The Chicago Bears have surprised some folks. And that’s not just because they have gotten off to a 5-1 start. It’s because they have done it without any real offense to speak of. Now they face a playoff-caliber team as they go west for a date with the Los Angeles Rams.
It’s the Monday Night Football telecast on ESPN, beginning at 8:15 PM ET at the new SoFi Stadium.
The Rams are laying points…..
….according to the folks at BetOnline:
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | +6 (-110) | 44½ (-110) | +211 |  |
| Rams | -6 (-110) | 44½ (-110) | -255 | |
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How’s that new QB coming along?
The Bears have made a quarterback change already. Mitchell Trubisky won the starting job in training camp. But after leading a big comeback to beat Atlanta, Nick Foles was installed. Listen – he’s got credentials as a former Super Bowl MVP. And no one is going to campaign strongly for someone like Trubisky. But Foles hasn’t really done all that much.
His 5.8 yards per attempt is, well, puny. And when you look at the passes he’s completed, his receivers have averaged 3.6 yards after the catch. That’s the lowest among all NFL quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.
On 42.6% of all their drives, the Bears have been forced to punt. Only two NFL teams have done worse than that. So this is not an offensive juggernaut; not by a longshot.
Rams need quality wins
If there’s a knock on the Rams, it’s that they have had it easy as far as the opponents they’ve beaten. All four wins have come against members of the NFC East, where nobody seemingly wants to win. In those games they have allowed 45 points. So you have to at least give some credit to their defense.
And there is every indication that the Rams can slow down most passing attacks. They have surrendered just 5.9 yards per pass attempt, which is best in the league. They have allowed the second fewest yards to wide receivers. And they have sent their opponents to the sidelines early. The Rams have forced a three-and-out 25.4% of the time.
Recent history – Bears can confuse Rams
The Bears have been able to deal with Sean McVay and his offensive scheme two seasons in a row. In 2018, when Vic Fangio was defensive coordinator, they rattled Jared Goff. The Rams’ QB went 20-44, was picked off four times and sacked three times. Los Angeles was held to 214 yards and six points. And take note that going into that game, they had the best record in the league and were averaging 34.9 points a contest.
Last year Chuck Pagano took over Fangio’s duties. And while the defensive performance was not dominant, it still caused frustration. Goff went just 11 of 18 with an interception and the Rams won 17-7 with 133 scrimmage yards from Todd Gurley.
Conclusion
The Chicago defense has been outstanding; they are best in the NFL in TD’s allowed per drive. They’ve permitted opponents to score touchdowns just 36.4% of the time in the red zone, which is better than anyone as well.
But the Bears aren’t going anywhere on offense, and the switch from Trubisky to Foles has not exactly been a game-changer. McVay is not for his innovative offensive scheming, but their defense has out-performed expectations. And maybe that’s not getting noticed as much as it should.
We can’t really see any other way to go than to go UNDER the total in a game involving two quality defenses.
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