What can the Chicago Bears learn from the New York Giants?
By Peter Jurich
The NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend contained a 27-point comeback, two seventh-round rookie quarterbacks, four missed PATs by one kicker, and the longest defensive touchdown in NFL post-season history, but perhaps the most compelling game was the six-seed New York Giants going on the road and beating the 13-win Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears can learn a thing or two from the New York Giants
The Giants, who are in their first season with head coach Brian Daboll, have been a tough out all season. Despite finishing third in a loaded NFC East, the Giants are one of only four remaining NFC teams left in the postseason.
However, Sunday’s upset win over the Vikings shouldn’t be a surprise for people who have been following the Giants this season. Their dominant ground game and defensive front seven have been on display since Week 1.
This Giant’s season has been highlighted by the resurgence of star runningback Saquon Barkley (an impending free agent this offseason) and the development of former first-round pick Daniel Jones, who had previously struggled in New York under different coaches and coordinators.
In many ways, the Giants seem to emulate not only where the Chicago Bears are right now, but an image of what this team may look like in the near future. The two teams share many weaknesses, as their wide receiver cores are both at the bottom of the league and their offensive lines leave a lot to be desired. However, the Giants showed that even with below-average targets to throw to, a dual-threat quarterback with a strong run game can create problems for many defenses across the NFL.
Sunday’s wild-card win was almost certainly the best showing for this Giants’ offense, with Daniel Jones recording 300 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, as well as 78 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Finishing the game as the most productive passer and rusher on either team, Jones not only silenced critics but showed the blueprint for how to use your arms and legs in a way that controls the game and contributes to winning football.
On offense, the Giants out-gained the Vikings by 100 yards, had seven more first downs, and over seven minutes more time of possession. For Jones, a lot of this production seemed to come fairly easily, as designed quarterback runs and quick-hitting pass plays were schemed up very well throughout the duration of the game.
Even Jones’s scrambles seemed relatively wide open, something that the Chicago Bears should look at this offseason when trying to continue to develop Justin Fields. Like Jones, Fields should be put in more situations where his natural talents as a runner and a thrower can be taken advantage of, whether in the RPO game, which the Giants used heavily on Sunday or by giving the quarterback quick, simple reads against basic coverages.
Defensively, the Giants are far ahead of the Chicago Bears, and it shows where Chicago needs to improve as a unit. For the Giants, their offensive ground game is paired with a scary front seven that gets after the opposing quarterback, starting up front with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Obviously, the Bears need to improve up front, despite having a fairly good secondary, probably even better than the Giants.
In this offseason, the Bears should look to round out their roster in a similar way, by strengthening the runningback, offensive line, and defensive line positions through the draft and/or free agency. Obviously, the Bears will likely look to add other pieces such as receivers and linebackers, but nonetheless, the Giants gave the Chicago Bears the blueprint to win with a similar brand of football.