The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in improbable fashion on Wild Card Weekend to advance to the Divisional Round. Their opponent this week is the LA Rams as these two teams faceoff to see who will be playing for a chance to advance to the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers.
To help get you set for this weekend’s matchup, we sat down with Evan Craig from Turf Show Times (SB Nation’s LA Rams site) to get the perspective of what’s going on with this LA Rams team
as they get set to square off on Sunday.
1. For much of the year, I felt the Rams were the best team in the league, but since the crazy loss to Seattle, I don’t feel like the Rams have been clicking. What’s been the issue?
The league’s been so crazy this season that I still have no idea who’s good. Truthfully, the Rams might be the best of the bunch left in these playoffs, considering they have the only quarterback-coach duo that has won a Super Bowl together. Even then, I wouldn’t consider them a great team, as I believe no team is great this year.
For a time, I was also on the Rams’ hype train. The reason they haven’t been clicking is slow starts and not playing a complete game. The Seattle game is a perfect example as L.A. jumped out to a 30-14 lead in the fourth quarter and gradually watched it evaporate. There was no excuse for them to lose that one. especially when Matthew Stafford was playing lights out, and the defense had Sam Darnold on his toes. In the Falcons game, the Rams fell behind 24-3 before roaring back to tie it, later losing on a late field goal. Even in the Cardinals game to end the year, L.A. needed a strong fourth quarter to put away one of the NFL’s worst teams. The offense has suffered through cold spells more in this stretch than at any other point in the year. Special teams blunders in the Seahawks and Panthers game from last week also didn’t help things, as it put the team in a super tricky spot and made both matchups closer than they should’ve been.
There’s a great team in these Rams, but I don’t see them realizing it in these playoffs. Fortunately, this season proves you don’t need greatness to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, just be less crappy than your opponent when the scoreboard hits triple zeros.
2. Matthew Stafford is incredible to watch operate, but every quarterback has his flaws. When teams can neutralize Stafford, what has been their successful strategy?
You know, this is an interesting question, because compared to past years, teams on occasion have been able to find success in neutralizing Stafford and the offense. That didn’t happen very often, though this season, as the Rams have largely been quite effective, sometimes even borderline unstoppable with him under center.
That said, in only two of the Rams’ five losses, I can definitively say that he was the one to cost L.A. the win; it was more on him than anything the defense did. Against the Panthers, he turned the ball over three times after being so careful with it during his eight-game interception-less streak. In that one, he made bad reads and was generally sloppy with the ball in a way that we hadn’t seen this season. It felt like he was trying to play hero ball when it would’ve been better to live to see another down. Then, in the Falcons’ loss, it was more of the same as he experienced his first three-interception game since the 2023 season opener. That was the game when his MVP odds took a significant hit, and now he’s back to being the favorite again. Who knows what’s going on there or what to believe.
What I do know is that Stafford has gotten in his way more in those games than anything his opponent did. But the most successful strategy I can say in limiting him is to try to put enough pressure on him to force him into some bad throws. Also, Chicago needs to disrupt the offense’s timing to throw him off his game. The Bears might have a chance to keep this one close if they can manage to do either one. Otherwise, good luck to them when this offense starts clicking.
3. Sean McVay has always been one of my favoritecoaches but he’s always received criticism for his late in-game management. How has he been in that regard this year?
Sean McVay has rightfully deserved criticism for his tendency to be conservative at key points in a game.
However, this year, he’s completely flipped the script. From 2017-24, Los Angeles was the worst team at going for it when they should, ranking 13th in that category, and 11th overall in fourth down attempts in 2025. That is a drastic improvement, and McVay’s finally found that balance of being neither too reckless nor too conservative. The Rams have added 57 points after going for it on fourth down. That’s what a shaky kicker situation will do. There are other times when it would’ve been better for him to take the points. In the Week 5 loss to the Whiners, McVay tried to go for the win in overtime with at least a tie in sight and decided to go for the win instead.
He’s still learning on the fly and trying to find that balance. I think there’s plenty of improvement to be made, but fans have been quite pleased and generally surprised at his in-game management this season.
4. Defensively, the Rams can certainly give up points. What’s the best way to attack them, and what is the unit’s strongest aspect of their game?
I’ll start with the strongest unit, and that’s been the run defense. The improvement that the unit has shown for much of the season has been remarkable. After being run out of the playoffs by Saquon Barkley last season, the Rams were able to shut him down and many other stars, including Barkley earlier this year, Christian McCaffrey (twice), Jonathan Taylor, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Even though Bijan Robinson gashed the run defense for close to 200 yards a few weeks ago, the unit is in a much better position than 2024, and that is why they’re playing for a spot in the NFC Championship.
While the run D has mostly been excellent, the secondary has seen its fair share of problems in recent weeks. Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan combined for over 200 receiving yards last week. Defensive backs Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes struggled in that matchup and just aren’t good enough to keep up with the NFL’s bigger wideouts. It’s very evident by watching the Rams that they didn’t invest in the secondary, and it could come back to bite them this postseason. Don’t be surprised at all if Caleb Williams surpasses 300 yards in this one, as he should manage a decent game through the air.
5. We’ve done plenty of these 5 Qs throughout the year, and most of the opposing team’s writers keep picking against the Bears, and the Bears largely keep proving them wrong. Let’s hear your prediction for this Sunday’s matchup.
I’m sorry to say that I’ll be another one of those writers picking against them.
I think what the Bears have done comeback-wise has truly been remarkable, but it’s not sustainable. At some point this year, Chicago is bound to run into someone that they cannot come back against, and I think the Rams are that team, assuming they start red-hot. If they start fast, this game will be a blowout, as an awful Bears defense will be no match for peak Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. A fast start is not guaranteed because Los Angeles, as you said, hasn’t looked like their dominant self since the Seattle game. However, the game against Carolina proved that the Rams still know how to win even when they didn’t play their best. The Bears are still cubs when it comes to playoff experience, and the only reason they won last week is due to the Packers’ inability to play a complete game. Kudos to them for making it as far as they have and for never giving up, even when the odds seemed stacked against them. However, I’m expecting the Rams to hold off their comeback attempt in another one-score game. Be glad I’m picking a closer final score than I expect it to be if things go right.
Rams 27 Bears 19
