This could’ve been a game in which the Bears showed what the Giants were missing on by passing on the opportunity to select Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. It could’ve been a game pitting Fields against Jake Fromm, his former Georgia teammate.
But in the end, it’s a game featuring Andy Dalton and Mike Glennon in a reminder of what wasteful spending at the quarterback position can look like when you don’t address the position properly.
It’s a no-lose proposition for the Giants. A win against the Bears will sweeten the pot for a New York team that owns Chicago’s first-round pick. Meanwhile, a loss today will help the Giants’ own pick move up the Tankathon charts.
As for the Bears, this marks their final home game at Soldier Field. Might as well go out with a bang.
Game Info
Chicago Bears (5-10) vs. New York Giants (4-11) on CBS-TV (Spero Dedes, Jay Feely), WBBM-AM 780, and WCFS-FM 105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote)
Kickoff time: Noon CT
Site: Soldier Field
Referee: Shawn Hochuli
Odds: Bears -6.5 (-110), O/U 37 (via DraftKings Sports Book)
Game Thread (Week 17 Preview)
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun.
Hype Video
Coaches
Bears Matt Nagy (33-30) vs. Giants Joe Judge (10-21)
Starting Quarterbacks and Projected Game Stats
BEARS: Andy Dalton: 20/32, 216 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 14 rushing yards
versus
GIANTS: Mike Glennon: 15/25, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 1 carries, 6 yards
Projected stats via ESPN projections
Bears Offense (Projected Starters in Bold)
QB Andy Dalton
Reserves: Nick Foles, Ryan Willis
RB David Montgomery
Reserves: Khalil Herbert, Damien Williams
WR Darnell Mooney, Allen Robinson II, Marquise Goodwin
Reserves: Damiere Byrd, Dazz Newsome
TE Cole Kmet
Reserves: Jimmy Graham, Jesper Horsted
LT Jason Peters
LG Cody Whitehair
C Sam Mustipher
RG James Daniels
RT Germain Ifedi
Reserves: Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom, Alex Bars
Bears Defense
DT Akiem Hicks
NT Eddie Goldman
DE Bilal Nichols
Reserves: Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga, Margus Hunt
OLB Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson
Reserves: Bruce Irvin, LeDarius Mack
ILB Roquan Smith, Alec Ogletree
Reserves: Caleb Johnson, Christian Jones
CB Thomas Graham Jr., Jaylon Johnson
Reserves: Kindle Vildor, Dee Virgin, Michael Joseph
S Deon Bush, Eddie Jackson
Reserves: Deon Bush, Marqui Christian
Bears Special Teams
Cairo Santos (kicker), Pat O’Donnell (punter), Patrick Scales (long-snapper), Jakeem Grant Sr. (punt returns), Khalil Herbert (kick returns)
Bears Inactives
Inactives for #NYGvsCHI: pic.twitter.com/y2oQAFrcno
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 2, 2022
Giants Projected Starters
Offense
• QB Mike Glennon
• RB Saquon Barkley
• WR Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton
• TE Kyle Rudolph
• LT Andrew Thomas, LG Matt Skura, C Billy Price, RG Will Hernandez, RT Nate Solder
Defense
• DL Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams
• SLB Lorenzo Carter, MLB Tae Crowder, WIL Reggie Ragland, OLB Arzeez Ojulari
• LCB James Bradberry, RCB Adoree’ Jackson
• FS Logan Ryan, SS Xavier McKinney
Specialists
• Graham Gano (kicker), Riley Dixon (punter, holder), Casey Kreiter (long snapper), Kadarius Toney (kick and punt returns)
Giants Inactives
GIANTS INACTIVES:
WR Kadarius Toney
WR John Ross
WR Collin Johnson
LB Oshane Ximines
C Billy Price📰: https://t.co/SQPpEgzNZY pic.twitter.com/vvwKFdYTUy
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) January 2, 2022