Bears vs. Rams Final Predictions: Can Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson pull off another improbable win against Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay?
The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams second-round matchup is primed to be a high-scoring shootout at Soldier Field.
The Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams each pulled off some late fourth-quarter magic to advance in the NFC playoffs and will now have a postseason head-to-head matchup for the first time since the 1985 conference championship.
Despite having a better regular-season record, the Rams will be forced to travel to Chicago for Sunday night’s game against the Bears, who are the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Conditions will be brutal, with winter weather expected at Soldier Field, in a game with shootout potential between these two QBs: MVP-candidate Matthew Stafford and rising superstar Caleb Williams. Here’s how our A to Z Sports experts see this game going down.
Bears 32, Rams 28
Despite the elements, both of these high-powered offenses can put up some serious points at Soldier Field against two shaky defenses. The Bears are aiming to start quickly to keep up with the Rams and intend to re-establish the run game to make the offense as balanced and dangerous as possible. If they can do that, things will open up in the play-action game to really hurt the Rams’ defense, and I’ll give the edge to Chicago, saying that can happen.
As for the Rams offense, the two-headed monster everyone at Halas Hall has been talking about this week is the wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. But, frankly, the Rams offense is much more than that when you factor in the tight end usage and the team’s successful run game.
This will certainly be a shootout game between these two offenses. The deciding factor will be whether or not the Bears’ opportunistic defense can get the better of Matthew Stafford and force a key takeaway. I can see this happening to get this final result for the Bears.
– Kole Noble, A to Z Sports Chicago
Rams 38, Bears 31
The Rams head into the Windy City with plenty of confidence in their ability to make another Super Bowl run, and they have every right to be. The team is getting healthy at just the right time after injuries snuck up on them over the last month, with stud offensive lineman Kevin Dotson set to return for the first time in a month, as well as Davante Adams and Quentin Lake getting back up to full speed.
The key to the game will be the Rams’ defensive response to last week’s disastrous performance against the Panthers, as the Bears’ offense is one of the NFL’s best. Can the Rams return to the defensive brilliance they showed off for most of the season?
The pass rush, led by Byron Young and Jared Verse, will have to pick on backup left tackle Theo Benedet routinely to do so. I don’t have a lot of confidence in the Bears’ defense to slow down a fully-operational Rams’ offense led by Matthew Stafford, but the Bears can put up points to make this one of the best playoff games in recent memory.
At the end of the day, I think the Rams are simply too talented to lose this one, and the playoff experience on their roster gets it done.
– AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports Los Angeles
Bears 28, Rams 23
The weather may play a factor, and on one hand, that’s intriguing because snow games are usually a blast. On the flip side, I’m hoping the cold/precipitation doesn’t completely hamper the offenses in this matchup. Regardless, this is the toughest game to predict right now.
The Bears’ defense has some flaws, but it has found a way to force turnovers and get enough key stops to get here. The offense is high-flying. That being said, a lot of that can be said about the Rams. Matthew Stafford is going to play through a hand injury, but the weapons around him are elite. As of now, I’m leaning toward taking Chicago at home. Ben Johnson’s team is just playing with that chip on its shoulder right now.
– Adam Holt, A to Z Sports Los Angeles Contributor
Rams 30, Bears 27
This Bears team’s grit and fight make you want to root for them, unless you’re a Packers fan, of course. This week, they are hosting a Rams team that hasn’t played its best football as of late, and while the Bears are home underdogs, this one could go either way.
Ben Johnson has proven why so many around the league view him as a top offensive mind in football right now, and Caleb Williams’ clutch gene was put on display in the wild-card round. This one comes down to the wire, but I have Matthew Stafford and the Rams getting the go-ahead score to advance to the NFC championship against one of their NFC West foes.
– Destin Adams, A to Z Sports NFL Draft Assistant Editor
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