The Chicago Bears will look to put together their second winning streak of the season on Sunday, going for their second consecutive victory as they welcome the New York Giants to Soldier Field.

Last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals provided plenty of excitement and chaos as Chicago needed a last-minute 58-yard touchdown from tight end Colston Loveland to win a game they had been leading most of the way. This week, Chicago takes on a youthful team in New York that is down their top two offensive playmakers due to injury but still have a dynamic playmaker in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

For at least the third straight the Bears have the advantage on paper, but in the NFL, nothing is ever given and such has been true on the season for Chicago as well. In an ultra competitive NFC North division, and the second half of the season upon us, every game has slightly more importance than ever, so Chicago can’t overlook any opponent.

Here are the top three causes for concern as Chicago returns home to Soldier Field in Week 10:

Defensive injuries

In their last three games, the Bears have faced quarterbacks Spencer Rattler, Tyler Huntley, and Joe Flacco, and with all due respect to them, Jaxson Dart may be their toughest challenge in their current stretch. Chicago will be without pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, who was lost for the season last week, linebacker T.J. Edwards, who had surgery on his broken hand and is nursing a hamstring injury, and their top two cornerbacks in Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. The latter have missed most of the season, putting pressure on the Chicago secondary to step up, but with significant losses at each level of defense, the Bears are going to need to see others rise to the occasion when given the opportunity.

Penalties

After averaging 10 penalties in their previous three games entering Week 9, Chicago committed seven last week against the Bengals, which is a slight improvement. It may not be so much how many penalties the Bears are committing, rather what penalties they’re committing and when they’re doing them. The Bears are still plagued by pre-snap and procedure penalties on offense, which is halting any momentum on their offensive drives. They played much better in the red zone last week, but cutting out these penalties will allow them to put their foot on the gas and not allow teams back in the game.

Overlooking opponent

Although the Bears have won all three games that have come down to the final minute this season, their play on the field hasn’t always felt good recently. Although they defeated the Saints and Bengals, the play was still frustrating, but none was more frustrating than the loss to the Ravens without Lamar Jackson. With New York being without running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers, Chicago can’t afford to let any of their under-the-radar players have a career game against them. The matchup on paper favors the Bears, and they need to show why on their home field on Sunday.

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