The New York Giants (0-1) and Chicago Bears (1-0) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 2 matchup at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
The Giants opened the week as 5.5-point road underdogs and the spread hasn’t changed entering the weekend with New York still at +5.5.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Bears Wire managing editor Alyssa Barbieri.
Allen Robinson has abused the Giants throughout his career, but he's frustrated by his contract situation and will be locked up against James Bradberry, who was stellar in Week 1 outside of one play late in the game. With the contract issue in the back of his mind and the Giants keying in on him, what are your expectations for Robinson on Sunday?
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Barbieri: The Bears offense runs through Robinson, and he remains Mitch Trubisky’s favorite target, so I expect the Bears to go to him early and often. As Trubisky said, even when Robinson isn’t open, he’s open. Everyone knows the ball will be going to Robinson, and I expect him to another impressive outing. In last year’s match-up, Robinson put up a 131-yard outing, and he continues to be one of the most underrated wideouts in the NFL, especially considering the quarterbacks he’s played with in his career and still managed to find success. The contract dispute will certainly fuel things, as well, considering Robinson wants to continue to prove that he’s worth the kind of money he’s surely demanding from the Bears.
Mitch Trubisky has been up and down throughout his NFL career and was equally inconsistent in Week 1 until the fourth quarter arrived. Is that magical Trubisky the newest variation of himself or was that more of an anomaly?
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If the Bears could get fourth-quarter Mitch Trubisky, there wouldn’t be any concerns about the quarterback position in Chicago. Unfortunately, Trubisky’s downfall has been his inconsistency, which flashed again Sunday vs. the Lions. There aren’t any questions about Trubisky’s ability to impress in crunch time, which is where some of his best performances have come. Trubisky is someone who is at his best when he’s not overthinking, and he needs to find a way to utilize that throughout all four quarters. After watching the All-22 from the Lions game, Trubisky wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. He’s certainly improved at going through his progressions, which was a problem last season, and he was able to squeeze the ball into some pretty tight windows. But there’s still plenty he needs to clean up, including the sloppy footwork which led to some ugly passes. But until Trubisky proves he can put together four solid quarters consistently — a pipe dream, at this point — it’s expecting more of the same from Trubisky with inconsistent performances.
Giants head coach Joe Judge called Cordarrelle Patterson one of the greatest return men to ever play the game. What is it about Patterson and the Bears' special teams unit that sets him apart?
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Patterson is just an all-around weapon for the Bears. Last season, he was limited on offense and shined mostly on special teams both as a returner and a gunner. Patterson is big, fast, explosive and hard to tackle. Not to mention he has great vision and is a physical and fast runner, which is why the Bears are trying to get Patterson more involved as part of the running game. He’s a big guy that can move quickly, and he looked to be a nice complement to David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen in what was, surprisingly, a solid Bears run game in Week 1.
The Bears struggled against the run in Week 1, while the Giants struggled to run at all against the Steelers. Given that, what do you expect to see in Week 2 when it comes to the Bears' defense against Saquon Barkley, who is about as dynamic as they come?
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Heading into this game, that’s certainly the match-up I’m most concerned about. Especially considering this defense allowed a 35-year-old Adrian Peterson to gash them for 93 yards. Last season, the Bears had one of the best run defenses in the league, and even held Barkley to 59 yards last November, which is impressive given his ability. The Bears are certainly missing the presence of Eddie Goldman, who opted out this season, in the middle of that defense. But they have plenty of talent on the defensive line and at inside linebacker where I don’t see this becoming a trend, especially given it was the first week back with no offseason and no preseason. But this is certainly going to be a match-up to watch.
Who are a few under-the-radar Bears players that the Giants and their fans should become more familiar with ahead of Sunday's game?
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Perhaps NFL fans know a little more about WR Anthony Miller after last week’s game after his game-winning touchdown. There are high expectations for Miller heading into his third season, and after his clutch plays against the Lions, Miller is becoming a favorite target of Trubisky’s. The Bears also have a pair of rookies to keep an eye on. CB Jaylon Johnson got his first start last Sunday against the Lions, and aside from his “Welcome to the NFL” moment when he got trucked by WR Marvin Jones, the second-round rookie was impressive in his debut, which included deflecting a pass in the endzone on the final play of the game. Fifth-round WR Darnell Mooney didn’t see the field much in his debut, but he did, he made the most of it. He caught all three of the passes thrown his way and flashed some of the speed that should help stretch the field. Matt Nagy made it clear that they have a role carved out for Mooney in this offense, and he could develop into their No. 3 receiver behind Robinson and Miller.
Make sure you check out Alyssa Barbieri for all of your Bears needs over at Bears Wire.
