The New York Giants are 2-7 for the third consecutive season. The season seemingly over — from a playoff perspective — in early November. Yes, it’s bleak, but the season carries on, and the Giants find themselves in the Windy City for a Week 10 matchup against a 5-3 Bears team that just had a whacky 47-42 victory over the Bengals in Cincinnati. Quarterback Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game:
The Bears, and Cincinnati for that matter, have had several close wins, including one over the Commanders in Week 6 (25-24) and another over the Raiders in Week 5 (also 25-24). However, the Bears also famously blew a lead on Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Ben Johnson, though, is a good football coach who has his team prepared and, despite some of the faults we will acknowledge in this article, the team finds a way to win football games.
Offensive statistics
Ben Johnson entered the 2025 season with the reputation of an offensive prodigy — a schematic savant who could have chosen virtually any open head-coaching job. He chose the Chicago Bears, a franchise that had just invested the first overall pick of the 2024 draft in quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams endured a turbulent rookie year, though he still managed 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only three interceptions — despite being sacked a league-high 68 times. His struggles to process the field carried over, at times, into 2025 under Johnson’s guidance. Still, the offensive structure and play sequencing crafted by the rookie head coach have been nothing short of elite.
The Bears average 26.9 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. They’re fourth in yards per game (378.4), with just the Bills, Colts, and Cowboys ahead of them. D’Andre Swift, who missed Week 9, is assisting the Bears to the second-best (per yardage) rushing offense in the league; rookie seventh-round pick out of Rutgers, Kyle Monangai, rushed for 176 yards in Cincinnati on Sunday. Johnson is an elite play designer who maximizes the efficiency of his rushing attack, while alleviating the burden of pressure on the players always to make a play — he puts them in successful positions.
The Bears’ rushing attack continues to set up their play-action game, a hallmark of Johnson’s offensive design. Overall, Chicago ranks 10th in passing yards per game (234.0) and eighth on third down with a 42.9% conversion rate. The offensive line has taken a noticeable step forward, and Caleb Williams’ pocket awareness has improved dramatically — he’s been sacked only 14 times through nine games.
It isn’t all roses for the Bears’ offense, though. Williams, despite visible progress, still struggles at times to process the field and react post-snap. He’s thrown for 1,916 yards (7.5 yards per attempt) with a 4.7% big-time throw rate, along with 12 touchdowns, four interceptions, and 183 rushing yards. Still, the offense often stalls inside the 20, ranking 25th in red-zone touchdown percentage — less than two percentage points ahead of the Giants.
Even with those flaws, by most metrics, the Bears’ offense is humming. Johnson has largely lived up to his “offensive prodigy” billing as a play designer, and Chicago remains firmly in the playoff hunt — while the Giants, conversely, sit at the opposite end of the spectrum.
The matchup
Johnson has devised a few trick plays for the Bears. That could be a problem for the Giants, who struggle to execute against a conventional offense, ESPECIALLY with the injuries. The Giants are going to be in for a tough matchup. It’s going to be cold, windy, and there’s a slight chance of rain; there are already players who start on defense that don’t embrace contact, and the Giants will face this uber-efficient rushing attack with physical runners like Swift (if healthy) and Monangai.
It’s not just the rushing attack, but the quick passing attack as well. Johnson recently praised Williams’ vision in the pocket — something that has positively progressed over the last few weeks:
The Giants have struggled to fit the run outside. On 11 runs outside the tackle against the 49ers, the Giants allowed 4.2 yards per carry, with the 49ers’ backs earning 31 yards after contact. This includes a 4-yard loss on a tackle by Dru Phillips, whom the Giants played only 19 snaps despite their secondary’s numerous injuries. The Eagles game was even more egregious:
Johnson is way too perceptive and creative not to exploit this massive vulnerability. Expect variations of crack-toss, outside zone, and other rushing attempts to the outside.
Like last week, and many weeks, Johnson will use the rushing threat to open up the play-action passing game over the middle of the field. Mac Jones started Week 9 against the Giants, 14 of 14, and didn’t throw an incompletion until the second half. The 49ers’ passing attack was so effective — in part — because of the play-action and the space created behind the linebackers.
According to SharpFootball, the Bears ’ play-action pass rate is 18%, ranking them sixth in the NFL. Second-year receiver, Rome Odunze, will be a threat against the Giants’ cornerbacks in quick game in-breakers. Paulson Adebo was on the side with trainers during Wednesday’s practice. Both Cor’Dale Flott and Jevon Holland participated at some level on Wednesday, which is a great sign.
DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus round out the Bears’ 11 personnel package with rookie Luther Burden III — who missed Week 9 — as an explosive, valuable piece. Both Cole Kmet, who left Week 9 with an injury, and rookie tight end Colston Loveland are receiving threats over the middle of the field as well.
The Bears have talented players all over their roster, with a burgeoning talented quarterback and an efficient rushing game. The Giants may receive some key pieces back in Week 10, but may be without linebacker Darius Muasau. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was far from perfect on Sunday, but so is Muasau.
Shane Bowen has made marginal changes to his defensive philosophy. It’s a rudimentary, predictable defense. However, last week, due to injuries on the backend and the opponent’s philosophy, he employed BASE personnel much more, creating a five-man front to gap out inside the tackle box. For the second week in a row, though, the Giants’ opponents overloaded one side, shifting the Over Front toward the strength; this created a vulnerability on the weak side with a wide cut-back lane that the Giants struggled to fit in the backside B-Gap.
Not to beat this dead horse, but the Giants’ players must be gap sound with better reactivity against the Bears’ rushing attack. Brian Burns says it is time for the Giants to “nut up or shut up” on defense.
The Bears have a quality offensive line that’s blocking well. Darnell Wright (RT) and Jonah Jackson (RG) have brute strength on the right side, and Joe Thuney is playing like he did a few years back with the Chiefs; he’s one of the best pass-blocking guards in the league and is a solid run blocker.
The Bears signed Drew Dalman in the offseason from the Falcons to a three-year, $42 million contract, and he’s been a reliable asset to the rushing attack. He has surrendered 12 pressures — a lot of the time through power, so Dexter Lawrence could take advantage of the matchup. Still, Dalman is crafty, understands leverage, and is good at recovery.
Theo Benedet has played admirably at left tackle with Braxton Jones on I.R. He’s surrendered 15 pressures since he took over in Week 4. Although he’s playing well, and Johnson will provide help to his side with chip blocks, this is a matchup the Giants can look to exploit.
I hope to see more simulated pressures and more creativity on passing downs — something Bowen struggles to employ. But, in the defense of that, the Giants’ defense has been so poor on early downs that they’re not in a ton of third-and-six-plus situations. Although that’s the case, the defense is still painfully predictable in too many situations, but this is no surprise.
Forcing Caleb Williams to second-guess and not trust his eyes, or tape review, could play into the Giants’ hands. New York must also contain Williams, who isn’t shy to run if he identifies man coverage. If anything, I want to see the Giants’ players perform with more urgency: shed blocks quickly, fit decisively, stop second-guessing so much; but that’s easier said than done when there’s a culture of losing and trust is lost, which, unfortunately, might be the case.
Final thoughts
The Joe Judge era ended with a 29–3 beatdown in Chicago in Week 17 of the 2021 season. Mike Glennon threw for just 24 yards that day, and Judge followed it with an infamous 11-minute postgame rant that only underscored his unraveling grip on a sinking ship. The Giants now have a legitimate starting quarterback, and it’s hard to imagine Brian Daboll melting down at the podium in a similar fashion. Still, the scene feels familiar four years later: a coach likely on his way out amid a lost season, heading back to Chicago to face a better team. The Bears should take care of business at home.
See More:
