Actual Results: LOSS 23-6, 4th in NFC West (1-2)
The defense was the story of the game, harassing Jay Cutler early and forcing him to anticipate difficult throws. The Bears quickly discovered the Rams' over-happy blitz and rush packages, and quickly established a nice (but sneaky) little screen play that seemed to work effectively throughout the game. Once the Bears discovered to rely on Michael Bush and Khalil Bell, the Rams could not stop them. The D-line provided a lot of pressure up front, and the corners were solid for most of the day. The linebackers were okay but shaky at times. The problems with tackling that the Rams had in previous years showed it's ugly face again at times, which should not be a problem as this group jells down the road. Overall, the defense was satisfying. The pressure was certainly there. If they can become more controlled and reduce penalties (at least two or three Bears scoring drives happened due to bad Rams penalties), then this defense can be top-quality.
Offensively, the Rams sputtered. The O-line played down a notch from last week. Sam Bradford was hit all day and frequently had little time to throw the ball. Interestingly, he did not go to the quick passes underneath to Danny Amendola very often. The Rams were putrid on third downs and Bradford frequently held the ball too long waiting for his wideouts to get open. THe running game was efficient in early downs but the Rams frequently went to the pass as their consistency broke down. Brandon Gibson had an ugly drop that could've been a TD (ah, drops like it's last year). And now to the O-line. The were beaten a lot by the stingy Bears D. The Bears seemingly read the Rams with ease and easily converged on the football (like any good team). They were also astounded agile in open-field tackles, particularly the corners (which resulted in passes to the flats for only minimal yardage). Overall, the offense did need some work, but it was against a tough Bears D.
Special teams was good once again, although Johnny Hekker looked like he would have a punt blocked sooner or later. Greg Zuerlein is a machine, nailing long 40-50 yard kicks that proved to be the only points in the game. He is a great asset to this team. Kick and punt returns seemed to have coverage issues but the Rams must work on getting downfield on offense first anyway.
Overall, the Rams kept this game close for a half or so, but lost control after the offense sputtered on 3rd downs. The Rams were so efficient at converting against Washington that it makes you wonder if they were anticipating a tough Bears D and playing conservatively. The Rams definitely had chances, but the Bears managed to keep them out of the red zone all day. Fortunately there were no critical injuries, and the team looks like it will have a lot of work to do on medium or long yardage situations. They can't rely on Bradford staying in the pocket too long, but perhaps moving pockets or switchback routes might help some.
LOOKING AHEAD: By now you've probably heard about the team that's coming to town next week. As much as the controversy in Seattle still resonates, there will be none of that here as the Rams look to avoid falling victim to a dangerous Seattle team. Seattle has an offense that can play both wide open and narrow, so it will be key for the Rams to stop Marshawn Lynch and bring pressure on Russell Wilson all day. Sam Bradford will have to study up on the Hawks defense, since their coverage guys are big guys who can really attack at the football. If the O-line can play better than they did against the Bears, the Rams can certainly score a lot more points next week. The defense will have to step it up if the game remains close. This will be a tight and heated contest between two division rivals, and considering all that happened last night, a lot of people may have their eyes on this one. Let's hope that for whichever team wins, they're actually winners.
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