The Chicago Bears (5-3) are looking to kickstart their second winning streak of the season with a home victory against the visiting New York Giants (2-7) in Week 10.
It's about the time of year where the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders, and the Bears, despite their current record, could silence some doubters by handedly taking care of an inferior opponent. To do that, the Bears will have to accomplish the three following keys to success:
Neutralize New York's defensive line
The Bears' offensive game plan begins and ends with taking care of the Giants up front, a task easier said than done when looking at New York's impressive group of pass rushers.
Led by four former first-round picks in Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, and the rookie Abdul Carter, the Giants feature a pass-rushing group that - while disruptive on paper - has yet to live up to their collective pre-season expectation. Burns currently leads the league with 11 sacks, but with 10 combined sacks on the rest of the defense, New York sits near the middle of the NFL in total quarterback takedowns.
Still, mixed results on the season should not stop the Bears from taking the Giants' pass rushers seriously. Quarterback Caleb Williams has been sacked just 14 times so far, a top ten mark in the league, but with an unheralded left tackle in Theo Benedet set to make his fifth consecutive start on Williams' blindside, the Bears would be smart to help the Canadian out with chips and double-teams, especially when lined up against the most productive rusher in the NFL.
Continue to run the "Ben Johnson" offense
The early returns from rookie head coach Ben Johnson have been promising, and the Bears will find success on offense if they continue to operate in his comfort zone.
As the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, Johnson's groups were known for two things: running the ball and executing play-action passes off of it. The Bears have quickly adopted these core tenets under Johnson, currently ranking second in both rush yards per game (144) and total play-action pass attempts (82). The offense's ability to run the ball, force defenses into the box, and then burn them over the top has improved steadily over the past few weeks, and Sunday provides another opportunity to build upon their recent success.
Despite the aforementioned talent on the Giants' defensive line, New York has struggled to stop the run all year, and enters Sunday allowing 150 rushing yards per game, the second-worst mark in the NFL. Their pass defense has not been much better, as they are one of 10 units to allow 230 passing yards or more per game. Simply put, there should be explosive opportunities for this Bears offense in both the rushing and passing games. If the Bears win, it will likely be because they once again had a dynamic offensive performance against a faltering defense.
Generate pass rush on defense
Many of the Bears' struggles on defense would be alleviated if they could get after the quarterback more efficiently, but they have to find a more creative way to do so.
With a laundry list of injuries at the edge rusher position, the Bears will be leaning on Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, and the recently added Joe Tryon-Shoyinka off the edge. Tackles Gervon Dexter Sr. and Grady Jarrett are athletic enough to play from wider techniques, but the defense still lacks elite speed from the perimeter rush, something that Dennis Allen has shown to be able to manufacture from other parts of the field.
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Nickel corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson logged a sack from his slot spot in his Bears debut, and the defense has frequently blitzed linebackers and safeties to some success. If the Bears can get ahead early to make the Giants a more one-dimensional offense, Allen and company should be able to dial up some blitzes for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is without two of his top weapons for the season in Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. If the Bears can make Dart look like a rookie, they should be able to get the win on Sunday.