CHICAGO – The Giants kept their word yesterday afternoon and kept the ball away from Devin Hester in their 21-16 come-from-behind victory over the Bears at Soldier Field.
Hester had a punt and kickoff return for touchdowns last week against the Broncos, and the Giants knew better than to tempt fate. Jeff Feagles punted five times, and Hester had three returns for 16 yards. Feagles sent one punt out of bounds, but angled all his kicks to the sideline. His final punt of the first half was his best, a 52-yarder into the left side that Hester returned four yards.
“Feagles did an outstanding job,” Tom Coughlin said.
There were four kickoff opportunities for the Giants. Lawrence Tynes sent two of them bouncing out of bounds, one away from Hester and to Rashied David and one late in the fourth quarter that Hester returned 19 yards.
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The Giants’ already-depleted secondary took another hit on the opening defensive series, when strong safety James Butler was forced off with a hamstring injury. That put rookie Craig Dahl on the field for the first time in his career with the regular defense, but Butler was able to return for the next series. Another rookie, Michael Johnson, started at free safety in place of injured Gibril Wilson (knee) but had to leave briefly to have X-rays taken of his neck.
The Bears certainly noticed this commotion in the defensive backfield, and they should have taken advantage with a big play early in the second quarter. From his own 19-yard line, Rex Grossman unloaded a deep ball that fell perfectly into the hands of Hester, who easily sprinted past the hobbled Butler. Hester should have had an 81-yard touchdown reception, but he dropped the ball on the Giants 30-yard line.
“Man, that’s a big break,” Butler said of Hester’s miscue. “I tried to run with him, not blaming anything on my hamstring. They did a good job of them running that play, I’m just happy they dropped the ball.”
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David Tyree, a special teams player who did not have a catch all season, had two on the game-winning drive, including a 24-yarder to the Bears 17. Tyree was on the field in place of ineffective Sinorice Moss.
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LB Kawika Mitchell played a solid game with 12 tackles and one-half sack. . . . Kevin Dockery made his second career start, replacing rookie Aaron Ross (hamstring) at left cornerback.