The Chicago Bears are on the verge of turning years of losing and frustration around. They have won five of their last six games and they appear ready to make a run at a playoff spot. First-year head coach Ben Johnson has been able to get his players to focus on the job at hand and avoid the mistakes that have ruined seasons in the past.
The Bears have built an offense that can light up the scoreboard and move the ball up and down the field in dynamic fashion. One of the primary reasons for this is the play of quarterback Caleb Williams. He has arm strength and big-play ability and he has combined those attributeds with the skill to buy time with his feet. He is able to make key plays on the run when he is forced out of the pocket.
Williams had one of his best games in Chicago’s 47-42 triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 280 yards with 3 touchdowns while keeping it clean on the interception side of the ledger. Williams also had five rushing attempts for 53 yards.
The quarterback is still growing and learning as he leads the Bears, and mistakes still happen. However, there seems to be fewer errors on an every-week basis.
Williams should have an excellent opportunity for another big game against the defensively porous Giants. New York has the 29th-ranked defense in the league as the Giants are allowing 382.1 yards and 27.7 points per game.
Williams has a pair of go-to receivers in Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. Odunze is the Bears’ leading receiver with 31 receptions for 473 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Moore has caught 30-403-1. Both receivers are capable of making game-breaking plays and it appears they have just touched the surface of what they are capable of doing.
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Both receivers could have approach 100 receiving yards against the Giants.
Jaxson Dart will keep the Giants in the game with 225-plus yards and 2 TD passes
Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Giants had high hopes of turning their season around when they registered a 34-17 triumph over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. Quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo seemed to be the team’s hope for the future, but the Giants lost three games in a row and Skattebo suffered a season-ending injury.
Dart still appears to have an excellent future, but the loss of star wideout Malik Nabers has been a major handicap. Nevertheless, Dart has completed 109 of 175 passes for 1,175 yards with 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He has also run for 251 yards and 5 touchdowns.
While the Giants should be able to give the Bears a battle with Dart under center, it seems unlikely they can go on the road and score enough points to stay with an emerging teams that has demonstrated an explosive offense. Dart has a pair of solid receivers in Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton.
Robinson has been targeted 68 times and he has 47 receptions for 540 yards and 2 touchdowns. Robinson caught 9 passes for 46 yards in the Week 9 loss to the 49ers. Slayton has not been as prolific as Robinson. He has caught 19 passes for 254 yards. He is coming off one of his best games of the season as he caught 5 passes for 62 yards against the Niners.
The Giants should be able to move the ball against the 26th-ranked defense in the league. The Bears are allowing 368.8 yards per game and gave up 470 yards to the Bengals.
Bears rookie Kyle Monangai will run for 75-plus yards and 1 TD
The Bears found an excellent running game against the Bengals with rookie Kyle Monangai. The seventh-round draft choice from Rutgers carried the ball 26 times for 176 yards. In addition to his consistency, Monangai had a long run of 39 yards.
Monangai moved into the starting running back role because D’Andre Swift (groin) was unable to play. Swift’s status for the Giants has not been determined, but Johnson may not want to turn to Swift if he is anything less than 100 percent. The Bears will meet the division rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, and he may want to make sure that the explosive Swift is healthy for that game rather than rush him back against the Giants. Monangai is battling an ankle injury himself.
The running game is essential for the Bears for multiple reasons. The longer the team can run the ball, the less pressure there is on Williams. He has cut down on his mistakes but that aspect of his game still remains a factor. Running the ball in dominant fashion will make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
It also will help the Bears win the time of possession advantage, meaning the defense won’t be on the field for the majority of the game. If the Giants offense is spending time on the sidelines, Dart’s ability to diagnose the defense and make key plays will be limited.
Look for Monangai to assert himself once again as the Bears put the game away late in the third quarter and run the ball consistently in the final 15 minutes.
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