The Los Angeles Rams were handed an ugly loss by the Chicago Bears in the regular season but should not be overly worried about the team in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Rams finished the regular season with a very respectable13-3 record with all three losses coming against playoff teams in the NFC.
The Rams lost against the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles in the regular season. While you obviously never want to see your team lose, it was the loss against the Bears that was overly concerning and stuck out.
Chicago’s defense took it to the Rams and held the high-profile offense to just six points, three of which coming on the first drive after a defensive interception. Quarterback Jared Goff was particularly bad and the Rams looked like a team that got punched in the mouth in cold weather.
That is exactly what happened. The Southern California team went into Chicago during prime Bear weather and looked like a fish out of water. Even though the defense played pretty good, the game left nothing but a bad taste in every fan’s mouth.
Now, there is a very real possibility that the Los Angeles Rams have to play the Bears in the NFC Divisional Round. Los Angeles, being the second seed, will play the higher seed of the two winning teams from Wild Card Weekend.
With the Bears being the third seed, if the team wins, the Rams are guaranteed to face them. That is definitely a matchup that seems daunting on the surface.
However, the playoff Bears, while they are nothing to scoff at, should not be as feared as some might think, even after the first result of the season.
First of all, this game will be in Los Angeles. While the Rams do not have as good of a home-field advantage in terms of stadium volume, the team also does not have to play in freezing Chicago weather and instead gets an environment in which Jared Goff is comfortable.
And while a great defense is probably the last thing you want to face in the playoffs, the Bears can only get so far before Mitchell Trubisky has to make some plays. Trubisky showed some great flashes this season but has not been particularly great since coming back from his shoulder injury.
Trubisky and head coach Matt Nagy is the only NFC quarterback/head coach combo that has less experience than the Los Angeles Rams. That is extremely important to keep in mind, especially because the Bears are the road team.
The Chicago Bears are nothing to laugh at: that is a fact. However, the Los Angeles Rams also should not be sweating a potential rematch against the Bears.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News