Chicago Bears And New York Giants: Five Things We Learned on Sunday Night

When the Chicago Bears played the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football last night, not many people expected the Giants to win.

The Bears were coming off a big win at home against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, while the Giants were regrouping from a loss against the Tennessee Titans in which they were thoroughly outplayed in every aspect of the game.

The tables were certainly turned last night.

The Giants recorded 10 sacks and allowed only three points and 110 yards of total offense en route to an impressive 17-3 victory.

With a result that not many expected, both weaknesses and strengths of the teams were exposed. Here are five things we learned from last night's game.

5. The Giants' Defensive Line Is Still a Force

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Justin Tuck #91 of the New York Giants sacks against Caleb Hanie #12 of the Chicago Bear at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

The Giants have played very inconsistent defense since they won the Super Bowl in 2008. But every now and then, they still show flashes of brilliance.

Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora had three sacks apiece and made life rough for Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler couldn't finish the game after apparently suffering a concussion in the final moments of the first half.

Barry Cofield and Chris Canty also added sacks for a New York defensive line that dominated the Bears' offensive line.

Speaking of the Bears' offensive line...

4. The Bears' Offensive Line Is a Mess

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears gets chased by Osi Umenyiora #72 of the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Jay Cutler was running for his life during the first half last night. He could not find a rhythm against New York's ferocious pass rush.

But as good as the Giants' pass rush was, the Bears' pass protection was even worse.

Allowing 10 sacks is simply unacceptable. Even against one of the best defensive lines in the league, the O-line needs to make adjustments to keep their quarterback upright.

Not only did Cutler have to leave the game with a concussion, backup Todd Collins was also knocked out of the game.

3. Lovie Smith's Seat Is Still Hot

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears looks on from the sidelines against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Lovie Smith stood on the sideline watching his team get completely embarrassed, and he did it with a look of apathy.

The only way to describe Smith's mannerisms is to say it looked like he simply didn't care. It's one thing to stay calm in the face of adversity, but to not react at all is a problem too.

While the Bears' 3-0 start took some of the pressure off Smith, it's important to note that the Bears could very easily have a 1-3 record right now.

A careless play by Calvin Johnson and 18 penalties on the Green Bay Packers are probably the reasons Smith still has a job right now.

The way he's coaching, you have to wonder if he even wants the job.

2. Hakeem Nicks Is the NFC's Breakout Receiver of 2010

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants runs with the ball against Chris Harris #46 and Charles Tillman #33 of the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by An

On a night where passing yards came at a premium, Hakeem Nicks still managed to rack up eight catches for 110 yards.

That brings his season totals to 21 catches for 279 yards and four touchdowns.

He's surprising more people from the wide receiver spot than anyone not named Austin Collie. (Collie's numbers for the Colts: 32 catches, 398 yards, five touchdowns.)

Along with Steve Smith, Nicks is half of one of the best young wide receiver tandems in the NFL.

1. The Giants Are the NFL's Biggest Mystery

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants shouts from the sidelines against the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

No one knows which Giants team is going to show up on any given week.

Will it be the team that lost 38-14 and 31-10 on back-to-back weeks against the Colts and Titans or the team that thoroughly outplayed the Bears last night?

One telling stat: The Giants offense ranks eighth in the league in yards per game but only 21st in points per game. They need to find a way to start consistently turning long drives into points.

Defensively, they need to find some consistency.

New York had one sack against Indy, one sack against Tennessee, and then exploded for 10 sacks against Chicago.

They have enough talent to have multiple sacks per game; they just aren't getting the job done on a weekly basis so far this year.

If the Giants can consistently play like they played last night, they can pull off an upset by winning the NFC East.