New York Giants Preview: Week 13 vs. Chicago Bears

The playoff talk is over for the New York Giants, as they sit at 3-8 on the season. Now, they have the unenviable task of defending home turf against the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears.

Here’s what to look for in this game.

Eli’s Last Start of Season?

As mentioned before, the Giants have no chance of making the playoffs this season. With that goal out of reach, it’s now time for the Giants to start their next plan in preparing for “Life After Eli.”

Manning will start this week against, perhaps, the toughest defense in the NFL (we’ll get to that in a bit). With four games remaining after Sunday, it’s now the time for the Giants contingency group to take a look at the future. Head coach Pat Shurmur gave fans and the media Ben McAdoo flashbacks earlier this week. When the media asked about rookie Kyle Lauletta getting some starts, Shurmur asked, “why are you jumping over Alex Tanney?”

Oh no, not this again.

Regardless, Sunday could be Manning’s final hoorah, at least for the remainder of this season, as there have been reports of Manning starting next season. It’s time to look towards the future.

Monsters of the Midway 2.0

This Bears defense is going to be a problem for the Giants.

Chicago already had a tough squad as it was entering this offseason. Leonard Floyd, Akiem Hicks, and Danny Trevathan, just to name a few. Then, they added rookie Roquan Smith in the first round of the NFL Draft. The piece de resistance was Chicago acquiring stud linebacker Khalil Mack from the Oakland Raiders.

If you look at the stats,, it only supports how great this defense is. The Bears rank second in rushing defense (80.8 yards allowed/game), fourth in total defense (316.1 yards/game), and 11th against the pass (235.3). It doesn’t end there, as the Bears have the most interceptions out of any team in the league (20) and have allowed the third fewest points per game (19.2).

Despite the Giants having playmakers in Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr., they may find themselves having a difficult time making something happen. With a terrifying front seven attacking New York’s front seven and a secondary that can take away the ball through the air (Eddie Jackson and former Giant Prince Amukamara), the Bears could have themselves a field day.

Not to mention the absence of Evan Engram, who will not be suited up on Sunday due to a hamstring injury he suffered in pre-game warmups last week.

Can Giants Pass Rush Come Alive Against Chase Daniel

As expressed at nauseam, the Giants lack of a pass rush has only hurt them in games.

Olivier Vernon has struggled this season, as he has just one sack on the season and has become a magnet for penalties. His play has not only frustrated the fans, but Shurmur as well, going on the record to say he can’t defend the linebacker’s lack of production.

As a whole, the Giants have just 14 sacks on the year, with Mario Edwards Jr., Lorenzo Carter, and B.J. Hill tied for the most on the team…with two each.

New York won’t have second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to contend with, as he is dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder. Instead, they will face veteran journeyman Chase Daniel, who is coming off a good performance last week against the Detroit Lions. Daniel completed 27-of-37 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. While he was sacked four times against the Lions, Chicago’s o-line as a whole has been stingy against the pass rush. In fact, the Bears have allowed just 23 sacks on the season, which is the tenth-least in the NFL.

If New York can’t put any semblance of pressure on Daniel, it will only open things up for his weapons (Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Tarik Cohen).

The Giants-Bears game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET live on FOX.