Bear Digest

L.A. Rams Who Can Create Biggest Problems for the Bears

The Rams are depleted at receiver due to injuries but they'll still come to Chicago with a potent attack thanks to Matthew Stafford and a strong supporting cast.

Gene Chamberlain

Rob Havenstein's blocking at right tackle for the Rams is always solid and the massive right tackle faces Montez Sweat.
Rob Havenstein's blocking at right tackle for the Rams is always solid and the massive right tackle faces Montez Sweat. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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The Bears defense faces plenty of inexperienced quarterbacks this year and just got done going against three straight second-year passers.

One, C.J. Stroud, beat them. Will Levis gave away the game and Anthony Richardson tried to give it away but Caleb Williams gave up the ball more.

The inexperience ends this week with a game at Soldier Field against Matthew Stafford, the first of two real veteran QBs they'll face in succession. The second is Andy Dalton with Carolina.

The defense's margin for error shrinks greatly against QBs who have seen and done it all.

"Yeah, we know Matt Stafford's one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league," Bears safety Kevin Byard said. "He has a really strong arm. He can make all the throws. I've actually played against him a couple of times.

"He's actually done some no-look throws in the game, which was pretty impressive. Very smart. Very savvy guy. Gonna get their offense into the right play as many times as he can."

When you combine Stafford with coach Sean McVay, the football brain, the Bears defense knows it's going to need to be physically dominant because the Xs and Os edge will be difficult to own.

"He's a wizard when it comes to play calling and things like that," Byard said of McVay. "We're going to be going up against an experienced head coach/quarterback combo, so we have to be ready for everything.

"I think just as our defense, we have to make sure we’re playing sound, fundamentally sound football, because we know whatever their first 15 (scripted plays) or whatever it's gonna be."

The Rams have been hit with injuries and won't come to Soldier Field with top receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. They'll still be formidable.

Here are the Rams who can be the biggest problem for the Bears

QB Matthew Stafford

Now 36, Stafford is as accurate as ever despite the injury issues at receiver. He is connecting on 68.3% of throws at 7.5 yards an attempt with two TDs and an interception. He owns a 12-9 record as a starter against the Bears, and has won his last two starts against them, the last one with the Rams in 2021 when Matt Nagy was Bears coach. The Bears did pick off Stafford six times in their last five games. The key will be getting the four-man pass rush on him, especially on the inside.

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DL Kobie Turner

The 6-2, 297-pound second-year player was third in the voting for AP defensive rookie of the year when he had nine sacks. He has one already this year, but is expanding his horizons. He was largely at nose tackle last year but is going out to the edge more and shuffling around. Dangerous with the power and speed combination. He's not Aaron Donald but brings it.

RB Kyren Williams

Versatile but smaller, the 5-9, 202-pounder was a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 and is getting the starter's carries. He has 164 yards on 54 carries this year but was far more effective last year when he averaged 5.0 yards per carry, struck for 1,144 yards in only 12 games and made the Pro Bowl. His 95.3 yards per game was best in the NFL last year, and he's a threat out of the backfield, as well.

RT Rob Havenstein

The most effective Rams blocker this year, Havenstein is massive at 6-8, 330 and will be matching up with Montez Sweat. He's never been in a Pro Bowl but has usually been physical and efficient. He has given up one sack and three pressures this year according to Pro Football Focus.

OLB Byron Young

The other half of the Rams' pass rushing rookie force last year had eight sacks and 30 pressures according to Stathead. And he's off to a fast start this year with two in the first three games. The 6-2, 258-pounder can come off the edge with speed or power. He has four pressures and already has four tackles for loss, which is half the total he had for all of last season.

WR DeMarcus Robinson

Without Kupp or Nacua, the big target is the 30-year-old former Chiefs receiver. A 6-1, 202-pounder, Robinson isn't their only receiver with experience. They can throw to fourth-year wide receiver Tutu Atwell but he's the slot guy and a 165-pound receiver like Houston had with Tank Dell. It was the bigger receiver with Houston, Nico Collins, who did the damage to the Bears defense so they'll need to clamp down on Robinson, who has seven catches for 124 yards. He is coming off a 26-catch season and has never had more than 48 receptions but knows what's needed with the main receivers out.

TE Colby Parkinson

The former Seahawks tight end in Shane Waldron's offense has come over to the Rams and is off to a bit of a slow start with eight receptions for 80 yards. At 6-foot-7, 265, he's a definite red zone threat and also a run and screen blocker.

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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.