Remarkably enough, the New York Giants found a way to one-up its dubious offensive showing with its worst, most pitiful performance yet this season.
With backup quarterback Mike Glennon re-taking starting duties from the one-week Jake Fromm experiment, the Giants picked up a net total of -10 yards in a 29-3 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, dropping to 4-12 on the season.
Glennon attempted just 11 passes, completing four of them for 24 yards. However, he lost 34 of them on four sacks while throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble to highlight another horrendous offensive showing for one of the worst teams in the NFL.
It overshadowed a triumphant return to Soldier Field for Saquon Barkley. On the very same field he tore his ACL last season, the Giants’ running back posted 102 yards on 21 carries — the first time since Week 16 of the 2019 season that he eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark.
New York misery instantly began when Glennon was strip-sacked on the Giants’ very first offensive play of the game from the 25-yard-line by Trevis Gipson — his first of two on the day — who returned it down to the two.
It took just one play for David Montgomery to put the Bears in front with a scoring run up the middle just 18 seconds into the game.
The first pass Glennon was able to throw, which came on the Giants’ second drive, yielded a similar result as it bounced off the hands of Kenny Golladay and into the arms of Tashaun Gipson at the Chicago 45-yard-line.
Chicago needed a bit longer — eight plays — but they found the end zone again off Glennon’s second turnover with Dalton hitting Darnell Mooney in the back of the end zone on a 4th-&-1 from the 4-yard-line to put the Bears up 14.
Glennon’s horrendous start forced the Giants to rely on the run game despite being down two scores.
A 10-play drive early in the second quarter gained just enough (35 yards) to get the Giants on the board with a Graham Gano 38-yard field goal with 7:45 to go in the second quarter. It was immediately canceled out by a Bears field goal on their ensuing drive.
The Giants gifted the Bears more points inside the final minute of the half when — after Pharoh Cooper botched the kick return to pin New York on the 5-yard-line and a false-start penalty — Devontae Booker was stuffed in the end zone on a predictable run up the middle for a safety.
With the shortened field following a free-kick, the Bears nabbed one more field goal to take a 22-3 lead into the break that saw the Giants post -12 passing yards.
The beatdown continued into the second half with a touchdown on the opening possession of the third quarter. Montgomery picked up his second score of the day with a two-yard rush to cap off an 11-play, 75-yard drive that continued to eliminate what little dignity the Giants had left.
