The New York Giants have turned the ball over 10 times in three games while starting 1-2. The Chicago Bears defense has forced eight turnovers while the team has started 3-0.
The Bears are looking forward to making the Giants add to that total Sunday night.
“Licking your chops,” [Lance] Briggs said when asked what the Giants turnover total means to him. “As a defense, if a team is turning the ball over you want to get the ball out. We pride ourselves on stuff like that. When we get the opportunity we have to do it.”
Brian Urlacher seconded that emotion.
“We’d like to get some more,” he said. “If we can get a takeaway
-three, four, five a game-that would be big for us. Takeaways are a huge stat in the NFL. If you’re plus 2 in the takeaway category, you’re probably gonna win the game. Just don’t give it away on offense, and take it away on defense, and you’ll have a good chance to win the game.”
The discouraging thing for the Giants is most of those turnovers have not been forced by the defense. They have been simple lapses in concentration by the receivers or poor decisions by quarterback Eli Manning.