Sunday will start to feel like “football weather” at Soldier Field with the Chicago Bears playing host to the New York Giants. The Bears are coming off a thrilling 47-42 win over the Cincinnati Bengals while the Giants suffered their third straight loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9.

In a recent episode of “Bear Essentials” with Elise Menaker and former Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle, the duo provided keys to how the Bears can take advantage of the Giants at Soldier Field this Sunday.

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In his first key to the Bears win, Waddle insists the Bears need to continue to run the football behind what has become a dominant ground attack with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

“They’re the second-best rushing team in the league right now. They average 144 yards per game on the ground. It’s the best way to get after the Giants,” Waddle said. “They are dead last in yards per carry. They give 5.5 yards per carry, they give up 150 yards per game on the ground. I’m projecting that between these two guys, I’m thinking 35 or 40 carries.”

While Swift is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday’s matchup, Monangai, a seventh round draft pick in 2025, had his best game of his career in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Another rookie stood out in last Sunday’s win, as Bears first-round draft pick, Colston Loveland, had a breakthrough game. Following both rookies gutsy performances, Waddle believes Loveland will continue to play a larger role in the offense.

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“Even with Cole Kmet coming back, I think you’re going to see Colston Loveland playing a larger role in this passing game,” Waddle said praising the Bears’ rookie tight end. “The last couple of weeks, he’s been targeted six times per game against the Bengals [and Ravens]. That’s why he was the offensive player of the week in the NFC.

“Keep feeding the rock to Colston Loveland. Everyone’s got to eat but I would serve him up a dish every game.”

While the offense has hit their stride of late, the defense has taken a step back. The Bears defense ranks 21st in the NFL, giving up 2,950 total yards and sits 23rd in sacks (17). The pass rush has remained solid in Waddle’s eyes; however, they face a more agile quarterback in Giants rookie Jaxson Dart.

“They have been very, very disciplined with how they’ve rushed the passer and you’ve got to do that again against Jaxson Dart. The one thing he does exceptionally well is tuck and run. He’s a very good athlete,” Waddle said. “You’ve got to focus on the quarterback, you got to get to the young quarterback but make sure you pin him in the pocket.”

Dart was drafted in the first round (25th overall) by the New York Giants and has started six games after veteran quarterback Russell Wilson was benched in Week 3. In six games, Dart has thrown for 1,175 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 251 yards and has 5 touchdowns.

The Bears lead the league in takeaways (19) on the season and if they have any chance in winning on Sunday, they must pride themselves in taking the ball away.

“In their five wins, they have 18 takeaways. In their three losses, only one takeaway,” Waddle said. “It’s not the best defense in the world right now. The way you kind of make up for it, lack of a dominant defense, is you take the ball away. They lead the league in interceptions, takeaways and turnover ratio. So continue to do that.”

Catch new episodes of “Bear Essentials” with Elise Menaker and Tom Waddle every Friday on Marquee Sports Network.