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Week 12: Giants at Bears Game Preview

| November 21st, 2019

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I always like the Chicago Bears…

…and if they don’t win this game Sunday, they could lose the remaining games on their schedule. They won’t be a bigger favorite the rest of the season. (And the line was set at 6.5 without a quarterback announcement. This means Vegas – who are quite good at this – see no difference between Trubisky and Daniel.)

Three Reasons the Giants are Terrible

For those of you who don’t know, I live in New York City. Queens, actually. I am inundated with coverage of both the Giants and Jets. I don’t read much Chicago sports media (outside of my friends) and listen to zero Chicago sports radio (perhaps why I’m saner than most). I know the Giants very well.

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  • Their defense is awful.
    • Every week there are gaping in holes in this secondary, as only the Bengals have a worse yards-per-completion average. Opposing quarterbacks are pitching a 103.5 rating against them. They allow more than 122 yards-per-game on the ground. (Go look at the holes Dallas opened up for Ezekiel Elliot.) They don’t pressure the quarterback. Their turnover numbers are skewed by a performance against Washington where Jay Gruden put Dwayne Haskins in with no preparation, to spite his owner. (This actually happened. It was quite amazing.) This is a bad unit with very few impact players.
  • Their quarterback can’t hold onto the ball.
  • Their star running back is hurt and might be the worst pass-protecting back in the league.
    • Saquon Barkley is one of the most exciting young players in the sport but he’s been a shell of himself since prematurely returning from a high ankle sprain. Will he look better coming off the bye? Possibly. Because he couldn’t look worse before the bye. The last time he was on the field he carried it 13 times against the Jets for 1 yard. And he whiffed several times while attempting to block Jets safety Jamal Adams. (Adams ended up with three sacks in the game. Rare, to say the least, for a safety.)

Tweet of the Week, Volume I

A note about this play above.

This is a staple of the Andy Reid-style offense. And the ball must be in Allen Robinson’s hands as soon as Trubisky hits his drop. The biggest frustration with Mitch inside the building is not the physical mistakes. Nagy believes the physical mistakes can be corrected. (I believe he’s dead wrong.) But how is Trubisky still making mental mistakes like this? He’s been in this system for two years. This should be second nature to him. It’s an easy, easy play to make.

What Can the Bears Achieve This Week?

They need wins.

Simple as that. Wins.

The playoffs aren’t happening, that’s obvious. But if the Bears win Sunday they get to 5-6 and will face Jeff Driskel on Thanksgiving to get back to .500. Is that meaningful? Yes, it can be. This organization needs an infusion of positivity, and winning – as it has often been said – cures all. If Matt Nagy can somehow wrangle a winning season out of this quarterbacking disaster, it’ll go a long way in the locker room.

Gambling Advice For Week 12

Simple bet this week.

  • Bears over Giants on the ML
  • Lions over Redskins on the ML
  • Browns over Dolphins on the ML
  • Saints over Panthers on the ML

Parlay all four games at +204 and $100 wins you $304.06. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.)

Tweet of the Week, Volume II

Game Prediction

Vegas doesn’t care who the starting quarterback is and neither do I. I have been waiting for Khalil Mack to break out and this feels like the week. One of the best strip sack artists in the league meets one of the game’s prolific fumblers.

Chicago Bears 26, New York Giants 16

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