Top 5 Giants Players To Watch vs. Bears in Week 4
The New York Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys 23-16 on Monday night and wasted little time jumping into their prep work for their Week 4 home date against the Chicago Bears. Here's a look at five Giants players/units whose performances could be instrumental in ensuring the Giants end up on the winning side of the ledger.
RB Saquon Barkley
Giants running back Saquon Barkley has been the Giants' most reliable offensive threat so far this season. Following a slow start against the Cowboys, Barkley finished his night with 81 rushing yards on 14 carries, including a 36-yard touchdown run.
Despite such, Barkley hasn’t been able to find the same success he managed to garner in Week 1 against the Titans when he ran for over 100 yards. Barkley ran for just 72 yards on 21 carries with no touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers.
(That, by the way, is the same defense that allowed Browns running back Nick Chubb to rush for 141 yards the week prior on 22 carries.)
If you take away Barkley’s 36-yard touchdown run against the Cowboys, he would be left with 45 yards rushing on 13 carries, averaging 3.46 yards per carry.
This week, Barkley will face the league's second-worst run defense (157.0 yards per game). Although the Bears are likely to load the box against him, this matchup, at least on paper, certainly appears to favor the Giants.
Wide Receivers
Losing wide receiver Sterling Shepard to an ACL tear was a big blow to this Giants offense. Despite missing most of the summer while recovering from a ruptured Achilles suffered late last season, Shepard quickly became quarterback Daniel Jones’ favorite receiver and led the team with 24 targets.
With Shepard now on IR, the Giants need someone to step up. Who will that be?
Based on their productivity, chemistry with Jones, and reps, Richie James Jr. and David Sills V are the odds-on favorites.
On 16 targets this season, James has reeled in 14 receptions for 146 yards. He is third in total passing snaps played amongst all receivers, has provided a reliable presence in the Giants first three games, and has developed a strong connection with Jones.
Since his increase in pass reps over the last two games, Sills has illustrated his upside and productivity. On eight targets, Sills, in 90 passing game snaps, has caught five receptions for 57 yards. Sills' underrated play likely won’t be the biggest priority for opposing defensive secondaries, and Jones could take full advantage of that.
Kenny Golladay has struggled with the limited snaps he’s receiving, failing to reel in any of his three targets against the Cowboys (which included a drop).
With Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson declared out this week, that could open an opportunity for Darius Slayton, who has yet to get a pass target this season. The Giants are also likely to elevate a receiver from their practice squad, Marcus Johnson being the most likely candidate.
Run Defense (Front Seven)
After keeping Titans running back Derrick Henry in check in Week 1 (82 yards on 21 carries), the Giants run defense hasn't been quite as stout. Conceding 102 rushing yards on 15 carries to Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey in Week 2, the Giants run defense allowed a combined 178 yards on the ground to Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot Monday night against Dallas.
This week, the Giants run defense will be tested against the Bears. The Bears are second in the league in rushing yards per game (186.7) this season and possess one tough tandem with David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. After Montgomery departed early last week due to an ankle/knee injury, Herbert posted a career-high 157 yards rushing with two touchdowns on 20 carries in their 23-20 victory over the Houston Texans.
The Bears' success running the ball has taken the onus off quarterback Justin Fields, who has yet to complete more than 17 pass attempts in a single game this season. Fields, by the way, also possesses excellent mobility and athleticism as a runner; that adds another level of danger to this Bears rushing attack.
It doesn’t help that the Giants are missing one of their best run-stopping defensive linemen in Leonard Williams, who’s still grappling with a knee injury. Though Dexter Lawrence II has done a solid job holding down the fort, the same can't be said about the Giants inside linebackers.
Tae Crowder and Austin Calitro have struggled to be efficient with their tackling and run fits. Calitro, for example, filled the wrong gap on Tony Pollard's 46-yard run. Crowder, meanwhile, has been inconsistent with his tackling, such as on Zeke Elliott's 1-yard touchdown rush. Crowder led the team in missed tackles with nine (he had five against the Cowboys).
Simply put, the Giants run defense better do an improved job tackling and filling run lanes, else they'll be in for a long afternoon this weekend.
RT Evan Neal
Evan Neal didn’t have a great showing against the Cowboys, surrendering a career-high five pressures that included two sacks. (Note: Neal was charged with three sacks by Pro Football Focus; however, on one, a tight end chip that was supposed to come never did).
Though the entire Giants offensive line struggled, allowing 27 pressures on 49 dropbacks (a career-high for Jones), Neal's newness to the league was often exploited early and often.
So far, the Bears' pass rush hasn't been quite as potent as the Cowboys, so perhaps Neal and the rest of the Giants offensive line will get a chance to reset after being beaten more often than not Monday night.
Former Defensive Player of the Year and All-Pro veteran edge rusher in Robert Quinn is questionable heading into this game. However, third-year edge rusher Trevis Gipson leads the team in pressures (10) and in sacks (2) on a Bears pass rush that is 13th in the league in sack rate per pass attempt (7.06 percent).
The Pass Rush
Three games into the season, the Giants are 30th in the league in sacks per pass attempt (3.23 percent), with three sacks to show for it.
Playing in their first games of the season on Monday night, both Azeez Ojulari and rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, two players expected to bring the heat consistently on the pass rush, were held in check against the Cowboys offensive line. In 19 pass rush snaps, Thibodeaux only had one pressure, while Ojulari had none in 15 pass rush snaps.
That said, this week, the Giants starting edge rush tandem faces a more favorable matchup. The Bears offensive line is last in the league in pass blocking efficiency (76.9 percent), having allowed 25 pressures.
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