Three Played That Doomed the NY Giants in Week 10 Loss vs. Bears

Everything was going well until a play in the third quarter began the New York Giants collapse.

East Rutherford, NJ -- August 24, 2024 -- Jamie Gillan of the Giants before the game. The New York Giants and New York Jets meet at MetLife Stadium in the final preseason game of the 2024 season for both teams. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Giants had a great opportunity to get a quality road win in their Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears.

Going into the third quarter, the defense had only surrendered seven points. They forced three punts and two turnovers on downs even though they did not record a sack, force a fumble, or make an interception.

The offense made plays in the passing game, and they ran the ball effectively.

One of the biggest things that teams who have been used to losing have to learn is how to close out a game. We have already seen a fourth-quarter collapse against the Denver Broncos, and the Giants once again let a victory slip away.

A few plays turned the tide for Big Blue and led to their eventual loss. Let’s examine and discuss those moments. 

Jaxson Dart Fumble

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Six minutes into the third quarter, the defense forced a punt after a touchdown drive to open the second half. This was a chance for the Giants to go up by three scores.

The drive was going well. The Giants had drained four minutes off the clock so far. Dart completed four of his six passes, and he had a 10-yard run on a designed quarterback run.

They called a similar quarterback run the opposite way, and it worked just as well, but as Dart was running, CJ Gardner-Johnson came in and punched the ball out of his arm. It killed a drive where they were threatening to score.

They were already in field goal range and were heading into the red zone. The Bears recovered the ball, drove 80 yards, and kicked a field goal. It brought the lead down to one touchdown. 

4th-and-1 Field Goal Decision

After the Bears kicked the field goal, Dart left the game with a concussion. The Giants leaned on running backs Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy to get the ball down the field, thanks to a short pass by Russell Wilson to Singletary that turned into a 41-yard gain.

They worked it down to the 1-yard line and on fourth down decided to kick the field goal. It was an interesting decision when you consider how many times they went for it on fourth down in the middle of the field.

They made the field goal, but the Bears' penalty moved the ball to the half-yard line. They decided to keep the field goal on the board.

Had they gone for the end zone and scored, that touchdown would have put the Giants up by 14 points, but instead they were only up by 10.

Even if they did not get the score, it would have made the Bears have to drive 99 yards for a touchdown. 

Shanked Gillan Punt

New York Giants punter Jamie Gillan shanked a punt at a critical juncture in the loss to the Bears. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Bears scored a touchdown after the Giants chose to take the field goal. That reduced the lead to three points and put the pressure on the Giants to pick up some first downs and control the clock with under four minutes remaining.

Unfortunately, Wilson was sacked on first and third down, and the team was punting less than a minute later.

On the 27-yard line, punter Jamie Gillan came out hoping to unleash one of his big punts that would seriously flip the field.

Instead, the ball shanked off the side of Gillan’s foot and only traveled 26 yards, which gave the Bears the ball one first down away from field goal range. The Bears scored on that drive, and the Giants could not mount an answer on the final drive.

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