Two in a row, six wins overall, and a team record for Robert Quinn in a 29-3 victory over New York.
Chicago jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back. This was the kind of win that hasn’t been seen in Soldier Field for quite some time. The Bears took advantage of Mike Glennon, a quarterback that ironically was brought into the Windy City in 2017 to babysit then rookie Mitch Trubisky, not unlike the role that Andy Dalton has played this season, providing tutelage for Justin Fields.
The Giants were so bad that their first two drives resulted in turnovers the Bears used to build that two touchdown lead. The New Yorkers didn’t even get onto the scoreboard until well past the midpoint of the second quarter. They wouldn’t score for the remainder of the game.
I want to compliment our players and coaches for being able to come out here and get another win,” stated Matt Nagy. “It’s good for the effort, the defense, to be able to play the way that we played today, we all know the stats, to hold somebody to negative passing was great. [It] starts off with the very first play, and for that to happen and for the offense to score early on, I think complementary football, you get to the two takeaways and two touchdowns, that’s 14-0, but the turnovers really jumped out, 1-of-11 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth town, hold them to three points. Special teams making the plays when they need to, and then offensively, being able to, again, early on score touchdowns and then do enough.”
You know how this league is. You never know how it’s going to go. Games are won a lot of different ways, and I think it it’s just kind of where we’ve been at and kind of everything that’s gone on this year, I think this one felt good to have this one go like this.
-Andy Dalton
Dalton finished the game 18 for 35 with 173 yards passing, plus a touchdown and an interception. David Montgomery ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Glennon attempted a mere 11 passes, and connected on only four of them for two dozen passing yards. He was sacked four times. The 34 yards lost, netted the Giants a negative 10 total passing yards. Saquon Barkley led all rushers with 102 meaningless yards.
Based on some of Giants’ coach Joe Judge’s post game comments, you might think the outcome was different. “All right, stopping the run, this was a balanced team. It was a very good run attack. I’m pleased with the defense overall today. Overall, we was able to eliminate them in the run game and not let them going on track like we did in the past some games. And, you know, for multiple reasons, in terms of covering kicks, we didn’t let their explosive playmakers in the return game get going.”
The other big story of the game was Robert Quinn, who broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent’s single season team record with his eighteenth sack of the year. That moment occurred with 8:56 left in the game when he tackled Glennon at the Giants 46 yard-line for a strip sack.
Quinn had an earlier opportunity to notch the sack, having Glennon in his grasp, but the refs did not blow the whistle, and the New York QB was able to flip the ball to Devontae Booker and deny Quinn his record breaking sack.
After the game, Quinn was asked to describe the play from his perspective. “Well, I look at the football, and as soon as it flinches, I’m gone,” he said. “And, well, I guess a got a good jump. Well, actually Trevis Gipson, he was heating up early. He had me stressing. Not stressing, but pressing trying to catch up to him. I think he had two [sacks] in the first half or whatever it was. At the end of the day I was just trying to get off on the ball as fast as I can like any pass rusher [would] want to, and I had that one good jump, and I knew I had the corner, so quarterback was still there. The secondary had their man, their guys on lock, and I guess I was able to make history.”
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Nagy, on Quinn’s record sack. “Personally, for Robert, to be able to get the sack record was neat. He hasn’t and doesn’t talk about it very often. That’s who he is. But to see him get it was cool. To have 100.5 sacks in his career, that’s a lot of sacks, and not to overshadow Trevis Gipson who I think having two sacks and starting the game the way he did, sometimes that can happen but that defense just really bought out. They played hard. Again, the effort from these guys is what really jumps out to me and we appreciate that.”
Andy Dalton also chimed in, noting that he had been in the same draft class as Quinn. “I followed him from the beginning,” noted Dalton, “and you look at there’s so many great seasons that he had. He just broke the Bears’ record and I don’t think that’s the most he’s had. He’s had nineteen sacks in a season. That just goes to show the type of player that he’s been for a long time, and you’re just so happy for him, a guy that’s worked really hard and does everything the right way, and for him to have the success that he’s had and to get not only a hundred sacks, but to break the Bears’ record, too, of same sack, was pretty cool, pretty special.”
Gipson, a second year player from Tulsa, was asked about playing behind stars Khalil Mack and Quinn. “You know, it’s a great opportunity and a great blessing to be able to play behind those two guys, two gold jackets soon-to-be and I couldn’t ask for anything else. You know, a lot of guys, I want to do this, this and that. But I’m literally behind two pass rushes that are probably top five in the league, and it’s technique, film. I get to watch their steps every day, you know, from sunup to sun down. I’m in a great position and I honestly couldn’t be more appreciative.”
Next up, the season finale at Minnesota. Then the judge, jury, and executioner will decide Matt Nagy’s fate. It seems likely that even if the Bears could end the season on a winning streak, the Nagy’s tenure is all but over in Chicago. He will finish the season with a winning career record, regardless of the outcome on Sunday.
