A look back at how New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has performed against the Chicago Bears throughout his long career brings mixed results.
The New York Giants will be hosting the Chicago Bears this Sunday at MetLife Stadium It won’t be an evenly-matched game, unfortunately. The Giants stand at a poor 3-8 and are at the bottom of the NFC East division. The Bears are currently atop the NFC North with a record so far this season of 8-3.
Throughout his long career, Eli Manning has faced the Bears five times. Despite posting a 3-2 record against the organization at hand, Manning’s performances when facing Chicago haven’t been all that great.
Therefore, in honor of the Giants facing off against the Bears this weekend, let’s look back at Manning’s career performances against that very organization.
1. 2006 Week 10 Primetime Loss at Home
In the old Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands, the Giants hosted the Bears for a Sunday Night Football matchup. The Giants were a strong contender in the NFC at the time with a record of 6-2. Chicago, however, was the number one seed in the NFC, with a record of 7-1 coming into East Rutherford, NJ.
In a game that the Giants needed to win in order to continue being a legitimate playoff contender, Eli Manning just wasn’t sharp. Completing only 44 percent of his passes (14-32), the third-year quarterback could only conjure up 121 yards through the air.
He wasn’t careful with the football either. Manning threw two interceptions as well as fumbled the ball three times, one of which he lost.
Big Blue eventually lost the game 38-10. They then went on to only finish 8-8 and lose to the Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
2. 2007 Week 13 Road Victory
The 6-3 Giants came into Soldier Field in a late afternoon game, ready to face the previous Super Bowl runner-up 5-6 Chicago Bears. And Eli Manning did just enough to win the football game in the end.
Completing 16 of 27 throws for 195 yards, Eli was able to toss a late touchdown to former receiver Amani Toomer. However, he also threw two interceptions against the Bears defense, along with losing a fumble.
It definitely was a little bit better of a performance from his 2006 Bears match up, but Eli simply wasn’t careful with the ball once again.
The Giants ended up winning the football game 21-16. And of course, they eventually went on to win Super Bowl 42 that year against the New England Patriots.
3. 2010 Week 4 Primetime Home Victory
Big Blue was having a below average start to the 2010 season. With a 1-2 record going into week four and having lost two consecutive games, the Giants faced the 3-0 Bears led by former quarterback Jay Cutler.
Eli Manning in his third career start against Chicago was once again a bit below average. Yes, he did complete 60 percent of his passes, however, just wasn’t effective enough with the football.
He could only gain 195 yards through the air against the Bears defense and managed to lose two fumbles. Manning didn’t throw a touchdown at all in that game either. He simply just wasn’t careful with the football once again.
Thankfully, the Giants defense held up and managed to only allow three points from the undefeated Bears. The final score was 17-3, as the Giants moved up to .500 on the season.
4. 2013 Week 6 Loss on the Road
It was an absolutely abysmal start to the Giants season. They were 0-5 heading into Chicago—already the laughing stock of the NFL and it wasn’t even half-way through the season. And the losing and poor performances didn’t stop here, at all.
Having an awful first five games, nothing really changed for the long-time Big Blue quarterback. Eli Manning managed to throw three interceptions against the Chicago defense, which ended up being three of the 27 total that he threw in 2013.
Manning did throw for one touchdown and racked up 239 yards through the air on 14-of-26 passing. However, in the end, it wasn’t enough. It had already become the story of the Giants’ season.
The Bears pulled away in the end at Soldier Field 27-21, sending the Giants home with a record of 0-6.
5. 2016 Week 11 Home Victory
With an upbeat first half of the 2016 season, the 6-3 Giants hosted the 2-7 Bears at MetLife Stadium. A very winnable game for Big Blue, who was looking to keep the momentum going late in the regular season. Thankfully, Eli Manning had his best career performance against the Bears in this game.
Completing 61 percent of his passes (22-36) for 227 yards and two touchdowns, Eli was very effective against Chicago. Touchdowns were to former tight end Will Tye from nine yards out, as well as to receiver Sterling Shepard from 15 yards out.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP was also very careful with the football, throwing no picks throughout the entire contest.
The G-Men pulled away with the home victory after a game-sealing interception from safety Landon Collins. Twenty-two to sixteen was the final score, as the Giants improved to 6-3 on the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kln7cpDojQ
