The Chicago Bears (2-1) are hitting the road to face the New York Giants (2-1) in Week 4.
It’s a battle of first-year coaches between Chicago’s Matt Eberflus and New York’s Brian Daboll. Both teams have found success this year running the ball, with New York seeing the reemergence of star running back Saquon Barkley.
Meanwhile, the Bears have leaned on the 1-2 punch of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert to run the ball effectively. However, despite having the NFL’s second-best rushing offense, the Bears are last in passing.
For Chicago, the passing issues are lingering, injuries are piling up, and their defense is facing its most formidable challenge yet in Saquon Barkley.
Here are three concerning things as the Bears prepare for Sunday’s game vs. New York
Bears passing offense vs. Giants defense
Despite the excellent running game, the Bears have the worst offense in the NFL. Chicago has the second-best rushing attack in the NFL and the worst passing attack. When looking at combined yards, the Bears have the worst offense in the NFL.
Justin Fields’ second year is off to a rough start. In the new offense under Luke Getsy, the Bears quarterback has regressed. As a result, Fields ranks last in attempts, completions, completion percentage, and yards. To be blunt, he’s statistically the worst starting quarterback in the NFL.
When it comes to the Bears’ passing game, it’s starting to sound like a broken record. The 49ers game didn’t count because of heavy rain, the Packers game didn’t count because of a bad call by the referees, and the Texans game shouldn’t matter because the Bears rushed for nearly 300 yards.
At 2-1, with the worst starting quarterback and offense in the NFL, it’s time for the passing game to show up. Of course, it doesn’t have to be the best in the league, but is it too much to ask for an average passing attack?
Bears injuries to key players
After last Sunday’s win, David Montgomery is day-to-day after leaving with an ankle injury. Byron Pringle is on IR with N’Keal Harry. Roquan Smith is questionable again, and so is Jaylon Johnson after missing last week’s game against the Texans.
The Bears have the second worst rushing defense in the NFL, and the Giants have one of the best running backs in the NFL. While it looks like Smith will play Sunday, Johnson and veteran linebacker Matt Adams still aren’t practicing.
Chicago cleaned house in the offseason with an eye toward the future. While the Bears will have a large amount of cap space next year, they sacrificed roster depth to get there. As a result, there are few starting caliber players behind Smith and Adams at linebacker or Johnson at cornerback.
With critical defenders likely to miss games, it is hard to think the Bears will fix their issues on run defense. On the other hand, Giants running back Saquon Barkley should have great fun running the ball.
Bears defense vs. Saquon Barkley
The former No. 2 overall pick in 2018, Saquon Barkley, looks like he’s returned to form after injuries derailed his Rookie of the Year season. The former Penn State running back has 317 yards rushing (2nd most in the NFL) and is ripping off big runs against opposing defenses.
Last week against Dallas, he had a 36-yard touchdown run and a 68-yard run in week one against Tennessee.
Chicago already has a terrible run defense, and Barkley will be the best running back the Bears have faced this year. Look for the Giants to use Barkley early and often, especially if the defense plays lean without linebacker Matt Adams and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
