The Bears traveled to MetLife Stadium in Week 11 to take on the 6-3 New York Giants. In 57 prior matchups, the Bears led the series 33-25-2. According to Jeff Joniak's Keys to the Game, the Bears offense needed to rely on Jordan Howard and the running game; the rushing attack, which led the NFL in yards per carry (YPC) with 5.5, faced a Giants defense that ranked 18th in first down run defense with 4.27 yards, seventh in overall run defense and fifth in YPC allowed. In terms of rushing plays of at least ten yards, the Giants allowed 19, the fourth-best in the league, while the Bears had 28, including 21 by Howard. On defense, the Bears had to contain New York's players after catches; Odell Beckham Jr. had 281 yards after catches, sixth-most among receivers, while the Giants as a whole was ranked sixth in the category. However, the Giants struggled with turnovers, allowing 18 (including ten by quarterback Eli Manning's interceptions), which ranked 27th in the league. Joniak stated the Bears needed "to find the players who are willing to fight, scratch and crawl their way out of the hole they're in." On the opening drive, Jay Cutler threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller, but in windy conditions, Connor Barth missed the extra point wide right. The Giants responded with Rashad Jennings' two-yard touchdown run, though former Bear Robbie Gould also missed the extra point when his kick hit the left upright. Barth kicked a 40-yard field goal on the following drive to give the Bears the 9-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Howard helped the Bears record a 79-yard drive with a 27-yard run, ending the series with a one-yard touchdown run. Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal to draw the Giants within one touchdown by halftime. The deficit eventually became a 22-16 lead when the Giants scored on their first two drives of the second half: Manning threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Will Tye, followed by errors from Demonte Hurst and Deon Bush resulting in a 15-yard touchdown pass by Manning to Sterling Shepard, though Gould missed the extra point on the latter's resulting PAT. After the two scores, the Bears defense improved and was able to hold the Giants to five consecutive punts, while punter Pat O'Donnell contributed with 54- and 67-yard punts. However, the offense struggled, punting on all but two drives in the second half. Barth missed a 51-yard field goal when it hit the right upright early in the fourth quarter. Down by six points with three minutes left in the game, Cutler led the offense into Giants territory before the drive stalled: by the time the unit reached New York's 30-yard line, Cutler was sacked by Jason Pierre-Paul and fumbled before recovering his own ball, followed by an illegal shift penalty on Cameron Meredith that drew the Bears further back. Cutler's underthrown pass to Marquess Wilson was intercepted by Landon Collins with 1:11 left in the game to seal the Giants victory. The already-depleted Bears roster suffered further injuries during the game. Starters Bobby Massie, Eddie Goldman, Mitch Unrein, Kyle Long, Kevin White and Kyle Fuller missed the game due to prior to injuries, while Alshon Jeffery remained suspended. In the game, Josh Sitton suffered an ankle injury, while Cre'Von LeBlanc left the game due to a concussion. Shortly before the end of the first half, Miller broke his right foot when Pierre-Paul stepped on it; he was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, ending his season. Midway through the fourth quarter, Leonard Floyd was hospitalized after injuring his neck in a collision with Akiem Hicks, though he was later released. To further add to the Bears' troubles, Jerrell Freeman was suspended a day after the game for four games; like Jeffery, he was suspended for using PEDs. Later that day, Cutler was revealed to have suffered a shoulder injury in the game and was placed on injured reserve on December 5.. How many starters for the Bears missed the game due to injuries and suspension?