Now that the opening week of the NFL season is done, fans can start looking forward to NFL Week 2. Like each year, the beginning of the NFL season brings about many shocks and surprises. Of course, as the season goes on, the world of sports betting has to adjust NFL odds and NFL betting lines accordingly. In this NFL game preview, we highlight the upcoming matchup between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, as well as what to pay attention to this week as you get more involved in NFL betting.
What To Look For
With the next slate of games right around the corner, fans from each city can begin to picture their team winning their next game. For New York Giants fans, it could be their first victory of the season, after falling short on Monday night. Chicago fans got to see an inspired effort out of Mitch Trubisky, something they have been wanting to see consistently for a long time.
Will NFL Week 2 feature much of the same? Can Trubisky and the Bears continue their winning ways? Or will Saquon Barkley and the Giants find a path to winning their first game of the season? Unfortunately, we will have to wait until Sunday to find out. Until then, let's take a closer look at the matchup ahead.
Key Players To Watch
Chicago Bears
Mitchell Trubisky, Quarterback
The performance of Mitch Trubisky is largely what will decide this game. There are many different versions of the quarterback that Bears fans have grown accustomed to seeing in his four years of NFL experience. The good, the bad, and sometimes, the ugly. Hopefully for Chicago fans, the good Trubisky shows up against the Giants on Sunday.
Khalil Mack, Linebacker
The Chicago Bears defense is generally considered one of the best in the league. As the best player on that side of the ball for the Bears, Khalil Mack is as good as it gets. When he is at his best, the opposing team’s offense has their hands full - and the quarterback often has his lap filled with the 6’3”, 265 lb EDGE. In this case, the young, inexperienced offensive line of the Giants may be overmatched as they look to keep Mack in check.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley, Running Back
There are precisely zero running backs who have more talent in the NFL than Saquon Barkley. Unfortunately for the Giants, he couldn’t get it going in his first game against the Steelers on Monday night. If the Giants can keep the score close, look for “Saquads” to receive plenty of touches against the Bears. If Barkley has a big day, the Giants will have a good chance of staying in the game for all four quarters.
Daniel Jones, Quarterback
As long as Daniel Jones can find a way to take care of the football, the Giants can have some success through the air in Chicago. In game one, Giants fans saw the game slip away as Jones threw a toss-up interception in the red zone in primetime on Monday night. Under fire seemingly all night, hopefully, the Giants can find a way to protect Jones much better against the Bears. With Khalil Mack bearing down on them, that may prove to be easier said than done.
Where Do They Stand?
With only one week in the books so far, both teams have yet to solidify a clear space in the standings. Currently, the Chicago Bears are 1-0 after beating their division foe, the Detroit Lions in the first week. Tied for 1st place with the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North division, winning for Chicago means a chance to stay atop the division for another week.
For the New York Giants, they’ll be the first ones to tell you, their first game could have gone a lot better. After losing against the Steelers 16-26, they will look to do better against Chicago.
The Giants, at 0-1, find themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East. To at least maintain their spot in the division, they will have to emerge with a win in Chicago. If they lose, they will find themselves in an 0-2 hole, which could prove tough to bounce back from.
Past Historical Matchups Between the Bears and Giants
The very first time the New York Giants and Chicago Bears played each other, none of us were even alive. There have been many games played since that first matchup in 1925. Looking back at results between the two teams in history, the Bears lead the series 34-24-2.
The most recent time they faced off was last November, when the Bears beat the Giants, 19-14. With almost a full calendar year in between games, both teams look a lot different than they did a year ago.
An early peek at online sports betting websites suggest the Bears are favorites against the Giants. Do you agree with the NFL betting odds for this game?
NFL Betting Picks and Predictions
Facing off in Chicago at Soldier Field, technically the Bears have home-field advantage. But with no fans in the stands due to COVID-19 restrictions, how much of an impact does “home-field” really have? It’s too early to tell.
The Bears took a while to wake up in their first week of the season, but they ended up winning a game that could have gone either way. In New York, the Giants went into a tough matchup against the Steelers that many weren’t expecting them to win. They showed some resolve but ultimately appeared overmatched for a large part of the game.
Expect this matchup to be a hard-fought battle that could end up going down to the wire. Neither team will likely show up with an explosive offense, scoring tons of points. Both defenses will have to impose their will, impacting the opposing offense. How will the inconsistent offensive attack of both the Bears and the Giants respond to the pressure from oncoming pass rushers?
There are a lot of variables heading into this one, as there are with many games. The turnover battle will be one to keep an eye on. Whichever team does a better job of taking care of the football, should come out ahead. The Giants, with a new head coach and a young, inexperienced roster, will likely end up losing a close one to the Bears.
Final Score Prediction: Chicago Wins 24-17
As you already know, there are many great ways to place your bets on an NFL game, such as our sportsbook casino. With more access to information than ever before, fans have the ability to place bets without even leaving their couch. It is up to you to decide which bets are favorable and which bets to walk away from. Choose wisely.
Like every week, there are several opportunities to place bets on many possibilities. NFL betting is a great way to become involved in each game, heightening your interest in individual matchups and eventual outcomes. What about you? Is there a particular bet you feel great about going into the showdown between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants?
