Giants vs. Bears final score: New York falls, 29-3, to Chicago (2024)

The New York Giants fell, 29-3, to the Chicago Bears at a frigid Solider Field on Sunday afternoon. New York dropped to 4-12 on the season and Chicago improved to 6-11. The Giants now have five straight double-digit losses and are on pace for their second 13-loss season in franchise history.

The loss was the fifth in a row for the Giants and they have been outscored, 141-49, in the losing streak. The three points were the fewest scored by the Giants in Joe Judge’s two seasons as the head coach.

The significance of the Giants’ game against the Bears was in its draft implication. Entering Week 17, the Giants had picks No. 5 (their own) and No. 8 (from Chicago) in the first round. Beating the Bears would have ensured that the pick from Chicago stayed in the top 10, but it would also have meant that the Giants’ pick would be lower than No. 5.

Mike Glennon got the start under center for the Giants and his struggles continued from the start as the first two possessions of the game resulted in turnovers. On the first Giants possession, Glennon was sacked and his ensuing fumble allowed a 2-yard touchdown score by David Montgomery just 15 seconds into the game. On the Giants’ following drive, Glennon’s pass was deflected and intercepted, setting up the Bears’ second touchdown of the game at 8:14 to make it 14-0.

Sunday marked the first time this season that the Giants defense allowed more than seven points in the first quarter.

Graham Gano continued to power the Giants offense with a 38-yard field goal at 7:50 in the second quarter to get New York on the board.

A 21-yard field goal by Cairo Santos with 1:04 left in the first half gave Chicago a 17-3 lead. The Giants were set to get the ball back with just over a minute left in the half. On the kickoff, veteran returner Pharoh Cooper let the kick go for a touchback but the ball did not carry all the way into the end zone. Cooper then had to scramble to get to the 5-yard line. The Bears took advantage as Devontae Booker was tackled in the end zone for a safety. Chicago took a 22-3 lead into the locker room.

Trailing 29-3 after another touchdown by Montgomery at 9:33 in third quarter, Glennon was strip sacked again for the third turnover of the game. His second interception came with just under four minutes left in the game.

The Bears held on for the 29-3 victory.

Halftime stats

The Giants trailed, 22-3, at the half. Glennon was an abysmal 1 of 2 for four yards and one interception.

The Giants had six first downs and the Bears had nine. New York recorded 65 yards in the half while Chicago recorded 141 yards.

The Giants controlled the time of possession battle as they held the ball for 16:03 while the Bears had possession for 13:57.

Lorenzo Carter, who had a career game in Week 15 with four tackles, three quarterback hits and one forced fumble and had another strong game against the Eagles in Week 16, kept the momentum going vs. the Bears. He recorded four tackles (two for loss), 1.0 sack and one quarterback hit in the first half.

The two turnovers by Glennon in the first quarter led to the Giants falling behind 14-0 and forced them to rely on the run game from the beginning. They set up in the wildcat formation three times in the first half. Barkley, who’s season-high single-game rushing yards was 64 entering the game, rushed for 54 yards in the first half alone.

“We wanted to make an emphasis to run the ball,” Glennon said after the game. “Obviously, we put our defense in a tough situation, essentially, spotting them 14 points to start the game. But the game plan was to run the ball.”

Chicago’s defense was responsible for 16 of the Bears’ 22 points in the first half.

Below are the Giants’ first half-possessions.

Stats

Glennon completed just 4 of 11 passes for 24 yards and two interceptions for passing rating of 5.3. He was sacked four times.

Glennon said the following of the 24 passing yards:

“It’s embarrassing. You know, not something that — you know, we work hard all week. We got to have a better product.”

When asked if he believed there was a lack of confidence in the passing game, Glennon said that was a question for the coaches and the emphasis was to run the ball.

The Giants rushed for a season-high 40 attempts - the most since they ran the ball 42 times in a victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 29, 2020. Barkley had a season-high 21 rushing attempts for 102 yards. Booker recorded 18 rushing attempts for 46 yards.

As far as the sacks, Glennon said that he does feel protected by the Giants’ offensive line.

“...it’s our job as quarterbacks to go get the ball out quickly. And, you know, it falls on everyone. It’s the O-line, it’s the quarterbacks, it’s the receivers, it’s the running backs. We all play a role in it. But, yes, I do feel protected.

Because the four sacks totaled losses of 34 yards, the Giants finished with minus-10 net passing yards, which is the lowest in franchise history according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Lorenzo Carter had six tackles, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit and one pass defended.

Giants inactives

WR Kadarius Toney

WR John Ross

WR Collin Johnson

LB Oshane Ximines

C Billy Price

What’s next?

The Giants will conclude their regular season against the Washington Football Team at home at MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. on Jan. 9. The game will be broadcast on FOX.