Don’t count the New York Giants out of the NFC East race just yet. While it seems like everybody is anointing Dallas as the division champs, there are still several games to be played and the G-Men have already knocked off the Boys, handing them their only loss of the year. New York extended its winning streak to four with another narrow victory on Monday night, turning the tables on what they couldn’t do last year. With the Chicago Bears an absolute mess, there’s a good chance the Giants extend the run during their Week 11 tilt.
Watch this regular season Week 11 matchup live on Sunday, November 20, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.
Odds Analysis
The Giants narrowly escaped with a win on Monday night and as a result the spread and total have yet to hit the board. New York has gained a little home field swagger after knocking off Philadelphia and Cincinnati and look to sweep the three-game home stand. With games against Chicago and the Browns in Week 12, the Giants can keep the pressure on the Cowboys in the NFC East and should be a heavy favorite against the Bears.
Injury Report
Alshon Jeffery – Chicago’s top receiver was hit with a four-game suspension for PED use and will begin serving his time immediately. Chicago’s passing game has suffered with injuries at the quarterback spot, but it appeared as though Jeffery was in sync with Jay Cutler, who recently returned following a five game absence with a thumb injury.
Matchup to Watch
The Giants spent $200 million during the offseason to upgrade a leaky defense that was historically bad last season. The group was so bad it cost Tom Coughlin his job. So Ben McAdoo got a gift when management went out and signed Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Damon Harrison to plug a few holes. The investment has paid off dearly.
Along with holdovers Jason-Pierre Paul, Johnathan Hankins and Landon Collins, the unit has drastically improved, and games the Giants couldn’t win last season, they are pulling out this year. The biggest improvement has been in the red zone, where the Giants lead the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage. New York has surrendered just 13 touchdowns on 31 opponent trips inside its 20-yard line. The defense isn’t sparkling, the Giants are a middle-of-the-pack team in passing yards and total yards allowed, but they rank 11th in scoring defense and have given up more than 24 points in a game just once. That’s a good stat when facing the Bears, who are next to last in scoring average and are one of seven teams below 46 percent in red zone touchdown efficiency.
Free ATS Pick
A few weeks ago there were reports swirling that John Fox wanted to sever ties with Cutler at the end of the season. Then the beleaguered quarterback makes his return to the lineup after missing five games and performs like an All Pro leading the Bears to a win over Minnesota. Chicago went into its bye feeling good about knocking off the division-leading Vikings and there was optimism for the second half of the season. Well, we realized why the rumors were out there when Cutler reverted back to his old ways and the Bears were embarrassed in Tampa Bay last week. Cutler tossed a pair of interceptions, lost a fumble, and produced just one touchdown on a Hail Mary heave against a defense that looked clueless in the two games prior.
Once again the Bears are searching for answers at the most important position. And with Jeffery serving his suspension, the biggest threat in the passing game is out of the lineup. And you can toss in the loss of Kyle Long and Bobby Massie on the line and the Bears will be lucky to score against the Giants.
NFL Odds: Giants 20, Bears 13
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