Slayton, Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram, Jones has plenty of options to utilize in the red zone.
Obviously, not having Barkley is going to hurt this offense. However, Jason Garrett’s offense needs to start capitalizing on their scoring opportunities.
If the Giants’ red-zone struggles continue, these types of crushing losses are going to continue.
Time Of Possession - Bears: 34:29, Giants: 25:31
For the second consecutive game, the Giants lost the time of possession battle. The Steelers possessed the ball for about three more minutes than the Giants in Week 1.
During Sunday’s game, the situation was even worse as the Bears had the ball for nearly nine more minutes than the Giants did.
This difference in time of possession was more evident in the first half. Chicago opened the game with a 12-play drive that lasted more than half of the first quarter. Their final drive of the first half lasted 11 plays and took more than five minutes off the clock.
In the second half, the Giants had a couple of long drives of their own. However, their longest drive of the day in terms of possession time was only 4:39.
Somehow, the Bears only ran two more plays than the Giants. However, they were much more economical when it came to possessing the ball and taking time off the clock.
If the Giants continue to lose the time-of-possession battle, their defense will get worn out throughout a 16-game season.
Sacks Allowed - 4
Jones was brought down four times during Sunday’s loss to the Bears. On his team’s first possession of the game, Jones was sacked by Bears edge rusher Robert Quinn and committed his first fumble of 2020.
At times, the Giants offensive line was just outmatched by the Bears’ front seven. In addition to their four sacks, the Bears’ defense had four quarterback hits. They were able to put pressure on Jones continually, and he made several mistakes as a result.
The offensive line was an area that general manager Dave Gettleman focused a lot of his attention on this offseason. However, Jones has already been sacked seven times over the Giants’ first two games.
To be fair, the Giants' first two games of 2020 have come against defensive lines loaded elite pass-rushing talent, but things aren't going to get much easier for their offensive line soon, as their next two games will be against the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
The 49ers’ defensive line could be without defensive end Joey Bosa, so the Giants’ offensive line could catch a break from their recent string of top-end pass rushers.
