New York Giants? No, no, no. To be accurate, Sunday’s game was more like a giant New York-sized panic fest.
First, let us start with the good news. The Bears haven’t been 2-0 since 2013. Now, I am not a mathematician, but that was a jolly good seven years ago. It’s a nice record to have at the beginning of the season — hashtag undefeated. But there is still a lot to unpack and improve upon. Let’s talk about gameday.
Pulling ahead early
Already on the first drive, the Giants game felt way different than the Detroit matchup in week one, when the Bears went three-and-out on the first drive. On Sunday, Mitchell Trubisky wound down nearly eight minutes of the clock and took his team to the endzone inside eight minutes of the first quarter. The first six points were courtesy of a Trubisky throw complemented by a beautifully completed David Montgomery catch and route. On the Giants’ first drive, recently injured Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn strip sacked Giants QB Daniel Jones, which led to a Khalil Mack recovery. Thanks to the forced turnover, the Bears extended their lead to 10-0 the very next drive with a Cairo Santos field goal.
New York’s somber second quarter
The second quarter took a sour turn when Giants RB Saquon Barkley was carted off the field after a collision with the Bears defense. After evaluation, it was revealed by announcers that the Giants fear Barkley tore his ACL, a likely season-ending injury. Bears safety Eddie Jackson was notably involved in the play and shared his regrets for the alleged injury-causing collision in a post-game Twitter thread.
Bears RB Montgomery was also feared to have suffered a possible neck or head injury after landing more-than-awkwardly as the result of trying to jump over a Giants player, but he returned to the game shortly after a locker room evaluation.
The Giants weren’t quite able to shake off the grim injury before halftime, allowing the Bears to force another turnover, which eventually led to another Trubisky touchdown, this time to 5th round draft pick WR Darnell Mooney. The half ended with the Bears up 17-0 in Chicago.
Chicago’s scoreless second half
Despite two strong first quarters, it does not please fans when you fail to score points in the last thirty minutes of a home game. The defense went to work in the 3rd quarter, only allowing a Giants field goal, but the fourth quarter we could have done without, filled with poor play calling and too many Chicago penalties. Placekicker Cairo Santos also missed a 50-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning. The Giants took advantage of the dip in hometown momentum and scored their first touchdown of the game right inside the last fifteen minutes. Not long after, the Giants intercepted a botched catch attempt out of the hands of Bears WR Allen Robinson II.
Montgomery and Jackson earn their dollars
Thanks to Montgomery’s return, the Bears were able to run off some necessary clock with a couple of clutch runs, forcing New York to take their last timeout earlier than they probably wanted to. And while it wasn’t pretty, Chicago offensive tackle Bobby Massiecaught a batted Trubisky pass and was able to convert a critical fourth down. Eddie Jackson finished the job with solid pass coverage down to the last second, including the batting away of the Giants’ probable game-winning touchdown pass. The Bears won at home with a final score of 17-13.
Maddie’s Monster of the Game
This week’s Monster of the Game goes to RB David Montgomery, who really showed up in both the passing game and running game on Sunday. If he keeps it up, I think he could have a Forte-esque career on his hands. Thanks for running hard when the team needs it the most.
Divisional roundup
Don’t freak out, Bears fans. The Packers have moved into first place after beating the Lions this week only because they have played in two division games to our one. Our next division game isn’t for a while — November 16 is when we face our neighbors to the north, the Minnesota Vikings, for the first time. We have to hold the fort down in the meantime.
1st place: Packers (Won against the Lions)
2nd place: Bears
3rd place: Vikings (Lost to the Indianapolis Colts)
4th place: Lions (Lost to the Packers)
In a sentimental mood
While Soldier Field might have been empty for Chicago’s first 2020 home matchup, my emotions were filled to the brim because the Giants game was the first 2020 Bears game televised in my area. That meant I could scoot up the road and watch the game with my dear dad. In 2020 especially, the little things matter the most.
My dad and I will watch the Bears play at noon next Sunday on Fox against the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta is currently 0-2 after losing two close ones to the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys. Let’s hope we can maintain their losing streak. Until then, mask up and Beardown.
