The Chicago Bears (2-1) will face off against the New York Giants (2-1) this Sunday, where they’ll be looking for their second straight win.
Chicago is coming off a narrow victory over the Houston Texans (0-2-1), which elevated concerns about the passing game. Meanwhile, New York is coming off a disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys (2-1), which was their first defeat of the season.
Heading into this matchup, it’s not hard to notice the similarities between both teams. Here are six things to know ahead of the Bears’ Week 4 game against the Giants.
1
Bears have won three of the last four meetings
The Bears and Giants will face off for the fifth straight season, and it’s been all Chicago in the recent series. The Bears have won three of the last four meetings, with the most recent coming with a 29-3 victory last December. It is interesting to note that the home team has won the game in each of the last four meetings.
2
Bears passing offense ranked dead last in NFL (and it's not close)
Another week, another poor passing performance for the Bears. In last week’s win against the Texans, quarterback Justin Fields had an abysmal showing completing 8-of-17 passes for 106 yards with two interceptions. Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chicago has the worst passing offense in the league. But it’s not even close. The Bears are averaging 78.3 passing yards per game while the next closest team, the Panthers, are averaging 161.3 yards. The good news is the Giants aren’t much better, averaging 162.3 passing yards per game.
3
A battle of strong run games
While the Bears and Giants are terrible through the air, there’s a reason they’re both 2-1. Both teams have some of the top rushing offenses in the NFL. Chicago is averaging 186.7 yards on the ground per game (2nd in the NFL) while New York is averaging 169.3 rushing yards (4th). That’s not good news for a Bears run defense that’s allowing 157 rushing yards per game. But Chicago should be able to find success on the ground against a New York defense allowing 138.3 yards on the ground per game.
4
Both teams allowing less than 20 points per game
The reason the Bears and Giants are both 2-1 at this point is because of their dominant run games and stout defenses. Both Chicago and New York are allowing less than 20 points per game, which has taken some of the pressure off their offenses. The Bears are allowing 19.0 points per game while the Giants are allowing 19.7 points per game. This contest looks like it’ll be a low-scoring affair with both teams looking to establish the run and play solid defense.
5
A meeting between first-year head coaches
When the Bears and Giants face off in New York on Sunday, it will feature a matchup between two first-year head coaches in Chicago’s Matt Eberflus and New York’s Brian Daboll. Eberflus served as the defensive coordinator for the Colts (2018-21) while Daboll was the offensive coordinator for the Bills (2018-21).
6
Bears are underdogs for third time this season
The Bears are betting underdogs for the third time this season. Chicago is a 3.5-point road underdog against the Giants, per Tipico Sportsbook. With both teams averaging less than 20 points per game, the over/under for the game is set at 38.5.
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