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Bears brace for key matchup vs. Giants

Dec 2, 2007 - 12:30 PM NY Giants (7-4) at Chicago (5-6) 4:15 pm EST

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bears saved their season in dramatic fashion. Now the real work begins.

The Bears hope to ride the momentum of a pulsating overtime victory when they host the New York Giants on Sunday.

Chicago rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the final 5:17 of regulation and went on to stun the Denver Broncos, 37-34, in overtime on Robbie Gould's 39-yard field goal.

While the dramatic victory kept the Bears' postseason hopes alive, they still are among six teams tied with 5-6 records - one game behind division rival Detroit for the final playoff berth in the NFC.

Embattled quarterback Rex Grossman, who lost his starting job after three games only to reclaim it in Week 11, led Chicago to a pair of touchdowns and the winning field goal on the final three drives.

"We executed and that's what it all boils down to," Grossman said. "Sometimes when you get a head of steam, it's hard to be stopped. Momentum is a crazy thing."

Prior to the comeback, the bulk of the Bears' offense was supplied by return man extraordinaire Devin Hester, who took a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown and returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score.

The second-year player out of Miami now has a career total of 10 return touchdowns - a franchise record - and is just three shy of the NFL record.

Hester also left an impression on the Giants, returning a missed field goal 108 yards for a TD in a 38-20 victory on November 12, 2006.

The only negative for the Bears was losing starting running back Cedric Benson to a season-ending ankle injury that will require surgery. Adrian Peterson will start in his place against the Giants.

The Giants, meanwhile, will try to pick up the pieces as they face their second straight opponent from the NFC North.

Eli Manning threw four interceptions, three of which were returning for touchdowns in a shocking 41-17 drubbing at home to the Minnesota Vikings.

Two of the interceptions occurred in a 42-second span of the fourth quarter as the Vikings assumed a 41-10 lead.

"The interceptions for touchdowns, there is no excuse for it," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "You are not going to be able to win a football game when you give away the points that we did."

Giants starting running back Brandon Jacobs sat out the game with a hamstring injury and his status for Sunday's game is up in the air.