Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams pulled off a huge 20-17 overtime win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. L.A. is set for an epic Round III matchup against the Seahawks in Seattle next week, but they had better play A LOT better if they hope to advance to the Super Bowl.
Ahead of the Rams’ first NFC Championship appearance since 2021, here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the Divisional Round win in the Windy City.
The defense was the only reason L.A. didn’t lose by 30.
They were mostly outstanding except against the run, and set the tone early on Chicago’s opening drive when Cobie Durant picked off Caleb Williams.
They were even better in the second half, holding Chicago to 121 total yards and pitching a shutout until Williams’ wild touchdown near the end of the fourth quarter.
L.A. held the Bears to 3-of-6 on fourth down opportunities, none bigger than on their 12-play, 61-yard drive late in the final frame which ended with no points.
Los Angeles won due to winning the turnover battle. Kam Curl picked off Williams in overtime, essentially saving the Rams’ season when Chicago only needed a field goal to win.
The team is going to need every bit of this defense against the Seahawks this week. If they can do that, a second Lombardi Trophy under McVay will be firmly in their grasps.
Who said these Rams couldn’t play in cold weather?
All week, we heard talking heads and fans say that the West Coast team could not play in the cold and would lose. It’s not like players such as Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams had never played in the cold or anything.
These guys are professionals and should be well-equipped to play in any conditions. Coaching is the main reason teams lose these types of games — it’s not entirely the weather.
Some players had even put cayenne pepper in their socks to stay warm.
Whatever works, I suppose. Perhaps I should try this today since it’s quite frigid where I live in Central Illinois.
Also, shoutout to Kyren Williams for calling out those who said the Rams couldn’t handle the freezing temps.
This is the guy who’s supposedly about to win MVP in a few weeks? Really?
Matthew Stafford played a truly atrocious game against the Bears. Following the first drive when he completed six of his first 10 passes, the veteran quarterback went 14-of-32 for the remainder of the game. His passer rating was only eight points higher than Caleb Williams, and the Bears’ QB threw three interceptions(!)
Yikes!
I don’t know about you, but Stafford was driving me crazy with the constant deep throws downfield when L.A. only needed a few yards. It was a simple case of trying to force the passing game to work when it would’ve been better to take what the...
