By Zakary Haines
Los Angeles–The regular season has reached Los Angeles with the first Sunday Night Football game between the Rams and the Chicago Bears. The last time these two met was in 2020 where the Rams took the win over the Bears 24 to 10. This time, the Rams’ offense will have Matthew Stafford under center instead of Jared Goff. The Rams are the favorites to win this primetime match-up with a spread of -7.5, which they are expected to cover. Still, the Bears come in with a chip on their shoulder and will go all out in the first regular-season game.
The Rams should not underestimate the Bears. Andy Dalton is coming off a season where he threw for over 2,000 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and an 87.3 quarterback rating. However, the Rams’ defense is expected to be in the top spot again. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Kenny Young are expecting to have big seasons this year. The Rams should retain their top-tier form again but covering guys such as Allen Robinson, Marquise Goodwin, and David Montgomery will test them to the final whistle.
Matthew Stafford has looked good all preseason in practices and training camp, but he did not take a single snap in the preseason. Now Stafford will have to put it all together on game day. The Bears’ defense ranked 14th overall at the end of last season. On top of that, Khalil Mack is an all too familiar opponent for the former Detroit Lion. However, the offensive line looks more bolstered than last year, and Stafford has something he has had not had in a while; multiple targets. Wide Receivers Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and DeSean Jackson, along with tight end Tyler Higbee, give Stafford plenty of options to choose from in the passing game. Stafford should also have plenty of time in the pocket to pick apart the defense.
As for the run game, this was a concern heading into this season. Even in the preseason, the run game was, for the most part, inconsistent. Then the Rams made a trade for New England’s Sony Michel. The former first-round pick was sent over to Los Angeles during the preseason to clear the depth chart for the Patriots, and in return, the Rams get a reliable running back who can help with their run game. Expect a fight for playing time this season between Darrell Henderson Jr, Sony Michel, and Jake Funk.
Expect some errors and miscues for this game as most of the starters sat out the preseason games. Nobody’s going to be perfect, but the Bears are an opponent that you can’t sleep on. This should be a huge game for Stafford and the receiving core. The Bears have a weaker secondary that should not be an issue for the veteran. Expect Sean McVay to call on multiple guys to help get Stafford more in sync with the playbook. Overall, The Rams should have a decent challenge but should walk away with the win in week one. Kickoff for this primetime match-up is at 8:20 pm est on NBC.
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