(670 The Score) The final Bears’ home game of the season is finally here, as patient fans are getting treated to what will surely be an absolute thriller of a game before the eight month send-off. The Bears and their five wins are going up against the New York Giants and their four wins, but the real winners are all the fans who are probably going to have to drive through six-plus inches of snow to watch Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm split snaps. If it’s really true that any football is better than no football, we’re going to find out this Sunday. Here are a few matchups to keep an eye on in the Bears-Giants game.
Bears C Sam Mustipher vs. Giants DL Leonard Williams
The Giants’ defense isn’t that great, but Williams is having another really good season. At his position league-wide, he ranks eighth in solo tackles (39), fifth in assists (19), ninth in sacks (seven) and second in forced fumbles (two). He’s currently the 14th-ranked defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus, and while he isn't quite producing at the same rate he was in 2020, he’s really the only legitimate threat the Giants have on their defensive line. That’s bad news for Mustipher, who’s probably auditioning for a spot on the 2022 Bears over these last two games. Mustipher’s numbers aren’t great. He ranks 35 out of 37 centers, according to PFF, and though his pass- and run-blocking efficiency has generally stayed pretty even since he took over last year, I imagine whoever is running the Bears this offseason will think they can do a little bit better. Maybe Mustipher isn't the next Bears’ franchise center, but a good last couple games obviously can’t hurt his career trajectory.
Bears WR Allen Robinson vs. Giants CB Adoree Jackson
This is a matchup to watch for a couple interesting reasons. The first one is pretty self-explanatory – both players are good. That’s fun! After a really rough 2020 season, Jackson has bounced back this year, posting the second-best PFF coverage grade (77.9) of his career. He’s actively bad against the run (36.9, lol) and as a tackler (52.6, lmao), but whatever, we know who he is as a player by now. The same goes for Robinson, whose struggles have been well-documented for the last three months. Robinson talked at length this week about how tough having COVID-19 was, and it’s no secret that his time in Chicago is probably coming to an end. Can he put together one last vintage Robinson performance in front of the home fans? Will he show teams that will be hesitant to throw another big contract at a receiver who turns 29 next year and is coming off a bad season that it was just an aberration? Will he block his down-field assignments? These are all storylines worth paying attention to Sunday, if you’re going to insist on paying attention.
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Bears edge rusher Robert Quinn vs. Giants OT Andrew Thomas
The Giants only have one really good offensive lineman, and that’s their left tackle Thomas, who ranks 22nd out of 84 tackles league-wide. A 2020 first-round pick, Thomas looks as advertised after a rough rookie season. Quinn’s motivation Sunday will be pretty obvious – one sack gets him the Bears franchise single-season record, and he has been open in recent weeks about what setting that record would mean to him. Setting the record in front of home fans in the snow would be a very cool, very Chicago Bears-esque moment.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.