The New York Giants are coming off of a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the other hand, the Chicago Bears are coming off a nail-biting victory against the Detroit Lions.
Several things look improved for the Giants so far and some things do not. The coaching looks better, however, that is only judging from one game. However, there is more to improve on coming off a Week 1 loss.
Here are three keys for victory against the Bears.
New York Giants Week 2: Three Keys to the First Win of the Season
3. Get the Running Game Going
It is sad to say Daniel Jones was the New York Giants’ leading rusher in Week 1 with 22 rushing yards on four carries. Saquon Barkley had a bad week behind a struggling offensive line, only rushing 15 times for six yards. That is 0.4 yards per carry.
The offensive line was not the only culprit in Week 1. Saquon Barkley struggled to find holes at times and when failing to create yards that the offensive line did not provide him, he moved the Giants back a couple of yards on those plays.
Tiring out the defense is not the only reason to get the run game going. This is also the perfect opportunity. The Chicago Bears were 23rd against the run last week. Most notably, they gave up 93 rushing yards on 14 carries (6.6 yards per carry) to veteran Adrian Peterson. It is worth noting, the Detroit Lions had two new starters on the right side of their offensive line. However, the Giants have three new starters overall.
The pass-rush will be coming, knowing the Giants’ offensive line has not gelled yet and because they had an underwhelming week against Detroit. Coming off last week for both teams, taking advantage of the Bears’ horrid run defense will slow Chuck Pagano’s crew down and will make Jason Garrett‘s offense easier to navigate.
2. Stop Anthony Miller and Allen Robinson
The Giants’ defense did not do that bad of a job against a returning Ben Roethlisberger and his offense. They currently are 12th in passing defense coming off Week 1. They are also 12th in total yards. However, it is only one game.
Anthony Miller and Allen Robinson had great games against the Detroit defense. Miller had four receptions for 76 yards and Robinson had five receptions for 77 yards. It is also worthy to note that quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, after struggling in the first half of the game last week, threw three touchdowns and no interceptions. One of those included the game-winning throw to wide receiver Javon Wims.
Towards the end of the game last week, holes started opening up in the secondary. Diontae Johnson hauled in a couple of receptions against Corey Ballentine, who struggled late in the game. Ballentine gave up four completions on five targets (80 percent completion rate) along with a 108.3 passer rating. JuJu Smith-Schuster also hauled in a touchdown against James Bradberry to seal the game. Bradberry had a better game giving up four completions on seven targets (57.1 percent completion rate) along with a 131.0 passer rating. Both cornerbacks have time to improve moving forward.
The Giants struggled heavily last season when they put Corey Ballentine in the slot vs Allen Robinson when they went to Soldier Field last year. Unless Ballentine improves this week in practice, Big Blue should think about putting Logan Ryan in the slot with James Bradberry and Darnay Holmes (can play slot as well) as the outside cornerbacks. Isaac Yiadom was a liability in coverage when targeted last week.
If the New York Giants make a smart decision regarding their cornerbacks, they should not have a problem limiting Mitchell Trubisky’s targets as long as the pass-rush gets there. They were eighth in pass-rush win rate last week with 55.6%.
1. Contain the Pass-Rush
Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks are some names to keep in mind. Robert Quinn as well if he is on the field on Sunday at Soldier Field. Mack and Quinn can attack from both edges, while Hicks can attack from the interior. Similar to what the Giants saw against Pittsburgh last week.
The Bears’ pass-rush had an underwhelming performance last week against the Detroit Lions. The defense as a whole only accumulated one sack last week. That is surprising since the Lions had two new starters on the right side: Jonah Jackson at right guard and Tyrell Crosby at right tackle. Jackson gave up the only sack to Akiem Hicks. Roy Robertson-Harris led the team in pressures with three.
No matter what, the Bears will be looking to bite into the Giants’ offensive line on Sunday. Pittsburgh constantly pressured Daniel Jones left and right. Surprisingly, Andrew Thomas played the best of all the linemen.
Big Blue should not underestimate this Bears’ pass-rush coming into this matchup. They may have had a down week, but the New York Giants need to do everything right, including containing the rush, in order to get their first win of the season.
