The New York Giants (2-7) head out to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bears (5-3) at Soldier Field this Sunday afternoon. Oddsmakers are predicting a high-scoring game based on the recent play of each team’s young quarterback and the porous play by each defense.
Here are three matchups to keep an eye on in this game.
Bears’ running game vs. Giants’ run defense
The Giants’ run defense, if you can call it that, has allowed 192.3 yards per game over the last three weeks. Over that same span, the Bears’ offense has averaged a league-high 200.3 yards per game on the ground.
Chicago is led by the explosive D’Andre Swift, who missed last week’s 47-42 shootout with a groin injury, and Kyle Monangai, a rookie out of Rutgers, who ran for 176 yards last week. Swift is back practicing and could return this week.
The Giants have been playing all season without their best run-stopping linebacker, Micah McFadden, and now his replacement, Darius Muasau, is in danger of missing this week’s game with an ankle issue.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart vs. Bears’ defense
It has been suggested that Jaxson Dart may be one of those “matchup-proof” players (i.e., Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes). Since Dart took over as the Giants’ starter in Week 4, only two quarterbacks have racked up more fantasy points than he has — Mahomes and Bo Nix.
The Bears, on the other hand, have been one of the worst defenses against quarterbacks this year. They are ranked 30th overall on DraftKings and 27th in standard play.
Dart has accounted for 15 offensive touchdowns since being named the Giants’ starter and was named the NFL’s top offensive rookie in October.
Bears QB Caleb Williams vs. Giants’ defense
After a shaky start to his career, experts began to doubt if the former Heisman Trophy winner was worth the first overall pick in last year’s NFL draft. They aren’t questioning that now, as Williams has the right coach in Ben Johnson and plenty of weapons to light up the scoreboard with.
Williams can do it all, and proved that last week against the Bengals, leading the Bears on his fourth game-winning drive since Week 18 of last season, which is tied for the second-most by any quarterback in the NFL over that span. He also has a total of 17 games with no interceptions thrown in his first two professional seasons, tied for the second-most by any quarterback in the NFL since the start of last season.
The Giants’ defense is a mess, saddled by injuries and a scheme that is not befitting of their talent. They have allowed an average of 35 points per game over the last three weeks, all losses.
They have only six takeaways in their first nine games and just one over their last three. Their vaunted pass rush has just 21 sacks this season, and 11 of them have come from defensive end Brian Burns.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants vs. Chicago Bears: 3 matchups to watch in Week 10
