Thursday Football Afterword: Bears vs Giants

The struggle continues for Eli Manning. Thursday night marked the
fourth time in six games that he's thrown at least three picks this season.

Cory Puffett

I let last week slip by without much analysis, at least not via the written word. Well I’m back this week and we (my radio co-hosts and I) will be sure to cover the big games for Week 6 right here.

For the second straight week, we were treated to a really good game on Thursday night that had low expectations going in. It was advertised as a game pitting two “NFL powerhouses” against each other, which was laughable considering one was the 0-5 Giants.

Credit to the Giants for keeping it interesting. Brandon Jacobs had a huge game on the ground, racking up over 100 yards and two scores for the team he gave so much to over the first seven seasons of his career.

Unfortunately, Eli Manning was the undoing of his team for a second straight week. He has six interceptions in the last five days, 15 on the season, and has thrown at least one in every game so far. Two of his first five passes last night were picked off, the second was returned for a touchdown, and his third came on a promising drive late in the fourth quarter that ultimately clinched the victory for Chicago.

Jay Cutler and the Bears improve to 4-2 with the win and will have sole possession of the NFC North if Cleveland can beat Detroit on Sunday. Cutler now has 12 touchdown passes versus six interceptions on the season after throwing a pair to Brandon Marshall.

Speaking of Marshall, the NFL told him earlier this week that if he wore green cleats to support Mental Health Awareness Week, he would be ejected from the game. They backed off that stance and told him that he could wear them but that he would be fined. He responded by saying that he will match the NFL’s fine with a donation to a Mental Health charity. Chalk one up for Good Guy Brandon this week.

Be sure to listen to the Football Freaks’ Week 6 predictions podcast on PodOmatic or iTunes, and then tune in this evening from 6-7pm (emphasis on SIX P.M.) for our live show on WMUC Sports. Call in at 301-314-9979 or Tweet your questions to me, @cpuffnfl.