The Chicago Bears Welcome the Los Angeles Rams to Soldier Field for the NFC Divisional Round
The Chicago Bears shocked the world in Wild Card Weekend against Green Bay, but now have another challenge on the horizon. It’s the Los Angeles Rams and MVP candidate Matthew Stafford who are looking to advance to the conference championship.
The Rams had a regular-season record of 13-4 and played a crazy game in a back-and-forth affair with the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round. That game ended 34-31 with the Rams coming out on top, but it could’ve gone either way.
The Rams have multiple leaders in the stat sheet. This includes the aforementioned quarterback Matthew Stafford, who leads the league in passing yards (4,707 yards), and Puka Nacua, who is second in the league in yards with 1,820 receiving yards. They also have future Hall of Famer Davante Adams, a red-zone threat who leads the league in touchdowns with 14.
The Bears once again have home-field advantage, which benefits them tremendously. Stafford has a 3-3 record in freezing temperatures since joining the Rams. It’s supposed to be 18 degrees with snowy and winter conditions during the game. This should make the situation difficult for the Rams.
Keys to the Game
Don’t Wait to Comeback!
In addition to giving Bears fans a roller coaster of emotions, the Bears may not be able to come back if they fall behind early. Sean McVay’s system allows the offense to run the ball with both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, in addition to the passing game. They must go up early on the scoreboard. The Rams love their 13 personnel sets. That kind of personnel could be an issue for the Bears’ defense.
Additionally, if Caleb Williams comes out sluggish as he did against Green Bay, he may throw another two interceptions in the first half. The Bears have the tools to be in this game, but they have to go back to basics, especially at the start. They need to rely on their run game, go up early, and put the pressure on Stafford to air it out. Stafford has 11 interceptions in bad-weather games since joining the Rams.
Bad Weather Game, Good for Running
The Bears will have the weather on their side for this game. The Bears have a 48% success rate on designed runs during the regular season. We’ve also seen Caleb thrive in the cold with over 500 combined yards in the two snow games this year (Week 12 against the Packers and Week 15 against the Browns). Along with that, he had five touchdowns with a 64.8% completion percentage and a 89.9 passer rating. With Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift leading the way running, the pressure will be off of Williams, and he should have an easy day throwing.
Make Stafford Uncomfortable
It’s hard to make this year’s frontrunner for the MVP award uncomfortable. But it’s possible, and we saw that in his game against the Panthers in the Wild Card round. He had an interception despite having a great game (304 passing yards, three touchdowns). The secondary will have to adjust to the two elite pass catchers in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. Guys who have stepped up like Kevin Byard III, who leads the league in interceptions in the regular season, and Austin Booker, who sacked Jordan Love last week, will look to make Stanford’s time uncomfortable in Soldier Field. Stafford is questionable with a finger injury that could limit him, but expect him to play through it.
Predictions and Odds
Spread and Moneyline:
Los Angeles Rams
Spread: -3.5
Moneyline: -198
Chicago Bears
Spread: +3.5
Moneyline: +164
Over/Under: 48.5
Prediction:
This will be, once again, another nail-biter, but definitely lower-scoring due to the weather conditions. I predict that the Bears will come out on top again.
Bears 24, Rams 20