The Chicago Bears (4-5) are heading into a meaningful prime time game in November against the Los Angeles Rams (5-4), where both teams are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The story for both teams are their struggling offenses, led by quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Jared Goff. This game looks to be a defensive battle, and it might come down to which offense makes the fewest mistakes.
Let’s look at three keys to a Bears victory on Sunday:
1. Pressure Jared Goff
When the Bears faced the Rams last season, they made Jared Goff uncomfortable from the get-go. What resulted was a four-interception performance, which resulted in a 15-6 victory for the Bears.
If the Bears are going to beat the Rams on Sunday, they need to generate pressure on Goff, who has been struggling mightily of late. It doesn’t help Goff that he’ll be operating behind a makeshift offensive line that’ll have to deal with Khalil Mack and the Bears’ pass rush.
Speaking of Mack, the Bears need their All-Pro linebacker to step up in one of the biggest games of the season. After starting the season with 4.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in four games, Mack has managed just on sack over the last five games.
2. Take the pressure off Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles this season are no secret. But the third-year quarterback is coming off arguably his best game of the season — a three-touchdown performance where he overcame a slow start.
The Bears hope that was the confidence boost Trubisky needed heading into a challenging matchup against the Rams defense. Chicago needs to alleviate the pressure off Trubisky and let him react rather than overthink.
Matt Nagy needs to utilize Trubisky’s strengths, including rolling him outside the pocket and getting him on the move. The Bears need to commit to the run game, even if they’re without rookie David Montgomery.
3. Limit foolish mistakes
More often than not, the Bears have been their own worst enemy this season. They’ve managed to commit foolish mistakes in games that were winnable, including during their four-game losing streak.
The key for the Bears against the Rams is simple — limit their silly mistakes. Don’t take foolish penalties, execute the game plan and just go out and play football.
Although, that’s easier said for this Bears team. We’ll see if Chicago can extend their winning streak to two games and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
