New York Giants at Chicago Bears NFL Betting Preview
The 0-1 New York Giants have a short turnaround for Week 2 of the NFL schedule as they travel to the Midwest to face the 1-0 Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Bears have opened as an early favorite at -5, with the over/under set at 43.
The contest will kick off at an empty Soldier Field in Chicago at 1 pm ET on Sunday and will be televised regionally on CBS.
These teams met last November in Chicago, with the Bears winning 19-14. The Bears hold a 34-24-2 all-time edge in the series with a 20-11 record in Chicago. The Giants have won four of the last six matchups but have not prevailed at Soldier Field since 2007.
New York Giants Outlook: Fix the Run Game
New head coach Joe Judge saw his Giants get off to a good start with a recovered fumble and a 10-3 lead, but ultimately his debut ended in a 26-16 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night. The Steelers scored 23 consecutive points until the Giants grabbed a late TD and missed the conversion.
The Giants couldn’t run the ball at all against the Steelers front seven, and they may find things just as difficult against the Monsters of the Midway this week. Saquon Barkley started the game with minus-six yards on his first seven attempts and finished with six yards on 15 carries
Barkley was involved in the passing game with six receptions for 60 yards, while Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton each had six catches as well. Slayton scored both touchdowns and finished with 102 yards while Shepard had 47 yards.
Daniel Jones had some good and some bad as he completed 26–of-41 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two picks and got sacked three times.
The Giants defense was gashed in the second half as the Steelers finished with 141 yards rushing and 350 total yards. The lone turnover came on a muffed punt, and the Giants sacked Ben Roethlisberger twice.
But when it mattered, the Steelers got the yards they needed as Benny Snell Jr. ran for 113 yards, Roethlisberger threw three TD passes, and JuJu Smith-Schuster had six catches for 69 yards.
Chicago Bears Outlook: Ride the Momentum
Not much went right for the Bears in the first three quarters on Sunday in Detroit, but that all changed in the fourth quarter. Mitch Trubisky threw for three touchdowns in the final 13 minutes, while the Bears defense picked off Matthew Stafford, forced a missed field goal, and held the Lions out of the end zone on the final play for a 27-23 win.
Trubisky completed just 20-of-36 passes for 219 yards, but he had 93 of those yards and all three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. His top target was Allen Robinson, who had five catches for 74 yards, while Anthony Miller hauled in four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.
New TE Jimmy Graham caught the first touchdown pass, while WR Javon Wims had a touchdown as well.
On the ground, the Bears ran for 149 yards with 5.3 yards per carry. David Montgomery overcame a groin injury to run for 64 yards on 13 carries, while Tarik Cohen added 41 yards on seven carries.
The defense tallied just one sack and added two tackles for loss. Kyle Fuller picked off Stafford in the fourth quarter, and the defense kept the Lions out of the end zone on the final two plays of the game to preserve the win.
New York Giants at Chicago Bears Betting Lines
● Giants spread: +5 (-110) Giants moneyline: +195
● Bears spread: -5 (-110) Bears moneyline: -245
● Over/Under: 43 (O -110, U -110)
These Bears are not the elite defense of Chicago’s past, but with Khalil Mack and company, they can get after the Giants much like the Steelers did Monday night. If they can stuff Barkley and make Jones beat them, they will have the inside track to a 2-0 start.
For the Giants, they too can harass Trubisky like the Lions did for three quarters but need to find a way to get Jason Garrett’s offense on track.
Head to our favorite pay per head bookie site at https://www.valleysports.com/articles/Outstanding-PPH-Provider.html
Free Pick By Pay Per Head247: Bears -5 (-110)
