Bear Digest

Chicago Bears and L.A. Rams Week 4 Game Day Preview

Analysis, key statistics and matchups in Week 4 as Caleb Williams and the Bears try to snap a two-game skid at Soldier Field against Matthew Stafford and the Rams.

Gene Chamberlain

Cole Kmet makes a catch and heads upfield for the Bears in their last matchup against the Rams, a 2021 loss in L.A.
Cole Kmet makes a catch and heads upfield for the Bears in their last matchup against the Rams, a 2021 loss in L.A. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Chicago Bears (1-2)

Kickoff: Noon Sunday

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago

TV: CBS (Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez, Kristina Pink)

Radio: ESPN AM-1000 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie)

Sirius XM Radio: Channel 162 or 227

Spanish Radio: Latino Mix 93.5 FM (Omar Ramos, Miguel Esparza)

The Line: Bears by 3, over/under 40 1/2

Bears On SI Pick: Bears 17, Rams 10

The Matchup: Two teams trying to get back to .500 but coming off very different routes to 1-2. The Bears won the opener and dropped two straight. The Rams appeared headed for an 0-3 start when quarterback Matthew Stafford saved the day with a comeback from a 24-14 deficit for a 27-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams have lost both of their top two receivers, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, to injuries and will be attacking the Bears with Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington at wide receiver.  Stafford is 12-9 as a starter against the Bears, including one win for the Rams. The Bears face a team struggling to stop the run and the pass but last week they faced the worst run defense in the league and still could not run. So Caleb Williams set a Bears rookie record with 363 yards passing. However, his two interceptions and lost fumble on a strip-sack proved decisive in the game. The Bears expect to have wide receiver Keenan Allen back for the first time since the opener, when he was playing with a heel injury (plantar fasciitis).

The Series: This is the 97th regular-season meeting between the team with the Bears leading 54-39-3. The Rams own a three-game winning streak in the series but all three were in Los Angeles, the last one coming in 2021 against Matt Nagy's last Bears team. The Bears have won three straight against the Rams at Soldier Field, the last one in 2018, and in those three they held the Rams to less than 10 points each time.

The Coaches: Rams coach Sean McVay owns a 78-51 record in eight seasons and is 3-1 against Chicago. His team is 34-26 in road games.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus is 11-26 in his third year and has not gone against the Rams. The Bears have won six straight at Soldier Field under Eberflus and are 8-10 overall there under him.

Matching Up: The Rams are 19th on offense, ninth at passing and 29th rushing. They are 20th in scoring. L.A. is 32nd (last) on defense, 29th against the pass and 31st against the run. They are 31st in points allowed.

The Bears are 30th on offense, 25th passing and 31st rushing. They are 22nd in scoring. Chicago is eighth overall on defense, seventh against the pass and 18th against the run, and is 10th in points allowed.

Injury Report: For the Rams  WR Cooper Kupp is out (ankle) and TE Davis Allen is questionable (back).

For the Bears, DT Zacch Pickens (groin) and CB Terell Smith (hip) are out. WR Keenan Allen, DT Andrew Billings (knee) and S Kevin Byard (back) are questionable.

Of Note: Rams receiver Puka Nacua (knee), guard Steve Avila (knee), guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder), tackle Joe Noteboom are offensive starters who are on injured reserve. ... The Bears on Saturday put fourth tight end Stephen Carlson on injured reserve (shoulder). ... Bears TE Cole Kmet tied a career high with 10 receptions last week, when he had 97 yards and a TD. ... The Bears defense leads the NFL in passer rating against at 66.2. No team has led the league at this and failed to make the playoffs since 2016. ... Kyren Williams has rushing TDs in six straight games, tied with Marshall Faulk for longest Rams streak of this kind since 2000. ... The Rams haven't had a kick returned against them this season. ... Rams rookie DT Braden Fiske has recovered a fumble in each of the last two games, making him the first Rams rookie to do this in consecutive games. ... The Rams run defense, though struggling, improved dramatically last week by allowing only 4 yards per run to the 49ers after giving up 5.3 yards a run and 5.8 in their first two games.

Next Week: The Bears host the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 6 in a noon game Sept. 29 and the Rams host the Green Bay Packers in an Oct. 6 game at 3:25 p.m.

THREE KEYS TO BEARS WIN OVER THE L.A. RAMS

IS CAUTIOUS APPROACH BY BEARS TO KEENAN ALLEN THE RIGHT ONE?

BEARS AND RAMS: WHO WINS AND WHY

BEARS AND RAMS FANTASY FOOTBALL FAVORITES AND BEST BETS

Key Individual matchups

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson vs. Rams WR Demarcus Robinson

Johnson's play has dipped a bit from last year but not by much as Pro Football Focus grades him the fourth-best cornerback overall and 10th in pass coverage. He has allowed 50% reception on 10 targets according to PFF and has two interceptions. In Robinson, he'll be facing a veteran, career backup who has never had more than 48 catches. Robinson has seven catches for 124 yards this year and none of the wide receivers who are active for this game for the Rams owns a TD catch this year. Robinson, who is 30, is 6-foot-1, 202 and made 26 receptions last year for the Rams after he had a career-high 48 for the Ravens in 2022, after six seasons with the Chiefs.

Bears LB T.J. Edwards vs. Rams RB Kyren Williams

The Rams will try to get Williams isolated on the linebackers in the passing game and Edwards' strength is defending the run rather than the pass. Williams has nine catches in 10 targets for 58 yards this year but only two first downs. As a runner, he is averaging only 3.0 yards a carry after averaging 5.0 last year in his first year as a starter. Edwards last week matched his Bears low for tackles with two. His pass coverage has been better this season than last year, with a 79.3 passer rating against according to Stathead. He is allowing 5.3 yards per catch after it was 8.9 yards per catch last year.

Bears DE Montez Sweat vs. Rams LT Warren McClendon

The Rams have had to start McClendon due to injuries nad he has the worst pass blocking grade of 67 tackles Pro Football Focus has graded this year (34.1). McClendon, a former Georgia player and fifth-round pick in 2023, has allowed three sacks and committed two penalties. Sweat last week picked up his first sack of the season. Normally he'd be on the opposite side of the line but the Bears are trying to use him on different sides of the line year to maximize his big-play potential after he had a career-best 12 1/2 sacks last season.

Bears TE Cole Kmet vs. Rams LB Christian Rozeboom

It seemed Caleb Williams just discovered his tight end in the second half of Game 2 and Kmet has been getting targeted repeatedly since then. Kmet has 15 catches in 17 targets and when guarded by either Rams linebacker it could be a mismatch. Rozeboom is 6-foot-2 and has been better against the pass than the run but still has allowed nine catches in 10 targets.

Bears WR DJ Moore vs. Rams CB Cobie Durant

Durant, a third-year cornerback, might be the best of the Rams' struggling secondary players. He has a 79.2 passer rating against when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus, and allowed seven catches in 12 targets. At 5-foot-11, 182, the Rams won't want him matched up on Rome Odunze or Keenan Allen because of the height he would give up, but even with Moore he'll be undersized as Moore is a powerful, 5-11, 210. Moore has been bottled up so far as Williams has struggled getting him the ball downfield, although he has made a team-high 19 catches. But it's only been for 167 yards. Considering Williams' errant start, Williams' 67.9% catch/target ratio is outstanding.

Bears T Braxton Jones vs. Rams OLB Jared Verse

Verse, a rookie from Florida State who the Bears considered with their second pick of Round 1, has one sack so far in the opener but none since. The Rams have several capable pass rushers but Verse is the most highly regarded. Jones has had a solid start as a pass blocker even if the Bears offensive line hasn't been the best. He is graded 25th as a pass blocker out of all NFL tackles on both sides of the line. PFF has not credited Jones with any sacks allowed and he has four penalties so far.

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Twitter: BearsOnSi

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.