The Chicago Bears (4-5) got their season back on track by beating the Detroit Lions (3-5-1) in Week 10. It was a must-win game for Chicago and they followed through by winning 20-13, as predicted in this column last week.
Moving forward, can the Chicago Bears start stacking some wins by traveling out West and defeating the Los Angeles Rams on their home turf?
Chicago Bears Look to Stay on Track Against Los Angeles Rams
Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell Trubisky played well last Sunday. He threw the football 23 times, completed 16 passes for 173 yards and threw three touchdowns. He had zero turnovers and a 131.0 quarterback rating, his season high. Trubisky wasn’t fantastic as he still couldn’t move the offense on most possessions and he was sacked five times. However, Mitch showed improvement and did enough to inspire his team’s confidence and win the game. If he can keep playing like this, the Bears will win plenty of games.
Roquan Smith
Roquan Smith has rebounded the last several weeks since he was out in Week 4. In the game against the Lions, he totaled 11 tackles, seven of which were solo stops. Smith appears to be back to full speed. He’s been all over the field over the last couple of games. Look for Smith to step up now that fellow inside linebacker Danny Trevathan is out with an elbow injury.
Nick Kwiatkoski
Once Trevathan was injured late in the first quarter, Nick Kwiatkoski replaced him and thrived. Seemingly always ready to play, Kwiatkoski has been an integral backup to both Smith and Trevathan over the years. He recorded 10 tackles, a team-high nine solo stops, an interception, a quarterback hit, and a pass defensed. Moving forward, he’ll have to be solid because it doesn’t look like Trevathan will be playing anytime soon with the elbow injury. Look for Kwiatkoski to play well in his stead.
Bears at Rams on Sunday Night Football
By the Numbers
So now that the Bears (4-5) have ended their four game skid, fans are wondering if they can get on a winning streak and get back in the NFC playoff picture. On Sunday night, Chicago will be in primetime at the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams (5-4). The Rams have also had a disappointing season thus far.
According to Troy Aikman‘s Efficiency Ratings (AER), through ten weeks the Rams are the 12th best team in the NFL as opposed to the Bears at 19. Offensively, L.A. is 18th while Chicago is 25th. Defensively, the Bears are sixth while the Rams are ninth.
The rankings are a little kinder to both squads according to TeamRankings.com. The Rams are sixth in the NFL while the Bears are 15th. They calculate the Rams with a 26.9% chance to make the playoffs while the Bears fans will be sad to know that Chicago is calculated to have only a 4.2% chance to repeat as a playoff qualifier this year.
Don’t forget that L.A. was on a roll last season at 11-1 when they traveled to Soldier Field to face a hot Bears team (8-4 at game-time). The Monsters of the Midway dominated on defense to win 15-6. Chicago went on to win out and won the NFC North at 12-4. Meanwhile, the Rams lost only one more game in the regular season and proceeded all the way to the Super Bowl where their dreams ended in a loss to the New England Patriots.
Goff vs Trubisky
The Rams are coming off of a tough 17-12 loss on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. They are 2-2 at home while the Bears are 2-2 on the road. Both teams are 3-3 against NFC opponents. The following might be the most surprising stat of the week. L.A. quarterback Jared Goff is 27th in passer rating at 82.7 while Trubisky is ahead of him at 24th with a rating of 85.2. Last year Goff was an MVP candidate. This year through nine games he ranks behind Trubisky and is one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the entire league.
What happened? Last year the Rams had the second best offense in the entire league according to Football Outsiders. This year, they rank 21st. In 2019 Goff has 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 60.3 completion percentage. But it’s been different in 2019. Brandin Cooks is out this week with a concussion. Robert Woods hasn’t scored yet on 45 catches. Their running game has been woeful, ranking 21st in the NFL. Running back Todd Gurley is only averaging 4.1 yards per carry and 53.5 yards per game (428 yards) and he has only six touchdowns.
Prediction
Despite the Rams offensive ineptitude, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives the Rams a 68.2% chance to win Sunday night. That’s because Chicago’s offense is even more inept than is the Rams. But what about defense? Chicago is ranked fifth. The issue for the Bears is the Rams are ranked fourth! Special teams? Chicago is ranked fourth while L.A. is 14th.
What do the oddsmakers think? Los Angeles is favored by six points with an over/under of 40 points. The odds say the Rams should win 23-17, but there’s a chance that the Bears defense is in the Rams heads. L.A.’s offense was cruising along for most of two seasons (29.9 ppg in 2017) and 34.9 ppg in 2018) up until that 15-6 loss at the hands of the Bears). Ever since that Week 14 matchup last year, the Rams have scored only 24.6 points per game. Did Chicago provide a blueprint for the rest of the league? Perhaps the Bears stifled coach Sean McVay and Goff to such a degree last December that the Rams lost their mojo? Maybe the Bears confused the Rams entire offense? How will the Rams adjust?
The Bears will find a way to score a late touchdown, possibly on defense, to give the Bears a close, one point victory. If the Bears do get a win look for them to go on a run with renewed confidence, especially with some easier games on their schedule, including the New York Giants awaiting next week, coming up.
Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 23
Main Photo
