After a 20-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers in their preseason opener, the New York Giants will be looking for signs of improvement Monday night when they host the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). After a rocky training camp, the Giants have several unanswered questions with the regular season just three weeks away.
"We will know a little bit more after Monday night," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "I would like to see players at various spots play well, step up and answer some questions for us."
The Giants would like to see improved communication from their revamped offensive line. They scored just three points on offense against Carolina, their only touchdown coming on an interception return by linebacker Michael Boley. With the first team in the game they got little done offensively, with some communication issues on the offensive line being at the heart of the problems.
After the preseason opener, Coughlin told reporters "We do have some growing pains to experience there (offensive line)." New left tackle Will Beatty concurred, saying "We still have a mountain to climb."
The Giants will also be looking to see if they have a reliable tight end on the roster. Travis Beckum, the third-year player from Wisconsin, is not a traditional tight end at just 235 pounds. He is the best pass receiver among the tight ends currently on the roster, though. Beckum missed the preseason opener with a hamstring injury, and Coughlin sounded last week as though he is tiring of waiting for Beckum to step forward.
"That's a position that's got to get better," Coughlin said. "If the group that we have here can improve over the next couple of weeks, fine. If not, we've got to get better."
Notes
Coughlin said starters will play 25-30 snaps tonight. ... David Carr will get his first opportunity Monday night in his competition with Sage Rosenfels for the backup quarterback job. ... Rhys Lloyd will handle placekicking duties. Lawrence Tynes is not expected to play after suffering a thigh bruise against Carolina.