Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Numbers of Note in the Giants' 19-14 Loss to the Bears
The New York Giants (2-9) suffered arguably their most frustrating loss of the season Sunday afternoon, falling to the offensively-inept Chicago Bears (5-6), 19-14, on the road.
Winning on the road isn’t an easy task, but the Giants could have escaped Soldier Field with a win had it not been several missed opportunities and - more specifically - Adrick Rosas’ game-deciding performance in the kicking game.
Now in the midst of a seven-game losing skid, 2019 has become a season to forget for Giants fans and even with a strong finish down the stretch, the future of this team - and the current coaching staff - is looking as hazy as can be right now.
The Giants will try and salvage what’s left of their season against NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers (8-2)* in Week 13, but before we look ahead, let’s take one last look back at Week 12; this time, by the numbers.
0
Big Blue kept the Bears off of the scoreboard in the first quarter on Sunday afternoon, marking the first time since Week 4 (vs. Washington) that they’ve shut out an opponent in the first 15 minutes of action.
Including Sunday afternoon, New York’s defense now has two first-quarter shutouts to its name in 2019.
1
Linebacker Alec Ogletree’s interception in the first quarter was not only his first interception of the season but also the first red-zone interception recorded by the Giants in 2019.
With that interception, Mitchell Trubisky has now thrown three red-zone picks this year, the second-highest total in the league.
Also, Giants rookie defensive back Julian Love’s third-quarter interception of Trubisky was the first of his young career.
On the offensive side of the ball, rookie tight end Kaden Smith’s touchdown reception in the second quarter was the first career touchdown catch of the rookie’s career.
2
Kicker Aldrick Rosas’ two missed field goal attempts were ultimately the deciding points in Sunday’s loss to the Bears. The two misses mark the first time in the Pro Bowl kicker’s career that he’s missed more than one field goal in a single contest.
The Giants recorded only their second halftime lead (7-3) of the season against Chicago. Big Blue’s 7-3 lead at halftime lead was also the first such advantage the team has had since Week 4 against the Washington Redskins.
Chicago recorded 335 yards of total offense on Sunday afternoon, marking just the second time this season in which the club eclipsed 300 total yards of offense in a single contest.
5
Receiver Sterling Shepard recorded his fifth rushing attempt of the season on a 22-yard scamper in the first quarter, setting a new single-season career-high.
That 22-yard run also brought his 2019 rushing total to 64 yards on the year, good for another single-season career-high in the process for the 26-year-old wideout.
On a negative note, Rosas has now either a field goal try or point-after attempt in five straight contests.
Lastly, thanks to a third-quarter strip-sack at the hands of Khalil Mack, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones became the first quarterback since Josh Freeman and Tim Tebow during the 2011 season to lose a fumble in five straight contests.
7
The Giants have now gone seven straight games without scoring a touchdown on their opening possession. Of those seven instances, New York has punted six times and recorded a field goal once.
To be fair to Big Blue, it was going to be an uphill battle to set the tone early, as the Bears have now gone 21 straight games without allowing an opening drive touchdown.
8.3
The Giants have been inconsistent on third down this year, but Chicago’s defense really brought that inconsistency to the forefront. The Bears allowed New York to convert on just 8.3 percent (1-of-12) of its third-down attempts on Sunday, a new season-low for the Giants.
9
Jones has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in nine-straight starts this year, tied for the second-longest streak for a rookie quarterback in NFL history.
With five games left to play, Jones has a chance of at least tying the NFL rookie record (13 straight starts) that Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield set last season.
150
Jones’ 150 yards passing set a new career-low for the rookie signal-caller and a new season-best for Chicago’s vaunted stop unit.
152.1
Rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine was abused by Mitchell Trubisky on Sunday and based on his performance, whether he’ll earn another start in the coming weeks is questionable.
The Washburn product recorded a miserable a 152.1 passer-rating against when targeted in coverage, allowing eight completions (10 targets) for 175 yards receiving and a touchdown on the afternoon.
