Week 10 of the NFL season is already here. In all-too-typical fashion, many are already looking forward to what happens for the 2-7 New York Giants in the offseason than they are in anything that happens over the final eight games.
Still, it is time for our weekly NFL staff picks and predictions? Does anyone at Big Blue View believe the Giants will beat the Chicago Bears? How do we see the rest of the Week 10 NFL games? Read on to find out.
Chris Pflum
Season record: 75-44-1 (63.0%)
Between injuries and the Giants’ inability to finish, I just can’t pick them to win.
Getting Daniel Bellinger, Jevon Holland, and Cor’Dale Flott back will help the offense and defense, but potentially (as of this writing) being without John Michael Schmitz and Jermaine Eluemunor is a concern for an already-depleted offense. I think Jaxson Dart can do enough for the Giants to score, but I don’t know if it will be enough for them to win.
I’m more interested in seeing if Dart can adapt to opponents’ adjustments as he gets more experienced — and they get more tape on him. Perhaps more importantly, I want to see if the Giants’ defense can start to play up to their talent level. Even without Paulson Adebo and a thin linebacking unit, this defense should be much better than it has been. They’ve been plagued by things like poor angles, poor technique, or missed assignments. Considering how Caleb Williams can thrive in chaos, I want to see if this defense is able to summon enough discipline to be effective.
Perhaps they can, but I’m going to anticipate them not doing so and the calls for Shane Bowen’s job to get louder.
Pick: Bears
Tony DelGenio
Season record: 84-50-1 (63.0%)
The Bears are a very beatable team, yet they’ve won five of their last six games. They have talent on both sides of the ball, but they are inconsistent. On defense, Montez Sweat on the edge and Gervon Dexter up the middle can cause problems, and as of this writing, Jermaine Eleumunor and John Michael Schmitz were still not practicing. Still, Jaxson Dart has been able to deal with the pass rush and make plays with his arm and his feet, and the Bears have been weak in coverage. If only he had receivers to throw to who would hold onto the ball.
The biggest problem the Bears present is on offense. Caleb Williams has been somewhat disappointing for a No. 1 pick, but he certainly has his moments with his creativity. Williams leads the NFL in time to throw, and it could be entertaining, if frustrating, watching Abdul Carter and Co. chase after him against an offensive line that is weak at left tackle and right guard. When Williams avoids the rush, he can be dangerous downfield with throws to Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore. Paulson Adebo is still out but Cor’Dale Flott may be back, which would be good news. The bigger problem is D’Andre Swift rushing against a Giants defense that can’t set the edge and last week couldn’t plug the middle either.
I’d love to pick the Giants here, but after that awful performance last week, and no changes resulting from it, I can’t. The good news is that means they will probably win.
Pick: Bears
Nick Falato
Season record: 57-30-1 (66.0%)
The Giants have a long list of injuries and have proven — way too frequently — that they can’t finish games and struggle to win. They’re on a three-game winning streak and traveling to the Windy City to play a team with multiple resilient victories, including last week’s in Cincinnati. Bears’ head coach, Ben Johnson, is one of the best at identifying a weakness and attacking said weakness; unfortunately for the Giants, they’re are quite a few weaknesses on their defense to attack. New York should receive a few guys back healthy, but the Bears should be able to handle the sinking ship that is this Giants’ team.
Pick: Bears
David Hartman
Season record: 58-43-1 (57.0%)
The 2-7 Giants head to Chicago this weekend to take on the 5-3 Bears. The two teams are on opposite trajectories. Chicago has won four of its last five and first-year head coach Ben Johnson is building a winning culture. The Bears have already matched their win total from a year ago and have come a long way from the team that endured a ten-game losing streak last season.
On the flip side, Big Blue has dropped three straight contests and it’s feeling more and more like this season will be it for Brian Daboll. The Giants were quiet at the trade deadline, so Jaxson Dart will have the same below-average group of skill position players to work with going forward. Dart has been impressive running the offense and is getting important reps, which gives Giant fans hope for the future.
The Bears have played a bunch of entertaining games this season, none more so than last week’s 47-42 thriller over Cincinnati. Their defense gives up yards and points but also leads the NFL with 19 takeaways.
If Dart and the offense can protect the football, the Giants can stay in this game. Chicago has been running the ball well and the Giants haven’t been able to defend the run, and I think that mismatch will be the biggest factor in deciding the outcome — much like last week’s loss to the 49ers.
Chicago is beatable. Their young QB can be inconsistent, sometimes holds the ball too long, and is still learning. Their defense is prone to lapses. But they’re on a roll and I don’t see them blowing this one at home.
Pick: Bears by 5
James Hickey
Season record: 74-60-1 (55.0%)
How can you pick this team to win a game again this season? Ed’s piece on accountability really hit home on the mess of a season this has become. It is about failure of leadership by both players and coaches.
I will start with the players— all great teams have their best players set the standard. The lead more by example to push their teammates to get the best out of themselves. For the Giants, the only veteran I can think of who is doing that is Brian Burns. But their comes a time when vocal leadership is needed. Being called out by a respected teammate goes a long way. For whatever reason, that is not part of the operations for the Giants.
Well actually, I do know the reason and that is Brian Daboll. By all accounts one of his greatest strengths is his ability to connect with the modern player. But the fact that he is never willing to call out a player— or a coach— at the podium as compared to his volcanic personality on the sidelines I see as leading to an acceptance of subpar play. This team has too many drafted players on scholarship that not only do not contribute but whose play is detrimental to winning.
If you want to see how it can change, just look across the field this Sunday.
Pick: Chicago 31, Giants 17
Valentine’s View
Season record: 86-48-1 (64.0%)
Considering the way the Giants have played over the last nine quarters of football, giving up 105 points, and the lack of answers being given as to how that can be fixed, it is impossible to pick the Giants to win a football game. Any football game.
Until we see the defense show some semblance of ability to defend the run, until we see someone other than Brian Burns get a sack, until we see the Giants cover someone, bat a pass away from a receiver or even intercept one how do we trust that those things will happen? Until we see receivers other than Wan’Dale Robinson make plays for Jaxson Dart rather than drop passes that should be first downs, how can there be faith? Until we see the special teams return to playing as well as they did at the beginning of the season, how do we know that wasn’t just an anamoly.
The Giants have shown, when they execute their assignments and make the plays that come to them, that they can beat any team in the NFL. What they have not shown is the ability, or willingness, to do that every week. They are a 2-7 team that had a clear opportunity to be 5-4 and in the middle of the NFC playoff picture, and did not have the ability to get that done.
I wish things were different, but I can’t have any faith things will change until this team proves to me that they care enough and are committed enough to make that happen.
Pick: Bears
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