Chicago (2-5) at NY Giants (5-2)

— -- EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) - Tom Coughlin has already surpassed last year's win total for the New York Giants. Injuries have prevented coach Lovie Smith from having the same type of success with the Chicago Bears. The NFC teams meet for the first time in more than four years on Sunday. After finishing 5-11 last year under Jim Fassel, the Giants passed that win total before the midway point under Coughlin. The Bears were 7-9 last year under Dick Jauron, but injuries to quarterback Rex Grossman, Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher and three-fourths of the secondary have made Smith's first year a difficult one. Chicago snapped a four-game losing streak with a 23-13 victory over San Francisco last week. Making his first start at quarterback, Craig Krenzel connected with fellow rookie Bernard Berrian on a 49-yard touchdown and Nathan Vasher, another rookie, returned an interception 71 yards for a score. But the Giants present a far greater challenge than the 49ers. They forced three turnovers, including interceptions by rookie safety Gibril Wilson and cornerback Will Allen, in last week's 34-13 rout of the Minnesota Vikings, which had the league's No. 1 ranked offense. Meanwhile, the Giants converted 4-of-5 red zone opportunities as Tiki Barber and fullback Mike Cloud each scored a pair of touchdowns. Urlacher will probably focus on Barber, who leads the NFC with 748 rushing yards and has also caught 27 passes for 352 yards. Barber recorded his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season in the win at Minnesota. Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner has been sacked 26 times this season. He also fumbled three times, losing one, in the win at Minnesota. The teams last met in September 2000 at Soldier Field and the Giants posted a 14-7 win. Matchup to watch: Bears right tackle John Tait is matched up against left end Michael Strahan. Series: Chicago leads, 25-17-2. Next week: Chicago visits Tennessee on November 14 NY Giants visit Arizona on November 14