New York Giants Week 17 Opponent First Look: Bears Offense

The Giants face the Chicago Bears this weekend for the fourth season in a row and with the goal of getting a win to help improve the Bears' first round draft pick that belongs to the Giants.

The New York Giants travel to Soldier Field to face a 5-10 Bears' team teetering on turmoil. Head coach Matt Nagy may find himself out of a job at the season's end as his offense has been stagnant (though not as stagnant as the Giants' offense).

Chicago's never an easy place to play football, especially in the winter, but the Giants return to the field where Saquon Barkley tore his ACL a year and a half ago. Barkley stated in a press conference that he tries not to think about his injury or a season where the Giants narrowly missed the playoffs.

This is a winnable game, which seems like one of the most ridiculous statements I have written about this year's Giants team. Like the Giants, the Bears have a respectable defense with a questionable offense.

Bears' media constantly criticize Nagy to the point where he surrendered play-calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor midway through the 2021 season.

This game is equally interesting for the New York Giants because they own the Bears' first-round pick from their 2021 NFL Draft trade, where the Bears selected quarterback Justin Fields with the Giants' 11th overall pick.

The rookie quarterback is dealing with an ankle injury that held him out of Week 16. Fields practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday, but it's uncertain if he'll take the field against New York come Sunday.

Quarterbacks

One would imagine that Fields would be the starter if everyone were healthy, but that may not be the case. Fields has flashed in his rookie season, but his lows outweigh the highs. Fields had five turnovers in Week 7 against the Buccaneers and was sacked four times in a poor 38-3 beatdown. The Buccaneers were up 35-3 at halftime.

His athletic ability has been underutilized with Nagy and Lazor calling plays. He has 420 yards on the ground, two touchdowns, and 12 fumbles. He has recently done better with his legs, but they're mostly on pass plays that break down and not designed rushing plays.

Fields has thrown for 1,870 passing yards with seven touchdowns and ten interceptions. He isn't always accurate, but he does have a cannon, and the ball jumps out of his hand when he throws it.

Andy Dalton is off the COVID-19 list, and his groin is reportedly doing better. Dalton started the season as the signal-caller and relieved Fields when the young quarterback hurt his ribs. The last time the Giants saw Dalton, they beat him in Week 17 last year when he was the starting quarterback for the Cowboys. Dalton is a solid backup, but one that can make mistakes.

Last week, Nick Foles led an improbable come-from-behind victory against the Seahawks at Lumen Field. This win slides the Giants' second first-round pick down the board to eight, which is very frustrating. Foles is always good for a hot streak, but he's flopped several times through his career--just not when it mattered most in 2017.

It is uncertain which three quarterbacks will start for Chicago in the Windy City. It would be fun to see Fields against Patrick Graham and the team that traded an opportunity to select him at No. 11. From a draft pick standpoint, one team has to win; if the Giants lose, they, at least, have the opportunity to earn the third overall selection in the upcoming draft. That may not matter to you, or it may, but it's a reality.

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Running Backs

Former Iowa State cyclone David Montgomery has developed into one of the more versatile duel threats at the position. He is a three-down back that is often spelled by Khalil Herbert, who is playing well this season.

Montgomery only averages 3.9 yards per carry, but he has five rushing touchdowns and 713 yards on the ground. He also adds 38 catches for 277 yards through the air. He was a huge check-down option for Foles last week. Montgomery looks good with the football in his hands, but he is running behind a questionable offensive line with a play-caller who is a bit predictable.

The rookie out of Virginia Tech, Khalil Herbert, filled in well for Montgomery when the starter missed time with shoulder, glute, and groin injuries. Herbert has a 4.3 yards per carry mark with two touchdowns, one on an impressive scamper last week. He totals 413-yards on the ground.

Damien Williams is a passing downs player who doesn't see the field too often with the emergence of Herbert. He played nine snaps last week.

Wide Receivers

Allen Robinson has missed the last few weeks on the COVID-19 list, but the once-star receiver is having a terrible season, per his standards. He only has 32 catches for 353 yards and a touchdown. He is thought of as the No. 1 receiver, but his contract year has been abysmally difficult to watch.

This team's real No. 1 receiver is second-year wide receiver Darnell Mooney, with 107 targets with 62 catches for 860 yards and three touchdowns. Mooney was thought of as a deep threat during his rookie year but has developed well into an all-around receiver. He aligns out wide 57 percent of the time and in the slot 41 percent of the time.

The exciting Jakeem Grant has only 15 targets on the season since signing with the Bears after being released by Miami, but he is a lightning bolt in space. Grant has rare game-changing speed and quickness. He only has nine catches for 139 yards this season, but he is a threat every time he touches the ball. He also had two touchdowns. He missed week 16 with a concussion but practiced in full on Wednesday.

Jersey native, and Timber Creek Regional alumni, Damiere Byrd caught Foles' two-point conversion to all but secured the victory over the Seahawks last week. Byrd was the second receiver on the Patriots last season and signed with the Bears in free agency. He has 20-catches on 29-targets for 259-yards and a touchdown. He isn't great at anything, but he is solid at everything.

Speedster veteran Marquise Goodwin and Dazz Newsome also earn snaps on the offense. Goodwin more so than Newsome, but the former 49ers wide receiver, and potential track Olympian, is behind Byrd on the depth chart.

Tight Ends

The Bears use a solid amount of 12-personnel and love to incorporate their tight ends into their passing attack, specifically in the red zone. Jimmy Graham isn't the No. 1 tight end, but he is the target that the Bears' quarterbacks look to when in the red zone. Graham has three touchdowns on the season; one was last week's game-winning touchdown (right before the two-point conversion).

The top tight end is Cole Kmet, a second-year player out of Notre Dame. Kmet has 53 catches on 80 targets for 539 yards but has yet to find the end zone. He is a big body over the middle of the field who has made several impressive catches up the sea. The Giants are not particularly good against tight ends, so they have to be aware of the presence of Kmet and Graham.

Jesper Horsted spent much of the season injured but recently returned as the third tight end. He only has two catches this year; both of them are touchdowns.

Offensive Line

The Bears relied on an old Jason Peters to play left tackle for most of the season, and it has not worked. Rookie Tevin Jenkins wasn't ready to start, and he recently stepped in before missing most of the last game with an injury. He returned to practice and should be ready against the Giants, but that is a matchup that Azeez Ojulari can win.

Germaine Ifedi stepped into Jenkins' spot when the rookie was injured, along with a few other tackle options. Jenkins isn't the best tackle as a rookie, but his development is a priority, and the secondary options aren't great behind him.

Larry Borom played right tackle last week for the Bears; he's another player the Bears may look to replace next season. On the interior, James Daniels and Cody Whitehair man the guard positions. Both have the pedigree but haven't lived up to the expectations. Daniels leads the team with 33-pressures and nine penalties.

The center is Sam Mustipher, who has allowed 26-pressures from the interior but only one sack. The Giants will be without Dexter Lawrence this week because he ended up on the COVID-19 list. He may have dominated this matchup, but it should be solid days for Leonard Williams and Austin Johnson against this offensive line. 

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