Giants 14 Bears 7

CHICAGO – There was much we knew, and plenty we did not know about the Giants heading into yesterday’s game against the Bears. We knew the Giants could play from ahead, that they could take control of a game and shake free of their opponent, that they could handle prosperity.

What the Giants showed in their third game is that they can find a way to win, on the road, when things are not exactly going their way.

Nothing came easy, and embroiled in a dogfight, the Giants came out on top because they made enough plays, enough stops and had enough perseverance to hang tough when things were toughest. They ran the ball when they needed to and played defense all day long in a 14-7 victory at Soldier Field.

For those not paying attention, this puts the Giants (3-0) first place for the first time since 1994, and allows them to sit atop the NFC East. All summer, the Giants said they were a new team. It now appears obvious they are not only new, but they are vastly improved.

Pitching a shutout in the second half, the Giants defense pummeled the hapless Bears (0-3), who disgusted their fans with a poor showing in their home opener. What was shaping up to be a possible last-ditch drive by the Bears never materialized. The Bears, trailing 14-7, had the ball on their own 20-yard line with 2:58 remaining. On their first play, though, Cade McNown fumbled the snap, recovered, scrambled, stumbled and then was mauled by linebacker Mike Barrow, who slammed McNown to the grass, shaking the ball free. Michael Strahan pounced on the ball and that was that.

Or it should have been. The Giants ran the clock down and Brad Daluiso set up for a 31-yard field goal. There had been misadventures on field goals all game for the Giants, and there was another here, as Daluiso’s attempt was blocked by Mike Brown. But the feeble Bears offense could not take advantage of the gift and the Giants were not forced to pay for botching three field-goal attempts.

What this means is that the Giants did not fall into the trap that was being set. They were coming off a sensational 33-18 victory in Philadelphia and all week heard how impressive they’ve been. The Bears, desperate to gain a victory, were supposed to provide a stiff test. Instead, the Giants did what they had yet to do this season: Win without dominating.

So many times, the Giants were in position to seize control and so many times, they were unable to take the game and call it their own. They dominated much of the first half, yet two missed field goals cost them a 13-0 lead and instead, they were even at 7-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter and early in the fourth, it again looked as if the Giants were in command. They broke the tie with a throwback powerhouse drive, taking over on the Chicago 43 and never putting the ball in the air. Tiki Barber started things off with a 19-yard run and it was pound, pound, pound from there. Ron Dayne for seven, Dayne for two, pitch left to Dayne for eight, with him plowing into safety Mike Brown for a few extra yards. Barber for four, followed by a shifty 3-yard TD run by Barber, as the Giants faked a handoff to Greg Comella and then used misdirection to spring Barber free. The 43-yard drive was all on the ground and gave the Giants a 14-7 lead.

The Giants looked to add to the lead when a Jessie Armstead blitz nailed Cade McNown for an eight-yard loss, forcing a punt and putting the Giants in business on their own 38. Back came the Giants, with Kerry Collins hitting Ike Hilliard for 14 yards and Barber bursting through for 15 to the Bears 10. But disaster struck. Barber was hit straight-on by cornerback Thomas Smith and stripped from behind by safety Tony Parrish. The costly turnover, on the first play of the fourth quarter, ensured that the Giants would have no breathing room the rest of the way.

On the first offensive series, Dixon’s number was called on a reverse and he took it 13 yards. Two plays later, offensive coordinator Sean Payton showed he’s not afraid to take a chance.

On second-and-1 on the Bears 34, Payton easily could have called for a running play to pick up the first down and continue a methodical Giants drive. But Payton went for it all, and the Giants delivered, mainly because of sensational plays by Collins and Dixon.

Dixon ran one-on-one with cornerback Thomas Smith up the right sideline. Smith’s coverage was solid, but sometimes nothing can be done to stop perfection. That was the throw by Collins. His floater was so good, Smith leaped in the end zone with Dixon and stuck out his right arm to knock the ball away. It didn’t happen. Dixon cradled the ball while staying in bounds in the right corner for his first NFL touchdown. That finished up a brilliant opening drive in which Collins was 4 of 4 for 59 yards.

It all looked so easy for the Giants, and for most of the first half, it was easy. But not productive. The Giants controlled the ball, the game and the action and yet when they ran off at halftime, it was 7-7 and it was the Bears who were feeling better about themselves.

After the first drive, the Giants succeeded only in foiling their own attempts to build their lead. Twice in the second quarter, they owned the ball on time-consuming possessions, came up short and settled for field goals. Both times, they came away with no points because of lousy kicking game execution.

Daluiso with 8:57 left in the first half lined up for a 34-yard field goal, which should be routine. But Daluiso drilled his kick wide left. On the Giants very next possession, Daluiso had a 41-yard attempt, but holder Brad Maynard mis-handled a low snap, caught and then dropped the ball. That ruined the kick, as Daluiso sent the ball into the line of scrimmage.

Meanwhile, the Bears were doing nothing to excite their fans in their home opener, other than attract boos and jeers whenever they handed off to Curtis Enis. With 3:16 remaining in the first half, the Bears finally got moving, beating the clock and the Giants defense on short passes, with Cade McNown barely touched in the pocket. The 12-play, 74-yard drive was completed when on third-and-1 with 14 seconds left McNown rolled left and flipped a pass that Jason Sehorn dove for and missed and Eddie Kennison caught for a 2-yard TD.