Giants at Bears, Week 12: Big Blue View staff picks

How do your Big Blue View contributors see Sunday’s New York Giants vs. Chicago Bears game unfolding? Let’s find out.

Chris Pflum

Can the Giants avoid giving another struggling team a “Get Healthy” game? To me, that is the question at hand as the Giants face the Chicago Bears coming out of their bye week.

Mitch Trubisky will be starting this game after being sat down at the end of last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams due to a hip pointer. He was playing well up until that point, which lends weight to Bears’ head coach Matt Nagy’s assertion that it was indeed an injury issue and not a benching. The Giants’ defense has struggled this season — they have struggled to get pressure without blitzing, and then struggled to contain quarterbacks when they do blitz.

On the flip side, Daniel Jones and a beat-up Giants’ offense will face one of the best defenses in the NFL in the Bears. The Bears are currently fourth in Football Outsiders’ defensive rankings despite facing the 9th hardest schedule. And much like Trubisky, Khalil Mack is in search of a “Get Healthy” game. He is still a very good player, but his 5.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles aren’t up to his usual All-Pro caliber of play.

I mention Trubisky and Mack because when these two teams met last year, the Bears were without their starting quarterback and star defensive piece. That game, despite having Odell Beckham, Saquon Barkley at his best, a healthy Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Rhett Ellison, the Giants just squeaked past the Bears in overtime.

I’m not going to predict a blowout, both teams have been too inconsistent to go there, but I don’t think the odds are in the Giants’ favor.

Pick: Bears 24, Giants 20
Season record: 7-3

Joe DeLeone

We’ve seen the same thing happen over and over again this season. A struggling offensive team faces the Giants and instead of having a stellar defensive performance, they allow that team to work out their problems and get back on track. We’ve seen it happen with the Vikings, the Bills, and last game against the Jets. This time it’s the Bears who need this game to regain confidence. Chicago’s offense will look like it never lost a step, while the Giants won’t be able to move the ball against a very good Bears defense.

Pick: Bears 24, Giants 13
Season record: 7-3

Matt Williamson

Coming off the bye, the Giants need to run their offense through the presumably healthier Saquon Barkley. This matchup sets up very well for Barkley as a runner and receiver. It looks as though Chicago will start Mitch Trubisky, but with a short leash. Still, the Bears wide receivers have good matchups and Allen Robinson will present problems. Still, New York pulls out a close win.

Pick: Giants 24, Bears 20
Season record: 8-2

Emily Iannaconi

With a 4-6 record and at third place in the NFC North, the Bears have not had their best offensive season. But despite their offensive troubles, the Bears are ranked as the eighth best defense in the league, allowing 322.9 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Giants are ranked 24th in the league in offensive yards per game. I think that these numbers and the Bears’ home field advantage will be the reason Chicago comes out on top and New York’s losing streak extends to seven.

Pick: Bears 27, Giants 17
Season record: 3-2

Joseph Czikk

Everyone on staff is picking the Bears. These are all prudent, intelligent picks. I’m going to go for the Giants, solely based on emotional thinking. Why? The Bears aren’t exciting. They possess the third-worst offense in yards per game (the Giants sit at 24th).

That being said, the Bears clearly have a better defense than the Giants, allowing just 17 points per game compared with the Giants’ total of 28.9 points per game, third-worst in the NFL.

I look at the Bears as a boring, underachieving football team and I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel Jones has his best game of the year. As long as Saquon, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton are playing, the Giants have a chance on offense.

That said, this is a game I’m banking on the defense to show up to.

Pick: Giants 24, Bears 20
Season record: 6-3

Ed Valentine

The Giants have not been able this season to win games at home that they are supposed to win. Not a chance I’m picking them to go on the road and break their six-game losing streak against a team that, despite its offensive struggles, is better than they are.

Pick: Bears 20, Giants 13
Season record: 7-3