Windy City Gridiron
We have to wait all weekend to finally watch the Chicago Bears play their divisional round playoff game.
The Bears are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Rams in the final game of the weekend, with kickoff set for 5;30 p.m. CT.
We know it’s going to be cold. Freezing even. Really, really cold.
But you wouldn’t want a January playoff game in Chicago to be any other way.
The matchups get increasingly harder each round. The Rams are a dangerous team, with a veteran quarterback in the MVP conversation. He has plenty of offensive weapons at his disposal and their defense is stout, too.
It’s going to be a heck of a game.
Sam: The Bears have to establish the run early here and get off to a fast start. The Rams are too talented to let get a big lead. Chicago needs to pressure Matt Stafford, but that’s easier said than done when they can only rush four. The secondary will have its hands full with Puka Nakua and Davante Adams. Offense, score early and often and keep the pressure on Los Angeles.
Lester: The Bears have to get to Matthew Stafford on Sunday, and they have to do it with four. Stafford is too good to blitz, and the Bears need 7 in coverage as much as possible. L.A. has a pretty good run D, but the Bears need to stick with it to grind some clock and keep the Rams cold and on the sideline. The quick-passing game and screens should be part of the game plan this week, too.
Mongo Peanut: Stop the Rams’ running attack. With frigid temperatures expected, both teams will need to run the ball effectively to win. The Rams had a top 10 rushing attack in the regular season and the Bears will need to hold Kyren Williams and Blake Corum under their season averages to have a chance. If they can be efficient on the ground, lanes for Nacua and Adams will open up for the Rams. A big day for Billings, Dexter, and Jarrett will be paramount for a Bears victory.
Gary: Making Stafford’s life as uncomfortable as possible, it’s no secret he’s mostly struggled in his career in cold weather. With kick off wind chill temps looking to be in the single digits, combined with his age and finger injury, finding a way to keep him dealing with pressure is a huge key, much like the Bears defense did in the second half against Jordan Love. If the Bears defense can scheme up some pressure on Stafford, they have a great shot at winning.
Jack R Salo: Matthew Stafford has had an MVP-caliber year, but he still has moments of trusting his arm too much. Six of his eight interceptions on the year came in losses, so the Bears need to add to that total multiple times. On offense, the Bears need to stay on schedule to avoid the 4th downs that nearly doomed them last week. Get...
