The Los Angeles Rams went into Chicago Bear’s Soldiers Field riding high after a gutsy inspirational comeback win against their division rival on the back of Matthew Stafford’s mastery. The Bears were coming off two straight losses. Their only successes on the year had come because of their defense with Caleb Williams unable to open up much on offense.
The Rams moved the ball with impunity, but settled for five field goals, scoring only one touchdown. Bears’ offense found enough spark to set their season-high point total of 24.
What We Learned About Los Angeles Rams This Week
The Rams Defense Can’t Stop The Run
The Bear rushing offense came into this game as the second-worst rushing success rate in all of the NFL. Just 29 percent of their runs met the qualification of a success according to RBSDM. Their leading rusher was D’Andre Swift, who averaged just 1.8 yards per carry.
In this game, the Bears averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Swift had his best game of the year by far. He ran for 98 yards, which is 30 more yards than he had rushed for in the first three games.
The Rams defensive line is too small to dominate along the line of scrimmage and their linebackers are not athletic enough to cover from sideline to sideline. And this defense on the whole can’t tackle. They already led the league with 39 missed tackles and missed another 12 in this game.
The Rams defense allowed the Bears to set their season-high 131 yards, beating their previous best by nearly 50 yards.
Matthew Stafford Isn’t Infallible
All season Matthew Stafford has put his team in its best position to win. He went 34 for 49, throwing 317 yards against the Detroit Lions, and put the Rams ahead late in the fourth quarter. The final few drives that sealed the comeback were a master class in clutch QB play.
Because of the profound amount of injuries on the offense, the Rams attempted to put it on Stafford, but with pressure from one of the league’s best defenses, poor play from second and third-string receivers, and a few bad decisions on his part, there were no heroics to redeem this team.
It isn’t fair to expect Stafford to carry this battered and bruised team to a comeback in each and every game this year. But only he and Kyren Williams are the only real difference-makers on the field until they get healthy.
Jared Verse Is A Terror, For Good And Bad
Jared Verse came into this game leading all rookies in quarterback pressures, but a lot. His 17 pressures leads the pack by five, ahead of his team and draftmate Branden Fiske. After them, it is Seattle Seahawk Byron Murphy who has seven.
But he is also leading in missed tackles, by A LOT more. He had 8 before Week 4, and added another four against the Bears, putting him nine ahead of the next rookie and four more than any other player in the league.
