Giants Top Bears, 22-16
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Eli Manning threw a go-ahead 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Sterling Shepard in the third quarter as the New York Giants rallied for their fifth straight win with a 22-16 decision over the Chicago Bears on a windy Sunday.
Manning (21-of-36 for 227) also threw a third-quarter touchdown to Will Tye, Rashad Jennings scored on a 2-yard run and Robbie Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal on a day he missed two extra points in a gusty MetLife Stadium.
The Giants (7-3) got a second-half shutout from their defense and a game-clinching interception from Landon Collins as injuries on the offensive line finally caught up with the Bears (2-8) and left Jay Cutler under constant pressure.
Highlights:
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The winning streak is New York's longest in the regular season since 2010, while the Bears' starts matches their worst since 2002.
Down 16-9 at the half, the Giants grabbed the lead in the third quarter, scoring on their first two possessions. The second featured a third-down scramble by Manning and 48-yard pass to Victor Cruz on the next play. Manning ran toward the line on what looked like another run, then found Cruz behind the defense.
Shepard split a seam in the middle of the Bears defense three plays later, but Gould missed the extra point keeping things tense.
Chicago got to the New York 30 in the final two minutes but Jason Pierre-Paul had a 13-yard sack and Cutler was picked off by Collins, his fifth interception in the last four games.
The Bears scored their first three possessions and took a surprising 16-6 lead. Cutler found Miller for a 19-yard touchdown on the opening possession. A 34-yard pass to Miller set up Barth's 40-yard field goal and Langford's short TD lunge put Chicago ahead halfway through the second quarter.
A couple of fourth-down gambles got the Giants nine points in the half. A 15-yard pass to Shepard on a fourth-and-2 at the Bears 17, set up Jennings' TD run. A 5-yard pass to Jennings on fourth-and-2 at Bears 33 set up Gould's 46 yard field goal with 3:33 left in the half.
INJURIES: Leonard Floyd, the Bears first round draft pick from Georgia, was removed from the field on a stretcher with 5:53 to go against the Giants with a neck injury. He gave a thumbs-up to teammates leaving the field. ... Miller had to leave the game early in the second half with a foot injury. ... Giants receiver Roger Lewis Jr. and Bears cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc left in the first-half with concussions.
ACTIVE-INACTIVE: Cruz returned to the lineup after missing a game with an ankle injury. Tight end Larry Donnell was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. ... Bears right tackle Bobbie Massie (concussion), nose tackle Eddie Goldman (ankle) and defensive end Mitch Unrein (back) were inactive. ... Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery served the first game of a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Bears also were missing guard Kyle Long, who was placed on injured reserve last week with an ankle and shoulder injuries.
UP NEXT
Bears: Host the Titans on Sunday.
Giants: Start two-game road trip at Cleveland on Sunday.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
