After dropping two consecutive road games to the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, the Chicago Bears return to Soldier Field for a home tilt against the Los Angeles Rams. It's still way too early to talk about 'must-win' games, but at 1-2 with some unexpectedly bad offensive outputs so far, this game certainly feels like the Bears have to win and win pretty to avoid some pretty ugly narratives.
Luckily for them, this game is not nearly as daunting as it looked when the schedule was released months ago. Star receiver Puka Nacua is still on injured reserve and tight end Tyler Higbee is still on the physically-unable-to-perform list. They are both out, along with the 2021 Offensive Player of the year and Super Bowl 51 MVP, receiver Cooper Kupp.
And that's not even the extent of the Rams' injury woes, though those are the most notable and a big reason why they're only averaging 18 points per game so far. Meanwhile, the Bears may get Keenan Allen back on the field after missing the last two weeks with a heel injury.
Considering all the injuries to LA and home field advantage, this matchup certainly looks favorable for Chicago. If they can hit these three keys, then getting back in the win column will certainly feel more probable.
1. Feed Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert
The Bears might not call it yet, but I am. The D'Andre Swift experiment is over. Averaging just 1.8 yards per carry through three games is inexcusable and a big reason why the Bears have struggled to move the ball and score. The Rams may not have Aaron Donald in their defensive line anymore, but it's still a talented unit that can't be ignored.
The Bears, and Caleb Williams in particular, need a strong running game to get this offense going. That means that Johnson and Herbert should get significantly more carries than they have so far, and it sounds like they will.
2. Shut down the Rams' passing game
Until the offense proves they can win games on their own, the Bears need to count on their defense to put the clamps on opponents. So far they've done a fantastic job of that, even against a stout Texans offense. They'll need to show up big on Sunday, even with so many of LA's pass catchers injured. Matt Stafford is a future Hall of Fame quarterback and is not to be taken lightly.
Grabbing two interceptions off of Stafford would go a long way to securing a win, especially if those takeaways give the offense a short field.
3. X's and O's
Coaching has to be better, specifically on the part of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. While the fan reaction has been quite a bit over the top, it's true that he needs to be better when it comes to situational football. The play calls need to make sense given all the context of the game, and there needs to be more flow to the scripted gameplan.
Prediction: Bears win 24-16
Despite how it's looked at times, there has been undeniable improvement week after week from the offense, most notably from Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Those two had something of a breakout game last week in Indy, and it feels like they're on the precipice of a huge game, the kind of game that is talked about all Sunday night, Monday, and even into Tuesday.
Meanwhile, on the Rams' side, I just don't think they'll be able to overcome so much lost horsepower on offense. The Bears' defense is just too good. They're going to struggle to move the ball on the road and will fall behind quickly, though it won't get out of hand.
