Bears vs. Giants: Jason Pierre Paul and 5 Rising Players to Watch Monday Night

The last time the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears faced off, Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler was lucky to be alive at the final whistle.

Both the Bears and Giants have made significant additions to their rosters since that time but with Jason Pierre-Paul and Gabe Carimi among the youngsters looking to play big parts this year, Cutler's health will once again be a pivotal point of contention.

Here are five players to watch in tonight's second preseason game of the year for the Bears and the Giants.

Will Beatty

Will Beatty's stock may not be on the rise as far as the fans and media go; however, he has gained the trust of the only people that matter in New York.

The coaching staff of the Giants have obviously seen enough of Beatty in camp to trust him with the job of protecting Eli Manning's blindside.

There is no doubt that when you are entrusted with being the starting left tackle on a team that is expecting to compete you have done something right. This is especially true of Beatty as the team's left tackle from last season—David Diehl—is still with the team.

The Giants moved Diehl to left guard looking for Beatty to show his talent on the field on Sundays.

Tonight he essentially cannot lose. With Julius Peppers lining up across from him any sort of solid showing will be celebrated. If Beatty has a torrid time, most people will notch it down to Peppers being one of the best—if not the best—4-3 defensive ends in the whole league.

Beatty has taken to Twitter to show his satisfaction with his play in practice and camp and it will be interesting to watch if that translates to the big stage tonight.

Marion Barber

Marion Barber's release from Dallas didn't spell the end of his career.

The abrasive runner who was considered to be lacking the burst to continue with the Cowboys landed in Chicago and impressed in his first preseason game.

Barber's seven rushes for 45 yards showed promise to Bears' fans that he could turn into a great complement to Matt Forte.

The fact that Barber's longest run was 12 yards also says something about his consistency and determination with the football on every down.

A motivated Marion Barber would be a huge piece for the Bears.

Chester Taylor wasn't exactly stellar as a backup last season but with Barber in the mix, they would have the right mix of backs to create a three headed monster if Mike Martz looks to run the ball more next year.

Forte as the starter would be the all around back, Taylor the third down specialist while Barber would be the bruiser and short yardage grafter.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Whether it be Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora or Justin Tuck, the New York Giants know how to find and groom defensive ends.

The latest star in the making for Tom Coughlin's side appears to be last year's first-round draft pick Jason Pierre-Paul.

Pierre-Paul started his first game for the Giants last week and did not disappoint. His two sacks and four tackles were the first plays made in what should be a long career as a starter.

He showed flashes as a rookie notching 4.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles; however, now that he is a starter he will be setting his sights much higher for the coming season.

Despite being only 22 years old he carries an imposing 6'5" 280 pound frame. His athleticism and long arms make him a nightmare to matchup to for any elite tackle.

He won't be facing an elite tackle tonight, however, as the Bears offensive line features second year player J'Marcus Webb. Webb will have his hands full with Pierre-Paul and it wouldn't be a surprise to anyone if he eclipsed not only his sack total from last week but also from the whole of his first season in the league.

He's not likely to notch the five sacks needed, but it definitely isn't out of the question.

You won't be able to keep your eyes off of Pierre-Paul tonight as he will likely live in the Bears' backfield.

Gabe Carimi

Chicago Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice was more than satisfied with Gabe Carimi in the team's first preseason game.

Bears fans were undoubtedly delighted when the team made an offensive tackle their first-round pick during this year's NFL draft.

Protecting Jay Cutler was a major issue for the team last year that significantly hindered their offense; however, Carimi specializes in the running game rather than as a pass protector, which is probably the opposite of what most fans were hoping for.

Carimi is entrenched as a right tackle though and will be a stud at the position for years to come. He may not have been exactly what the Bears needed, but should he show nimble feet and better agility he could be a left tackle in the future.

Tonight will be huge in telling where Carimi is at in his development as he lines up against one of the best defensive ends in the league in Justin Tuck.

How he does will be easy to see because if he doesn't hold up, his quarterback will be seeing a lot of the fearsome defensive end.

Domenik Hixon

Domenik Hixon is the leader in the competition to replace the departed Steve Smith as the Giants' third choice receiver behind Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks.

Hixon will need to fend off competition from Victor Cruz and Michael Clayton among others but made a good start to the preseason last week.

He finished the game against the Panthers as the team's leading receiver with four receptions for 49 yards.

Hixon has always shown flashes when on the field but he has also struggled with consistency. This is definitely the best opportunity of his five year career to this point.

His shiftiness and agility to fit into the Giants' offense with greater exposure will be vital for the team's passing game. Tonight he will be looking to build on last week and continue to make the position his own.

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I also write for Irish Central and Fantasy Football Life.