Giants vs. Bears 2013: New York falls to 0-6

Manning’s final numbers were 14-for-26 for 236 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He kept the game close, which proved his resiliency to some extent, but those three picks highlighted how maddeningly inconsistent he has been this season. After throwing his second interception, he had at that point completed just four of his prior 17 pass attempts with five interceptions. He started Thursday’s game 1-for-5, then went 13-for-21 the rest of the way. So why is Manning putting Giants fans through such agony?

The answer is difficult to discern. One possibility is that Manning is trying to do too much. He is averaging more than 40 pass attempts per game this season, which is significantly more than he averaged over the course of any of his nine other seasons in the NFL. Throwing often and throwing when defenses expect you to throw is a bad recipe for a lot of quarterbacks.

The Chicago Bears have been able to skate by without a reliable pass rush, but as the schedule gets tougher the team should be asking more from its $84 million defensive end.

It’s not a huge issue for the Bears right now, but it’s something the team should keep close tabs on and scheme around if needed. Chicago managed just one sack against the Giants on Thursday and too often the team is leaning on its excellent secondary to mitigate the lack of pass rush and reliable tackling. Teams will exploit this as time progresses.

What is it about Giants receivers shooting themselves in the foot ... or thigh? Rueben Randle got away with a really bad move on a critical third-quarter drive. He was on his way to the end zone, slipped and slammed the ball down in frustration. Of course, he fumbled the ball.

Neither team’s pass rush has been very effective, giving both sides large buffers. The second half will hinge on pass rushing and how well each team’s secondary can hold.

• “League of Denial” creators discuss concussion crisis

It’s the classic fan conundrum. You’ve got tickets to the game, and need to pay tribute to your favorite players ... and get on TV. But how? There’s got to be a way to go outside the box. I mean, everybody’s going to have the magic marker signs.

And then it hits you ...

Here are the full inactive lists for the game.

• “League of Denial” creators discuss concussion crisis