6:15 p.m., pick ’em
Last meeting
Bears won 28-21 at the Meadowlands on Nov. 7, 2004
Spotlight on: Giants TB Tiki Barber
What’s this? An NFL player not the king of his castle? According to the N.Y. Post, Barber is pulling the plug on career because his wife is insisting on it. It certainly isn’t because he has lost a step at 31. Barber leads league in rushing with 830 yards. Now if he could just score the occasional TD. He’s killing fantasy leaguers, having scored one TD. How could that be? Giants look to 260-pound tailback Brandon Jacobs in goal-line situations. The G-Men are 9-1 in his career when he scores at least one TD.
Who knew?
Bears, 31st in the league in passing in 2005, are ninth this year. Now for the down side: Rex Grossman is showing signs of unraveling. Grossman, who started seven games in first three NFL seasons, has eight this season. He is overseeing an offense that accounted for six turnovers vs. Cards and Dolphins. Bears are good enough to win with D and low-risk passing game. They don’t need Grossman adding to his total of 10 INTS, tied with Detroit’s Jon Kitna for NFC’s highest total.
Etc.
Bears’ D was allowing fewer than 10 points per before last week’s 31-point disaster vs. Dolphins. … Game is first of three-game road trip for Bearz in the Hood. They return to Meadowlands next week to face Jets, then are off to New England. … G-Men struggled to 14-10 W vs. Texans last week. … Giants WR Plaxico Burress sat out vs. Texans, but figures to play today. Other injury news: Bears LB Brian Urlacher, Giants DE Michael Strahan gonezo for this one. … Bears have won 17 of past 20 under Lovie Smith, best streak for an NFL coach named Lovie. … Field-position game could favor Bears, whose punter, Brad Maynard, is second in NFC at 46.8 yards per. … Eli Manning: 15 TD passes, two fewer than his big bro, and nine INTs, six more than the Main Manning.
Prediction: Bears 19, Giants 16
