An NFC Battle Royale with playoff implications? Sure, sounds ridiculous now, but what if the Chicago Bears’ offense finally gets their poop in a group? What if the Bears string together some wins later in the year, and suddenly they are in the Wild Card conversation? What if this week 4 conference clash at Soldier Field between the LA Rams and Chicago Bears has some significance down the road? Let’s indulge our curiosities.
The Rams Can Beat Anyone
The LA Rams just pulled off an improbable victory against the San Fransisco 49ers in week 3 after trailing by 14 points in the 3rd quarter. The Rams were without top WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and still managed to rally back and win by 3 points on a last-second field goal by Joshua Karty. That was despite a monumental performance by 49ers’ WR Jauan Jennings who had 11 catches for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns. The San Fransico 49ers’ offense was without star RB Christian McCaffrey, one of the best weapons in the NFL in Deebo Samuel, and playmaking TE George Kittle.
Conversely, the 49ers’ lofty defense was at full strength and they got carved up by 3rd, 4th, and 5th string wide receivers for the Rams and RB Kyren Williams who went off for 116 all-purpose yards and 3 total touchdowns. The Rams’ home field at SoFi Stadium appeared to be 90% 49ers fans, so it was like another home game for San Fransico, and the Rams still won. The Rams used that as fuel for their fire and played inspired football for 4 quarters, earning their first dub of the season. Soldier Field will be 99% Chicago Bears fans when the Rams trot out of the tunnel, so they better find similar motivation on Sunday.
Chicago Bears D > 49ers D
The latest iteration of The Monsters of the Midway has kept the Chicago Bears within striking distance of winning every game they’ve played through the first three weeks. The Bears’ defense has allowed 4 fewer first downs, 105 fewer total yards, and 2 fewer touchdowns to opponents than the 49ers defense has this year. The Chicago Bears defense has 2 more interceptions, is almost 28% better at third down stops, and only has one less sack than the San Fransico 49ers high-paid defense. The Chicago Bears’ defense has outperformed one of the most talented and talked-about defensive units in 2024.
The Chicago Bears’ defense must prepare to defend the entire field against the Rams’ offense. LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay will pull out all the stops and utilize his entire playbook against the Bears, just like he did against the 49ers. Whether run, pass, screen, short, long intermediate – or trick plays – the Chicago Bears’ defense will see it all on Sunday and need to defend it all to give their team a chance to win. The Bears’ special teams have blocked one punt so far this year and will need to be on point again to get the win. The Rams are perfect on field goal attempts this season, whereas the Chicago Bears have missed one.
It’s All About The O
The LA Rams’ offense is better in almost every statistical category than the Chicago Bears offense, except for fourth down conversion efficiency and number of plays ran per game. However, because the Bears’ defense is statistically better than all 3 teams the Rams offense has gone against so far this year, that leaves this game easily in the hands of the offense for the Chicago Bears. We all know the struggles of the Bears’ offense so far this season, but let’s pretend that the Bears will clean some things up in practice this week and are ready to take another step up in week 4.
The LA Rams’ defense is very exploitable in 2024. They’ve given up more yards and touchdowns than any defense the Bears have played. The Rams have given up more first downs than all but the Colts, and only by one. The Rams D has the fewest sacks of any defense the Chicago Beras have faced, with just 4. Chicago Bears’ OC Shane Waldron is very familiar with the Rams’s defense from his three seasons in Seattle. In 6 games against the Rams as the OC for the Seattle Seahawks, Shane Waldron went 2-4, scoring an average of 17 points with 313 yards of total offense per game. Not Great.
Final Thoughts – Rams v. Bears
The Rams defenses that Shane Waldron faced with the Seahawks were far different than today’s Rams. The 2021-22 Rams won the Super Bowl. Rams’ 8-time All-Pro DT Aaron Donald retired after last season, and 3-time All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey left in a 2023 trade with the Dolphins. The 2024 Rams are beatable and statistically nothing scary on defense. If the Chicago Bears offense can improve for a 4th week in a row and the Bears’ D can take care of business as usual – this is a very winnable game for the Bears at home to get back to .500.
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