NFL
By: George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams hit the road in the NFC Divisional round as they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears with a birth in the NFC Championship on the line. The Rams advanced to the divisional round with a come-from-behind 34-31 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The Bears advanced following a thrilling 31-27 win over division rival Green Bay, which saw the Bears rally from a 21-3 halftime deficit. This will be the third time the Rams and Bears have met in the playoffs, with the teams splitting the first two games. Weather could play a factor, as Chicago is expecting snow with a temperature of 20 degrees, and the wind chill will make it feel like zero degrees.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to build on his performance in the Wild Card round. Against Carolina, Stafford completed 24-42 passes for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown to TE Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left in the game. Stafford was able to connect with WR Puka Nauca, who had 10 receptions for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. The Bears secondary will look to contain Nacua’s production, but getting WR Davante Adams back last week gives Stafford a trusted veteran receiver who has been very important to the Rams passing game, especially near the goal line. TE Colby Parkinson has become an important piece in the Rams’ offense, not just in run blocking, but in Head Coach Sean McVay’s passing attack. Parkinson has teamed with Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen in Coach McVay’s 3-TE formations. The Rams are hoping that rookie TE Terrance Ferguson will be available on Sunday, giving McVay 4 TEs to use in the Rams’ offensive attack.
Fans of the Rams are looking for Stafford to put up big numbers against the Bears’ defense. The key to this game will be the Rams’ rushing attack. During the regular season, the Bears allowed an average of 134 rushing yards per game. The Rams will look to attack the Bears’ run defense with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. In the Wild Card matchup against Carolina, the Rams rushed 116 yards and will look to improve on those numbers. Williams and Corum give opposing defenses different looks. The Rams like to run Williams in between the tackles, and Corum has been effective running the ball to the outside. Williams will run to the outside, and Corum will run to the inside, which will keep the Bears’ defense honest. The Rams are hoping that starting right guard Kevin Dotson, who has been out since sustaining an ankle injury against Seattle, will be available to play against the Bears. Dotson has been one of the top offensive linemen in terms of run blocking efficiency.
The Bears’ offense, led by quarterback Caleb Williams, has gotten off to sluggish starts in the first half of games only to catch fire and be one of the best 2nd half teams this season. That was evident in the Wild Card game against Green Bay, which saw the Bears fall behind 21-3 at halftime, only to see them score 28 second-half points with 25 coming in the 4th quarter. In his playoff debut, Williams was able to overcome 2 interceptions and pass for 361 yards with 2 touchdowns. With their season on the line, Williams showed poise that some doubted he possessed in leading the Bears to the go-ahead touchdown late in the 4th quarter. The Rams’ secondary has struggled in recent games. Look for Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson to attack the Rams’ secondary. WR DJ Moore and Rome Odunze will challenge the Rams’ defensive backs. The Rams did receive bad news this week as starting CB Ahkello Witherspoon reinjured his shoulder against the Panthers and was placed on IR, ending his season. With Witherspoon out, CB Darius Williams will be considered to replace Witherspoon. According to Coach McVay, CB Josh Wallace is looking really good regarding his ability to play on Sunday. Coach Johnson will look to attack Witherspoon’s replacement in the Rams secondary.
The Rams’ pass rush will need to keep Williams in the pocket, as he has shown the ability not only to run for positive yards, but he also has the ability to extend plays and find receivers open downfield when he escapes the pocket. The Rams’ edge rushers, led by Jared Verse and Byron Young, will need to maintain outside discipline with their pass rush and not give Williams an escape route to the outside. They will look to force Williams to step up in the pocket towards the Rams’ interior pass rush. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will look to devise a defensive scheme that will take away Williams’ first read in the Bears’ passing attack while collapsing the pocket when he drops back to pass. The Bears will look to create matchups in their passing game that will isolate Rams DB Quinten Lake on a slot receiver. The Panthers had success when Lake lined up against their slot receiver in man coverage. The Rams’ defense will need to be aware of where TE Colston Loveland lines up in the Bears’ offense. Against Green Bay, Loveland led the team with 13 receptions, and Williams will look for him throughout the game.
Like the Rams, the Bears will look to establish their running game. The Packers “held” the Bears to 93 yards in the Wild Card game. RB D’Andre Swift led the way with 54 yards on 13 carries. Swift rushed for 1087 yards during the regular season, and his ability to run against the Rams will be a key for the Bears’ offense. Swift is also a threat in the Bears’ passing game, as he accounted for 34 receptions this season. Look for Swift to be used as a check-down option for Williams in the passing game. The Rams’ defense must make solid tackles against Swift and not allow him to generate chunk plays.
This game features two high-powered offenses with the ability to make this a high-scoring game, even with snow and extremely cold weather in the forecast. Look for the Rams to use the balanced offensive attack they have gotten away from in the past couple of games to attack and wear down the Bears’ defense. In the end, look for the Rams to advance to the NFC Championship game following an exciting, hard-fought game.
Rams 27
Bears 21
