Bears vs. Giants Betting Guide: What to Expect from Week 2 of Daniel Jones

Chicago Bears at New York Giants Betting Odds

• Spread: Giants -2
• Over/Under: 42.5
• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

The Giants host the Bears in one of three NFL Preseason Week 2 matchups on Friday night. Let’s take a look at key storylines for both teams, complete with a betting pick.

Chicago Bears

The Bears seem poised to rest their key starters for essentially the entire preseason based on popular opinion from various beat writers.

One of the key storylines to watch in the meantime is the progression of some of the defense's young potential studs.

Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson and Kyle Fuller (rightfully) get most of the praise from the league's top-ranked defense, but the Bears also boast two former top-10 picks who could take the unit to another level with further improvement in 2019.

• The Bears selected inside linebacker Roquan Smith with the eighth overall pick in 2018. The former consensus All-American didn't disappoint as a rookie, but anything short of domination from a stud with Smith's combination of instincts and speed (4.51-second 40-yard dash) will inevitably be critiqued. The second-year linebacker already showed signs of growth during the Bears' Week 1 preseason loss to the Panthers.

• The Bears drafted Leonard Floyd with the ninth overall pick in 2016. Few pass-rushers possess Floyd's ability to bend the edge and get to the quarterback in a hurry, but he's ultimately tallied a modest 15.5 sacks in 38 games while failing to rank among Pro Football Focus' top-50 edge rushers during each of his first three seasons. Floyd should continue to avoid too much attention from opposing offensive lines as long as Mack and Hicks stay healthy, although it's fair to say the clock is ticking on him fulfilling his sky-high potential.

New York Giants

The Daniel Jones era is NOW.

Sure, Christian Hackenberg also drove down the field for a score on his first career preseason drive, but that's neither here nor there.

The word out of Giants camp is that Jones has been much more willing to test the defense downfield compared to Eli Manning. This isn't particularly surprising, although additional reports have suggested that Manning has remained efficient in the short-and-intermediate areas of the field and isn't at risk of losing his starting job anytime soon.

The larger issue for both quarterbacks ahead of both Friday night and Week 1 is their sad excuse for a wide receiver corps. Both Golden Tate (suspension) and Sterling Shepard (fractured thumb) are already compromised, while Corey Coleman (torn ACL) is done for the season. This leaves Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer and Russell Shepard to fill out three receiver sets. Yuck.

Betting on the Bears backups vs. the Giants isn't for the faint of heart. Still, I have a hard time believing either offense will be very successful for four quarters.

PICK: Under 42.5