The Bears are home favorites heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants at Soldier Field, expected to win their second straight game.
The Giants have some talent along the defensive front and an intriguing young quarterback in Jaxon Dart, but they give up tons of points and are struggling at 2-7.
This is a good matchup for Chicago, bringing an explosive rushing game to bear on the team that gives up the most yards per carry. The Giants have a minus-3 turnover differential. The Bears are plus-13. And coordinator Dennis Allen creates havoc for young quarterbacks.
[READ: Bears injury report: D’Andre Swift questionable to play New York Giants]
This is a game the Bears should win and need to win, with the schedule getting harder down the stretch. Can the Bears take care of business at home? Here’s what we think, with game picks and players important to the overall outcome:
How to watch
Kickoff: Noon CT
TV: FOX
Radio: ESPN Chicago (1000 AM), LATINO MIX 93.5 FM (Spanish); SportsUSA (National)
Out-of-market streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket (YouTube TV); NFL-plus
Weather at kickoff
Temperature: 37 degrees (Feels like 26 degrees)
Wind: NNW 22 mpg
Precipitation: 1%
Cloud cover: Partly cloudy
Wild card
K Cairo Santos
The Bears kicker has been solid the last few seasons, despite what his detractors might say. He had a field goal blocked last week against Cincinnati, has dealt with injury and hasn’t been as good as in recent years.
Santos knows how to kick in Soldier Field, one of the toughest venues to convert field goals. The wind will be cranking during Sunday’s game, reaching 20-plus mph during the game. The wind can swirl inside the stadium, making it ever tougher to predict.
In a game where every point should matter, Santos must deal with the elements and convert his field goal attempts to help stack points. Santos can be advantage in these conditions considering his experience kicking in them more than anyone else in the league.
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X Factor
DE Montez Sweat
The veteran defensive end has been a dominant force during this run of five Bears wins in six games, proving a violent presence off the edge who is getting home and regularly making big plays. He has 27 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and an 11.6% pressure rate, while playing 71.1% of defensive snaps.
He is helping create turnovers with forced fumbles and interceptions forced, with three to his credit thus far. Per NFL NextGen Stats, the Giants have given up pressure on 38.2% of dropbacks overall, and have struggled on the right in particular. That’s where Sweat lines up, meaning he has a chance to make a huge impact in this one.
[MORE: Bears practice report: Montez Sweat ramping up pass-rush production]
Bold prediction
Kyle Monangai’s encore
Rookie running back Kyle Monangai came up huge for the Bears last week, generating 176 rushing yards on 26 carries against Cincinnati with D’Andre Swift out dealing with a groin injury.
Swift is questionable again with a personal issue, meaning Monangai could get extended carries yet again. The offensive line has been excellent in the run game and is going against a struggling Giants run defense.
Even if Swift plays, Monangai should see significant snaps. His physical rushing style should make him effective against the Giants. He’s gonna go over 100 rushing yards for the second straight game, meshing well with the offensive front to get the rushing attack going strong. — Scott Bair
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Week 8 picks
Scott Bair’s selection
Bears 27, Giants 17
The elements will play a factor in this one. It’s going to be cold and windy, perfect for a Bears defense that is running strong. Allen’s going to force Dart into some mistakes that prove to be the difference here.
