Up 27-20 with 1:13 to go in the game, and having just held the Chicago Bears to a field goal, it appeared the Giants were on their way to a victory. A game that was all about the exploits of Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkely, soon turned into a game centered around Bears running back Tarik Cohen who took over the final drive of the football game and forced overtime.
Fortunately for the Giants, their tenacity prevailed as they squeaked out a 30-27 win over the first place Bears at MetLife Stadium in the most exciting game of the season thus far.
After starting the year at 1-7, the Giants are 3-1 in their last four games. While the playoffs are in serious doubt, the 4-8 Giants have an opportunity to finish 2018 with some good cheer as the holidays fast approach.A back-and-forth game early really started to turn Big Blue's way when Barkley made a couple of people miss and turned a gain of nothing into a gain of 22 yards to give the Giants life at the Bears 48 with 0:17 seconds to go before the half. Eli Manning, who did not have a great game Sunday, hit tight Rhett Ellison for nine yards to set up a 57-yard Aldrick Rojas field goal in the rain at MetLife to cut the Chicago lead to 14-10.
The run by Barkley to set up the field goal seemed to spark the team. Odell Beckham Jr., however, made the Giants believers in themselves.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, head coach Pat Shurmur pulled out a wide receiver option reverse out of his back-pocket and Beckham delivered with a 49-yard bomb to a wide open Russell Shepherd for the touchdown to give the Giants a 17-14 lead.
After a Bears three-and-out, the Giants ate up 7:11 off the clock on a long 13-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a critical 17-yard completion from Manning to Barkely that covered a critical third and five. The Giants got all the way down to the one-yard line, but couldn't score on their first three attempts. Once again it was up to Beckham, who came streaking across the end zone to catch a wobbly Manning pass on fourth and goal for the score to make it 24-14.
Then it started to get fun.
The Giants would hold the Bears to a pair of field goals, but Chicago recovered an onside kick with 1:13 to go after the ball squirted past Beckham. The Bears took advantage of a tiring Giants defense by putting the ball in the hands of Tarik Cohen. Cohen tore the Giants apart. He caught a 14-yard screen pass from back-up quarterback Chase Daniel to move the sticks to the Giants' 39-yard line. A few plays later Daniel found Cohen again, this time for a 23-yard gain to move the football to nine.After the Giants were called for pass interference, Cohen threw own half-back option pass for a touchdown, this one from one yard out to Anthony Miller, tying the game at 27 with no time left.
Who could blame the Giants for feeling shellshocked. They had the lead the entire day, and just needed one stop to preserve the win and couldn't do it.
But this is a different Giants team from the squad we saw earlier in the year.
After winning the coin toss in overtime, the Giants marched right down the field with Barkley leading the way. Barkley's 29-yard run on first down was the key point of the drive as it moved the ball into Chicago territory. The Giants would maneuver their way down to the Chicago 26, before Rojas kicked the game-winner through the uprights to send MetLife Stadium into a drenched tizzy.
Don't tell these Giants they're out of a game. The gutty effort against a playoff-bound Bears team was easily the best win of the season for the Giants.
Next Week: The Giants head to D.C. to face the struggling Redskins. With the way thing are going for the Giants, another winning streak is very possible.
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