New York Giants Official Website

August 22, 2009

The Giants (1-0) and Bears (0-1) will face off in the preseason for the first time since a 20-8 Bears victory in Giants Stadium on Aug. 5, 2000. The teams haven't played a preseason game in Chicago since Aug. 27, 1994, a 27-21 Bears victory.

From 1950-1963, the Giants and Bears met in 11 preseason games in locations as varied as Toronto, Memphis, Syracuse and Ithaca, N.Y. The Giants won five of those games. They defeated the Bears, 23-7, in Chicago on Aug. 8, 1981. Overall, the Giants are 6-8 in preseason games vs. the Bears since 1950.

The teams last met in the regular season on Dec. 2, 2007, a 21-16 Giants victory in Soldier Field. During the regular season in 2008, the Giants won the NFC East with a 12-4 mark while earning their franchise-record fourth consecutive playoff berth. But their season ended with a 23-11 home loss to Philadelphia in an NFC divisional playoff game.

In 2008, Chicago finished 1-3 in the preseason and 9-7 in the regular season. Although their record was good enough for second place in the NFC North, the Bears missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Last Time Out

The Giants opened the 2009 preseason with a 24-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers Monday night in Giants Stadium.

The Series

The Bears lead the preseason series in games played since 1950, 8-6. The Giants' last preseason victory over the Bears was on Aug. 8, 1981 when they defeated Chicago, 23-7, in Soldier Field. Chicago earned a 20-8 victory over the Giants in their most recent preseason game in 2000. The Bears lead the regular season series, 27-18-2 The Giants defeated Chicago, 21-16, in Week 13 of the 2007 season on their road to Super Bowl XLII. The teams last faced off in the postseason in 1990, when the Giants defeated the Bears, 31-3. However, the Bears lead the postseason series, 5-3.

The Last Time

December 2, 2007
Soldier Field
Giants 21, Bears 16

CHICAGO - For more than 50 minutes here Sunday, the Giants played as if they were on a mission to tighten up the NFC playoff race. They turned the ball over. They squandered scoring opportunities. Quarterback Eli Manning seemed to have carried the bad karma from last week's loss to Minnesota to the Windy City. Because of all that, they trailed the Bears by nine points midway through the fourth quarter.

Then suddenly, everything changed. Manning got hot. Several other players came through in the clutch. The Giants scored two touchdowns within a span of 5:21 late in the final quarter, including Reuben Droughns' game-winning two-yard run with 1:33 left. After the defense made one last stand, the Giants left Soldier Field with an inspiring and important 21-16 victory.

The Giants improved to 8-4 and have a two-game lead in the NFC Wild Card race with four games to play. Arizona, Detroit and Minnesota are 6-6. The Giants next week visit Philadelphia, which joins Washington, Chicago, Carolina and New Orleans at 5-7. He stepped up when the Giants most needed him. Manning was heavily scrutinized all week after throwing four interceptions in last week's loss to Minnesota, including three that were returned four touchdowns. In the first half Sunday he was picked off again and lost a fumble. Then in the third quarter, he was intercepted in the end zone by Charles Tillman. (Derrick Ward also lost a fumble, leaving the Giants' turnover differential at minus-four).

The Giants took possession at their own 25 with 11:45 remaining, trailing 16-7. In their final two series, Manning completed seven of nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown and twice led the Giants to the end zone.

Manning headed a long list of Giants standouts. Ward returned after a four-game absence to rush for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. But he fractured his left fibula in the fourth quarter and is out indefinitely. Amani Toomer caught six passes for 69 yards and a score. Six different players participated in the six sacks of Rex Grossman. Kawika Mitchell had a team-high 12 tackles (eight solo). Rookie defensive backs Michael Johnson and Craig Dahl played well when called upon.

It took them a while to do it. The nine-point fourth-quarter deficit was the largest the Giants have overcome on their way to a victory since Sept. 17, 2006 at Philadelphia, where they trailed, 24-7, before rallying for a 30-24 overtime triumph.

The turnaround began with that fourth-quarter possession, after the Bears had taken their lead on Grossman's one-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Clark and Robbie Gould field goals of 35, 46 and 41 yards.

The 11-play, 75-yard drive started with an 18-yard pass to Toomer and was aided by a pass interference penalty on Brandon McGowan, who collided with Jeremy Shockey as he went for the ball, giving the Giants a first down at the Chicago seven.

Moments later, Manning threw a six-yard line drive to Toomer in the end zone. The officials ruled it incomplete, believing the ball had hit the ground before Toomer caught it. But Coughlin challenged the call and after review, referee Walt Coleman reversed the call on the field and said it was a touchdown. The Giants were with 16-14.

After the defense forced a Chicago three-and-out, the Giants took over at their 23 with 4:55 left. David Tyree, who had not caught a pass all season, grabbed an eight-yarder early, then took a Manning pass and turned it into a 24-yard gain to the Bears' 17-yard line at the two-minute warning.

Two plays later, Manning connected with Plaxico Burres for 15 yards to the two.

Droughns ran around right end for the game-winner on the next play.

The Bears had one last shot, and drove from their own 41 to the Giants' 28, where they had three shots to pull out the game. But Grossman threw three incompletions, including a final pass that was knocked down by James Butler. Gould's 46-yard field goal with 10:52 remaining in the third quarter extended the Bears' advantage to 16-7. Chicago took possession at the Giants' 24-yard line after a Ward fumble that was forced and recovered by Adewale Ogunleye. Adrian Peterson ran on five consecutive plays to move the ball to the seven, but a personal foul on guard Terrence Metcalf - who kneed Kawika Mitchell - moved the Bears back 15 yards. Two plays later, Gould kicked his third field goal of the game.

Gould's second field goal, a 46-yarder as time expired in the second quarter, increased the Bears' lead at halftime to 13-7. Chicago scored 10 of those points off Eli Manning turnovers.

After a Jeff Feagles punt, the Bears took possession at their own 10-yard line with 2:53 remaining. On the second play of the drive, Grossman threw to Muhsin Muhammad for a 21-yard gain. Three plays later, on third-and-nine, a 12-yard pass to Rashied Davis kept the drive alive. With 35 seconds left, Chicago faced a third-and-10 at the Giants' 39-yard line. Grossman flipped a short pass to Adrian Peterson, who ran down the center of the field for a 25-yard gain. After two incomplete passes - one a spike to stop the click, Osi Umenyiora sacked Grossman for a 14-yard loss with three seconds remaining. The Bears called timeout and Gould came on to kick the field goal.

Gould's 35-yard field goal gave the Bears their second lead, at 10-7, with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter. For the second time, Chicago capitalized on a Manning turnover, this one a fumble that was recovered by Anthony Adams at the Bears' 29-yard line. Chicago again used a hurry-up offense. On third-and-four, Gross threw a long pass down the left sideline that Bernard Berrian took away from Madison for a 50-yard gain to the Giants' 15-yard line. Peterson then took a short pass and turned it into a 10-yard gain to make it first-and-goal at the five.

But that was as close as the Bears got to the goal line. Peterson lost a yard, then Grossman threw a deliberate incompletion into the end zone. On third down, Michael Strahan sacked Gross for an 11-yard loss, forcing Gould to kicked the three-pointer. Ward's two-yard touchdown run tied the score at 7-7 with 10:25 remaining in the second quarter. On third-and-goal, Ward took a handoff and ran through a hole in the left side of the line for his first touchdown since Oct. 15 in Atlanta.

The score capped a short four-play, 32-yard drive that was set up when David Tyree tipped Brad Maynard's punt, which traveled only 31 yards. On first down, Ward covered exactly that distance on a run up the left sideline to the one. Chicago coach Lovie Smith challenged the spot, claiming Ward stepped out of bounds at the six. After review, referee Walt Coleman upheld the call on the field, giving the Giants the ball just short of the goal line.

On the first two snaps, Reuben Droughns lost two yards, then got one back. The Giants stayed on the ground on third down and Ward rewarded their perseverance with the touchdown.

The Bears led at the end of the first quarter, 7-0, on Grossman's one-yard touchdown pass to Clark.

Chicago took possession when Brian Urlacher intercepted a Manning pass intended for Jeremy Shockey on the Giants' fourth play from scrimmage. The Bears took over on their own 21-yard line and used a no-huddle attack to move quickly down the field.

Peterson started the drive by taking a short Grossman pass and turning it into a 29-yard gain up the left sideline. Grossman also completed passes of 13 and 11 yards to Clark and an 11-yarder to Muhammad. Clark's second catch gave the Bears a first down at the Giants' 15-yard line.

Peterson ran for nine and then five yards to give Chicago a first-and-goal on the one. Grossman then faked a handoff to Peterson before throwing to Clark, who broke free when Pierce slipped and fell in the end zone.

Fast Facts

By the Numbers- The Giants are 33-24-3 in preseason openers since 1950. Last season the Giants went 7-1 during the regular season and 2-0 during the preseason in Giants Stadium.

Jay Cutler- The Bears acquired QB Jay Cutler in an offseason trade with the Denver Broncos in exchange for three draft picks, including this year's first round and third round picks. Cutler is entering his fourth NFL season and has never faced the New York Giants.

600 Club- The Giants (618) and the Chicago Bears (686) are two of the three NFL franchises with over 600 regular season wins in league history.

Mr. Consistent - By throwing for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2008, Eli Manning became the first Giants quarterback to do so for four consecutive seasons. In 2007, Manning became the second Giants quarterback in history with three consecutive seasons with more than 3,000 yards and 20 touchdown passes. Phil Simms accomplished the feat from 1984-86.

Last Season of Giants Stadium- This year marks the 34th and final season of Giants Stadium. The first regular season game played in East Rutherford, N.J. was on Oct. 10, 1976, when the Giants hosted the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants will move into their new stadium being built next door to Giants Stadium for the start of the 2010 season. Third in Line: Giants head coach Tom Coughlin ranks third in victories among current NFL head coaches with 123 career victories. He became the third-oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl at age 61, when the Giants defeated New England, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII.

Pressure Point- Last season the Giants defensive unit racked up 42 sacks, which ranked sixth in the NFL. The team was led by DE Justin Tuck, who had a career-high 12 sacks.

With the return of DE Osi Umenyiora, the Giants sack leader from the previous four seasons, the Giants defense will look to regain its 2007 season form when it led the league with 53 quarterback sacks.

Rushing Attack- The Giants led the league in rushing last season with an average of 157.4yards per game. The team compiled 2,518 total rushing yards from scrimmage on 502 carries. Brandon Jacobs led the unit by running for 1,089 yards, while Derrick Ward added 1,025 yards. With Ward's departure to Tampa Bay, 3rd year RB Ahmad Bradshaw will be called upon to pick up the slack. Young veteran Danny Ware and fourth round draft choice Andre Brown are also competing for playing time.

35th Anniversary- This trip to Soldier Field marks the 35th year anniversary of the first time the Giants played there on Dec. 1, 1974.

Giants Connections- Offensive line coach Pat Flaherty coached tight ends for the Bears from 2001-2003.

Bears Connections- General manager Jerry Angelo spent 1982- 86 as a regional scout for the Giants ...Director of college scouting Greg Gabriel spent 16 years in the Giants' scouting department before joining the Bears in 2001. Punter Brad Maynard was a third round selection (95th overall) of the Giants in the 1997 NFL Draft. Maynard played four seasons with the Giants from 1997-2000 before signing with Chicago as a free agent on March 3, 2001...