Sportsnaut
Two of the oldest franchises in the NFL will square off Sunday, as the New York Giants (2-7) travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (5-3) at Soldier Field.
The Giants come into this game reeling, having lost three straight while their defense has allowed 105 points over the last nine quarters. The Bears, meanwhile, are red hot, winning five of their last six games.
The pressure is mounting on Giants head coach Brian Daboll to deliver a competitive performance after three embarrassing defeats. If Big Blue continues to be outclassed, it’s only a matter of time before the clock strikes midnight on Daboll’s tenure.
For the team to have any chance of pulling off the upset against the Monsters of the Midway, several players will need to rebound from last week’s performance against the San Francisco 49ers.
Last week, playing in their first game since Cam Skattebo was lost for the season, New York’s backfield tandem of Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary failed to make a significant impact against the 49ers. The duo carried the ball 13 times for 61 yards. Quarterback Jaxson Dart was the team’s leading rusher, gaining 56 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.
Tracy and Singletary must generate explosive plays on the ground rather than forcing the offense to rely solely on Dart’s arm and legs. They should be able to break out Sunday against the Bears’ 25th-ranked run defense, which is allowing 131 yards per game.
If they can’t get on track, the Bears’ front seven can focus entirely on Dart, which will result in the rookie quarterback absorbing a ton of hits.
Looking at the box score, you would think Darius Slayton had a decent game against the 49ers. He posted a season-high five receptions for 62 yards, but the play he’s remembered most for is the touchdown he dropped with 2:09 remaining.
In the seven games he’s appeared in this season, the 28-year-old receiver has 19 receptions for 254 yards and has yet to score. That simply isn’t good enough to justify the three-year, $36 million contract the team gave him this offseason.
With the loss of Malik Nabers and the team not trading for a veteran receiver before the deadline, the Giants need Slayton to become a viable option on the outside who can win one-on-one matchups. Dart has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in four of his six starts, and a big reason for that is the lack of an explosive wideout. It’s time for Slayton to step up and show why the team re-signed him.
The inability to stop the run has been an ongoing issue for the Giants. They currently have the 31st-ranked run defense, allowing 150 yards per game, and last week surrendered 159 yards against San Francisco. Now they’ll face a Bears team that rushed for 283 yards in their thrilling 47-42 victory over...
