The Chicago Bears are in about as good a position as they could ask this week. They’re 8-3 and coming off an extended rest after winning three straight divisional games in 12 days. Their command of the NFC North is firm and they now travel east to New York to play a floundering Giants team that just coughed up a 19-3 lead against their bitter rival Philadelphia Eagles to lose.
It’s hard not to look at this game from the Bears’ perspective and say, “I think we got this one.” This might explain why head coach Matt Natt has indicated that the team might be considering the idea of benching quarterback Mitch Trubisky for another weak to rest his injured shoulder. This despite initial reports that he’d be able to go this week.
Some people are perfectly fine with that idea. The Bears have rested key starters like Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson for multiple weeks and won both games. They rested Trubisky last week and beat Detroit. Why shouldn’t they feel confident they can get away with it again? Besides. It’s not like this Giants game is a must-win.
Except that sort of statement glosses over some key details about the reality, past and present that the Bears face.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Chicago Bears championship history is closely tied to New York
History has a funny way of repeating itself in the NFL. This year it looks like the Bears matchup with the Giants isn’t a big deal. New York is 3-8 and long since out of the playoff race. A loss to them would be far from crippling to the season, right? Wrong, and for two reasons. The first is a loss would drop the Bears to 8-4 with the 10-1 Rams up the following week.
So in the space of two weeks, the Bears could be 8-5 with three games left including two against the Packers and Vikings. Green Bay has already beaten the Bears this year and the Bears haven’t won a game in Minnesota since 2011. Not the most ideal circumstances. Then there’s that matter of history I just mentioned.
Take a look at some notable years regarding a Bears season when they’ve played a game against the Giants in New York.
- 1940: defeated Giants 37-21 (won NFL championship)
- 1943: defeated Giants 56-7 (won NFL championship)
- 1946: lost to Giants 14-0
- 1946: defeated Giants 24-14 (won NFL championship)
- 1956: tied Giants 17-17
- 1956: lost to Giants 47-7 (lost NFL championship)
- 1977: defeated Giants 12-9 (made playoffs for first time since 1963)
- 1991: lost to Giants 31-3 (in playoffs)
- 2006: defeated Giants 38-20 (reached Super Bowl)
- 2010: lost to Giants 17-3 (lost in NFC championship)
So to review. Of the five times on this list where the Bears beat the Giants in New York, they played in the championship game four times, won three of them and ended the longest playoff drought in franchise history. Whenever they’ve lost out there? Chicago experienced playoff heartbreak, often with the highest stakes on the line.
It’s also worth noting that of the eight total times that the Bears have lost in New York in the regular season, they failed to make the playoffs five of those times. They finished with a winning record in three of those five seasons. Oh, and keep in mind this isn’t even counting the 1963 NFL championship where they beat the Giants at Wrigley Field or the 1985 playoffs where they beat the Giants in the divisional round.
Make no mistake. The Bears tend to have better fortunes during a season when they’re able to claim a victory over New York.
