The Chicago Bears (4-5) and Los Angeles Rams (5-4) will face-off in a rematch of last season’s primetime matchup. Heading into that game, both teams were sure-fire playoff contenders destined to win their division.
That isn’t the case this season, where the Bears and Rams are both struggling due in large part of their offenses. So Sunday’s matchup looks to be another defensive showing — hopefully with a result the Bears can duplicate from a year ago.
Here are four storylines to watch as the Bears face the Rams on Sunday:
1. Can the Bears pull off the upset?
While the Bears and Rams head into Sunday’s primetime matchup with struggling offenses, the Rams are favored by 6.5 points in what’s either going to be a neutral field or a Bears crowd in Los Angeles.
The game will feature two defensive powerhouses in Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, who will each be looking to get the best of opposing quarterbacks Jared Goff and Mitchell Trubisky, respectively.
But this is a winnable game for the Bears. They haven’t forgotten that in Week 14 last season they came out on the national stage and shutdown the Rams’ high-powered offense, in a 15-6 victory that defined their season. The question is: Can they make a similar statement? Only instead of declaring they’re a force in the NFC, it would be a statement that they’re not dead yet in the playoff race.
2. Will Mitchell Trubisky build off solid performance?
While Mitchell Trubisky still has far to go to convince the organization that he’s the quarterback of the future after what’s been a disconcerting season, he showed signs of progress against the Detroit Lions in Week 10.
Now, logging impressive stats against the 31st ranked defense isn’t a statement. But for Trubisky, who has struggled with confidence in his third year, it might’ve been the perfect game to boost his mindset heading into an important stretch.
It won’t be easy with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald coming at him, but if Trubisky can manage to have even a decent game against this defense, that should be all the Bears need to possibly to pull off the upset.
3. Who wins in Allen Robinson vs. Jalen Ramsey matchup?
Former Jacksonville Jaguars teammates Allen Robinson and Jalen Ramsey will clash in a primetime showdown for the first time. But it’s nothing special to the pair, who will simply be looking to do their job against a talented player.
Robinson has been the Bears’ consistent bright spot on offense, even with teams knowing that he’s going to get the ball and he’s going to get it often. He’s managed to be productive in spite of that, and he’s nearing his season totals from a season ago with still seven games left this season.
But he’ll be facing a physical and talented Ramsey, who you assume will be covering him exclusively. Trubisky might not have many opportunities to find his security blanket in this game, so he needs to make sure that when he does take his chances that they count.
4. Will this be the Return of Khalil Mack?
After starting the season with 4.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in the first four games, Khalil Mack has registered just one sack in the last five games, which is part of the reason why the Bears defense has fallen off.
But the losses of Akiem Hicks and now Danny Trevathan certainly don’t help. As is the fact that Mack finds himself double and triple-teamed by opposing offenses. But Mack’s absence on the stats sheet has been felt drastically.
As the Bears prepare to face a makeshift offensive line and a struggling Jared Goff, this could be the game where Mack finds his dominance once again. Last season against the Rams, Mack registered a sack and two quarterback hits. But it was more than the stats. Mack and the defense made their presence known, and Goff felt it, which led to mistakes in the form of four interceptions.
