Giants get 10 sacks in 17-3 win over Bears

Jay Cutler was pounded, Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 129 yards and a touchdown, Tiki Barber was booed, and just like that - snap! - all was right with the Giants.

Well, not everything. There was the ugly matter of Matt Dodge and his punting . . . at least when he managed to put foot to ball. And the offense, except for two sustained drives, seemed unable to move the ball.

But the Giants' defense came to life with 10 sacks - nine of them in a first half that left Cutler with a concussion and unable to return for the second half - and three turnovers to lead the way to a 17-3 win over the previously unbeaten Bears.

After two weeks of washout performances that some thought put Tom Coughlin's job in jeopardy and indicated another miserable season for the Giants, the victory put them in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East at 2-2. "We needed to win," Coughlin said. "We needed to go and regain confidence. That's what this game is all about . . . Hopefully, this is something we can build on."

The Giants were aware of what was being said about them and their coach. Justin Tuck, who had three sacks, said the team rallied behind Coughlin more than they have in the past. "If the ship was going to sink," Tuck said, "we were going to sink with it."

Osi Umenyiora agreed with that sentiment. "He's an outstanding coach and he has our backs," said the other Giant with three sacks last night. "We didn't like what we heard and we had to go out there and play for him."

With the Giants leading 10-0, Deon Grant's interception of backup quarterback Todd Collins was as productive as the Giants' previous two takeaways, resulting in zero points. This time Brandon Jacobs' fumble gave the ball back to the Bears at the Giants' 29. Three snaps later, the Bears kicked a 40-yard field goal that made it 10-3.

Jacobs atoned for his gaffe by scoring on a 2-yard run with 4:31 left. The Giants scored their first touchdown on a 90-yard third-quarter drive capped by Bradshaw's 3-yard run.

The Giants' defense jinxed the Bears, recording nine sacks of Cutler and holding the Bears to 22 yards in the first half. But for all of that pressure and the two turnovers it helped produce, the Giants' special-teams goofs and inept offense allowed them only a 3-0 halftime lead.

It was Friday when the Giants learned they would have to play this game and likely the foreseeable future without Mathias Kiwanuka. He was the only Giants player with multiple sacks through the first three games. Who would pick up the slack?

Just about everyone, it turned out, but Umenyiora was the first to raise his hand. After looking sluggish in the previous two games, he showed flashes of his Pro Bowl form on the first series when he cut inside Brandon Manumaleuna and snared Cutler for a 3-yard loss. On the next series, Chris Canty notched his first sack of the season.

Umenyiora forced a fumble on his next encounter with Cutler, but the Bears recovered it. Tuck had a sack on the next series that forced a fumble that also was recovered by the Bears. Finally, two plays after Tuck's hit, Umenyiora came around behind Cutler and stripped the ball away. Grant managed to secure it for the second Giants turnover.

Just like the first, though, the offense took over in Bears territory and did nothing. Terrell Thomas' interception late in the first quarter led to three feeble plays and a missed 38-yard field-goal attempt by Lawrence Tynes (the hold by Dodge was askew). After Grant's fumble recovery at the 29, the Giants were pushed out of field-goal range by an offsides against Chris Snee.

After that, the Giants' sacks began coming in more rapid succession. Cutler scrambled out of bounds, hounded by Barry Cofield, for a loss of 2 yards (the sack officially was credited to Jonathan Goff, the closest to Cutler when he went out). Tuck sacked Cutler on the next snap for a loss of 9, forcing a punt.

After an Eli Manning fumble, the defense picked right up where it left off, though, as Cofield came through the middle to sack Cutler. It was the third straight offensive play for the Bears that ended with the quarterback losing yardage.

On the ninth sack, Aaron Ross came through on a blitz and hit Cutler from behind. He had dealt with hits from all the beefy linemen and linebackers in the first half, but Ross' pop left Cutler woozy as he got to his feet. He finished the series but did not return for the second half.