AT A GLANCE: The Giants, fresh off their bye week, took a lead into the second half for the first time since September, but they could not hang on as they fell to the Bears, 19-14. Their seventh consecutive loss dropped them to 2-9 on the season.
UP NEXT: The Giants stay in the NFC North and host the Green Bay Packers, who are 8-2 heading into their Sunday night matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. The Giants won their past two matchups against the Packers at MetLife Stadium in 2012 and 2013.
WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE OFFENSE:
*Wide receiver Sterling Shepard played for the first time since Oct. 6, when he suffered his second concussion of the season. He caught five passes for 15 yards, but his biggest play was a 22-yard run on an end-around.
*Tight ends Rhett Ellison (concussion) and Evan Engram (foot) missed Sunday's game. They were replaced by rookie Kaden Smith and Scott Simonson, who recently re-joined the team. Smith, a sixth-round draft choice whom the Giants claimed off waivers from the 49ers in mid-September, caught his first career touchdown on Sunday. Daniel Jones hit the Stanford product on a three-yard pass to open the scoring midway through the second quarter.
*With two more on Sunday (Golden Tate caught the other late in the fourth quarter), Jones has thrown at least one touchdown in each of his first nine NFL starts. The rookie also extended an undesirable streak when perennial All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack strip-sacked Jones deep in Giants territory in the third quarter. Defensive tackle Nick Williams recovered it, and the Bears quickly turned it into a touchdown on the ensuing possession as part of a decisive 19-0 run for Chicago. Jones has lost at least one fumble in five consecutive games.Â
*The Giants returned their usual lineup on the offensive line. After using the same combination for the first nine weeks, the Giants played without center Jon Halapio (hamstring) and right tackle Mike Remmers (back) in their last time out. Left tackle Nate Solder also suffered a concussion in the final game before the bye week, but returned in Week 12 along with Halapio and Remmers.
*Saquon Barkley, who had a single yard on 13 carries against the Jets in Week 10, rushed for 59 yards on 17 carries. The bulk of that came on a 22-yard run in the fourth quarter. He also caught two passes for a yard. The Giants' longest play from scrimmage was a 29-yard scramble by Jones.
WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DEFENSE:
*Linebacker Alec Ogletree ended a red zone drive in the first quarter with a leaping interception of Mitchell Trubiski in the end zone. Ogletree had two interceptions in last year's victory over the Bears, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
*The Giants held their opponent to three points in the first half for the first time since a Week 4 victory over Washington. It was also the last time the Giants led at halftime. It didn't last long as the Bears scored on the opening drive of the second half with a 32-yard touchdown pass by Trubiski to Allen Robinson. Robinson gashed them again for a 42-yard gain on the next drive, which ended in another field goal.
*Markus Golden notched another sack, increasing his total to 7.5 in his comeback campaign. He has registered at least a half-sack in eight of 10 games this season. Golden had three tackles for loss in the game, including a key third-down stop to force the Bears to punt in a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter.
*Rookie fourth-round pick Julian Love notched his first career interception off Trubisky on the first play of the fourth quarter. The young cornerback had played just three defensive snaps before Sunday.
WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE SPECIAL TEAMS:
*Jabrill Peppers broke a 40-yard punt return, the longest of his career, but the Giants failed to capitalize on the field position in the second quarter. A bad snap by Zak DeOssie disrupted the timing of an unsuccessful 42-yard field goal attempt by Aldrick Rosas, who then missed from 43 yards wide left on the Giants' next possession. A Pro Bowler who missed just one field goal last year, Rosas has now failed to convert on four this season. He also kicked the ball out of bounds to start the second half.
INJURY REPORT: NYG – S Jabrill Peppers (hip)
INACTIVES: NYG – QB Alex Tanney, WR Bennie Fowler, LB Chris Peace, G Chad Slade, OT Eric Smith, TE Rhett Ellison, TE Evan Engram. CHI – DB Duke Shelley, LB Danny Trevathan, OL Alex Bars, DT Abdullah Anderson, TE Bradley Sowell, TE Adam Shaheen, WR Riley Ridley.
LINEUP CHANGES: NYG – Kaden Smith for Engram at TE; Scott Simonson for Ellison at TE. CHI – Nick Kwiatkoski for Trevathan at ILB; Ben Braunecker for Shaheen at TE.
