New York Giants fans must be wondering why this season, of all seasons, has to be the first with the NFL’s new expanded 17-game schedule. Under the old format, Big Blue’s game this Sunday against the Chicago Bears would represent the merciful finale of a bleak and blighted year. Instead, the Giants’ upcoming contest at Soldier Field is only the penultimate game in a miserable 2021 season that just won’t seem to end, no matter how much Giants fans would like it to.
What’s worse is that, for this game at least, Giants fans will be deprived of the one comfort typically reserved for losing teams; tanking for draft position. New York currently sits fifth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft order. If they lose on Sunday, and the New York Jets and Houston Texans win, they would rise to the third overall selection. While that’s certainly a good thing in and of itself, there’s a catch.
Thanks to the draft-day trade last year that allowed Chicago to select quarterback Justin Fields, the Giants also own the Bears’ first-round pick. Chicago’s pick sunk to eighth-overall after their comeback victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week. That pick is in no danger of falling further even if the Bears beat the Giants, as Chicago is a game worse than the ninth-slotted Washington Football Team with a weaker strength-of-schedule. Still, a Bears win on Sunday could set the table for their pick to fall out of the top ten if they win again in Week 18. That would be suboptimal for a Giants team starving for elite talent. Plus, if the Bears lose and the Seahawks and Carolina Panthers win, their pick would jump back up to sixth overall.
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While Giants fans tangle with the dilemma of whether to root for or against their team on Sunday, head coach Joe Judge is faced with the dilemma of which bad quarterback to start. Second-year fifth-round pick Jake Fromm started last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and was so awful he got benched in the third quarter for veteran journeyman Mike Glennon. Glennon was so bad in the three previous games replacing the injured Daniel Jones that he lost his job to Fromm in the first place. There’s no good choice between them, and Judge has said both players could play this week.
If the Giants want to give themselves the best chance at fielding a respectable offense, they’ll start the experienced Glennon. If they’d rather evaluate the younger guy who has more theoretical upside, they’ll start Fromm. Either way, expect Big Blue to put forth some third-rate quarterback play on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s game, followed by a prediction for the final score.
Where and When
Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday at 1:00 p.m EST / 10:00 a.m PST
Injuries
New York: CB Adoree’ Jackson (Questionable), TE Kyle Rudolph (Questionable), RB Saquon Barkley (Questionable), TE Chris Myarick (Questionable), WR Kadarius Toney (Questionable), CB Keion Crossen (Questionable), WR Collin Johnson (Questionable), K Graham Gano (Questionable), WR John Ross (Questionable), FB Cullen Gillaspia (Questionable), C Billy Price (Questionable), DE Raymond Johnson III (Questionable), DT Austin Johnson (Questionable), OG Ben Bredeson (Questionable)
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Chicago: WR Marquise Goodwin (Questionable), TE J.P. Holtz (Questionable), QB Justin Fields (Questionable), WR Jakeem Grant Sr. (Questionable), OT Jason Peters (Questionable)
Most Concerning Matchup: CB Jaylon Johnson vs. WR Kenny Golladay
Much like the Giants, the Bears are a bad team made worse by injuries. As such, it’s difficult finding a player on their roster with which New York should have too much trouble contending. For lack of a better option, Johnson vs. Golladay is the matchup that could cause Big Blue some headaches on Sunday. Johnson is a second-year second-round pick out of Utah and has an up-and-down start to his NFL career. This year, he’s earned a fairly respectable 66.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, and has held opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of under 60 when targeted.
He’s hardly a lockdown corner, however, allowing 7.6 yards per target and a passer rating of over 100. Still, at six feet and 196 pounds, he has the physical makeup to give a big-bodied receiver like Golladay some problems. Given the trouble Golladay has had producing in his first season with New York, it’s unlikely he’ll break out against a young, talented corner such as Johnson.
Most Promising Matchup: CB James Bradberry vs. WR Allen Robinson
Robinson is expected to make his return from a bout with COVID-19 on Sunday. That’s welcome news for Chicago’s offense, as Robinson is their clear-cut number-one receiver. What’s less welcome news for Chicago is that Robinson will be matched up with Bradberry all game. Last season, Bradberry held Robinson to just three receptions for 33 yards, while also ripping the ball away from Robinson for a spectacular interception.
It’s reasonable to expect Robinson not to be at full strength coming back from his illness, so he could have trouble getting loose against the cagey Bradberry. We still don’t which quarterback will start for Chicago, as Fields, Andy Dalton, and Nick Foles are all possibilities. We do know that a blanketed Robinson will make life a lot tougher for whichever player is taking snaps for the Bears on Sunday.
Keys to Victory
Based on how terribly Fromm played last week, any blueprint to victory for New York needs to begin with Glennon getting the vast majority of snaps. From there, the Giants need to hope Chicago’s offensive incompetency outweighs theirs. BIg Blue ranks 30th in points per game this season, but the Bears rank an almost as bad 28th. Chicago’s been a little more turnover-prone than New York. Maybe the Giants can grab a couple takeaways to tilt the odds in their favor.
Ulitmately, it won’t be a matter of which team plays better, but rather which team plays less poorly.
Final Score Prediction: Bears 20 – Giants 10
Without Jones, it’s near impossible to imagine this pitiful Giants offense scoring more than 10 points. In their 25-24 win over Seattle last week, the Bears showed life not seen in the Giants in over a month. Chicago might not be good, but right now they’re unquestionably better than New York. Expect the Bears to come out on top in a drudging affair.
– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.