Giants Stadium will be the stage for the game between the home team 6-1 New York Giants and the windy city 7-1 Chicago Bears. Thanks to Miami beating Chicago last week, and the Giants beating the Texans, the Giants have a chance to gain a notch on the race for the No. 1 playoff seed with a win Sunday night. They already hold a comfortable two-game lead over Dallas and Philadelphia in the NFC East. A win over the Bears, easier said than done, would be a good indicator of what’s to come for the Giants in regards to the post season.
This will prove to be a challenge considering their injury situation, now that potential Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan joined defensive ends Osi Umenyiora (hip flexor) and Justin Tuck (foot), linebacker Brandon Short (thigh), and cornerback Sam Madison (hamstring) on the injury list. Strahan sprained his right Lisfranc ligament against the Texans, and will be lost for at least 2-4 weeks.
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Strahan is a loss since he is the team’s strongest pass rusher, and whose pressure could affect Rex Grossman’s passing accuracy. But he also is a strong run-stopper, too, which would have come in handy this week as Bears running backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson try to improve a sluggish Chicago ground attack.
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The Giants offense should get wide receiver Plaxico Burress back from back spasms, so Eli Manning should have a strong complement to face the league's top overall defense. The Bears have 11 interceptions, two more than the Giants' defense. And they have the top-rated pass defense, allowing 158.8 yards per game.
The presence of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher despite a sprained big toe could have a dimming effect on the Giants' ground game. That's not good news for Tiki Barber, whose five 100-yard efforts have spurred the Giants' offense. He's sure to take a beating this week. It's possible that Brandon Jacobs' role will be expanded to keep Barber from too much punishment. As important a game as this is, it will be a tough one for the Giants to win. Not only do the injuries work against them, but historically that have not faired well against the Bears, with a defense expecting to play without five starters, beating the Bears could be a tall order, despite the on-going debate over whether Chicago's schedule diminishes its success.
Vegas opened up this match with the Giants -2½ and the line has closed in to a mere -1. It’s clear the public likes the Bears enough to move the line down but we think the Giants at home will be a winner. A low scoring game may ensue here and we suggest the under 37½ points. Bears have lost their juice in our eyes. Good luck!
