Last week, Chicago Bears fans finally glimpsed what could be, as quarterback Caleb Williams managed to put together a halfway decent stat line and seemed to find a connection with fellow top-10 pick Rome Odunze. But Odunze was limited in practice this week, listed as questionable for Sunday, and there is much more work to be done. If the Rams weren’t the walking wounded, Chicago would be home underdogs instead of posting as slight favorites.
So what to make of the favored Bears team through three weeks?
First, the good.
After two weeks of unimaginative playcalling, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron finally adjusted his approach to fit the personnel at hand. In Week 3, the Bears dramatically increased their use of motion and play action, which allowed Williams more time to throw than he had all season. They also continued reallocating Gerald Everett’s routes to the far more dynamic Cole Kmet and ramped up Odunze’s routes and targets as well. Both thrived with more attention.
Chicago has a great defense and thus will be within striking distance more games than not, and Williams’ playmaking ability should surface more regularly with schemes focused on their best pass catchers.
The bad is obvious: They have no offensive line. Opposing pass rushers get free access to the backfield, and the lack of any semblance of a running attack doesn’t help. Williams looks like a rookie, but it’s hard to gain experience when he’s running for his life before class can begin.
The Rams may enter as underdogs, but they have the better coaching staff and a much better quarterback at this point. Matthew Stafford just engineered a miracle win against the Niners in which he made high-pressure throw after high-pressure throw despite being down his two lead receivers. And, don’t forget, head coach Sean McVay was Waldron’s former mentor in LA.
That familiarity could well be the edge, as the Rams don’t boast a particularly fearsome defense. If they can stay a step ahead of the Bears playcallers and force the Chicago defense to work overtime, Stafford has the experience to exploit any slip-ups.
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Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears odds
How to watch Rams vs. Bears
- Venue: Soldier Field — Chicago
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
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(Photo of Caleb Williams: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
