Bears Vs Rams Final Score Results: Matthew Stafford Impressive In La Debut Propels Rams To Big Victory
Matthew Stafford’s first impression with Rams fans was a good one.
After coming over from the Lions via trade in the offseason, Stafford went 20 for 26 for 321 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams made easy work of the Bears on Sunday night inside a SoFi Stadium that had fans in it for the first time a year after opening.
Los Angeles downed Chicago 34-14 thanks to Stafford’s ability to make big plays in the air. He notched touchdown passes of 67 yards and 56 yards .
The Bears established the run early and leaned on running back David Montgomery for much of the game. He totaled 108 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
But it was another rushing touchdown by rookie quarterback Justin Fields that brought hope and excitement to Bears fans. Fields came off the bench on occasion in place of starter Andy Dalton and made three plays: two pass completions for 10 yards and the TD on the ground.
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Chicago outnumbered Los Angeles in first downs and time of possession , but the Rams’ 312 yards in the air and 7.7 yards per play reflected how dynamic the offense can be.
The win was Stafford’s first Week 1 victory since 2017. He is now 7-5-1 in Week 1 games.
Podcast: Chicago Bears Vs Los Angeles Rams Postgame Show
For the third straight year, the Los Angeles Rams have defeated the Chicago Bears with this latest game ending in a 34-14 blowout.
New to this matchup are quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Matthew Stafford. Both teams brought their respective signal-callers in the hope that they can improve their teams offenses. But on Sunday night in Sofi Stadium, it was just Stafford who raised the level of play for his offense.
The Rams quarterback finished 20-of-26 for 321 yards and threw three touchdowns. Stafford capitalized on several blown coverages in first-year Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desais secondary and finished with a 156.1 passer rating just a little shy of a perfect 158.3 mark.
Chicago Bears Vs Los Angeles Rams Odds And Predictions: Expert Picks For Nfl Week 1 Game On Sunday Night Football
The first Sunday Night Football game of the year features a pair of 2020 playoff teams in the Bears and Rams. Los Angeles is favored by 8.5 points, though its 4-12 record in 2020 against the over makes the point total an interesting play here.
Los Angeles reached the Divisional Round last year after going 10-6 in the regular season. It is projected to be right around there once again with its win total set at 10.5 games, except oddsmakers give Los Angeles the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl at 12-1. A big reason for that is the addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is tied for the seventh-shortest MVP odds. Stafford won 74 games and led 38 game-winning drives over 12 seasons in Detroit, though hes never won a playoff game. Theres also Aaron Donald leading the leagues No. 1 defense from a year ago. Donalds won AP Defensive Player of the Year three times in four seasons and is a betting co-favorite at +550 to make it four wins in five years.
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Rams’ Matthew Stafford Dazzles In Debut Win Vs Bears
Sept. 13 — Ex-Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns in an impressive debut for the Los Angeles Rams, leading the team to a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.
Stafford completed 20 of 26 passes and did not throw an interception in the 34-14 victory Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. He logged a nearly perfect quarterback rating of 156.1, the best mark of his career.
“It’s a new experience for me, a new place, new stadium, new fans, the whole deal,” Stafford told reporters. “But this team has embraced me and I really appreciate that.
“I’ve done everything I can to try to just work as hard as I can and get myself in this team. And they wrapped their arms around me and it felt good to go out there and play with them. Such incredible players on this team. I’m lucky to be a part of it.”
The Rams built an early lead and never looked back in their first game of the 2021 regular season. Bears quarterback Andy Dalton struggled against one of the best pass defenses in the NFL. He completed 27 of 38 passes, threw an interception and lost a fumble.
Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed 2 of 2 passes for 10 yards and scored a three-yard rushing touchdown in his NFL debut.
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Bears Vs Rams Live Updates Highlights From ‘sunday Night Football’
Final: Rams 34, Bears 14
11:08 p.m.: The Rams take a knee and enter into victory formation, sealing a Week 1 victory behind a three-touchdown night from Matthew Stafford and a big night from Cooper Kupp.
11:06 p.m.: The two-minute warning comes and the Rams are well on their way to an easy opening night victory and an impressive debut from Matt Stafford.
11:04 p.m.: The Bears go for it on fourth-and-10 but Dalton gets sacked for a loss of 9 yards. The Rams take over on the Bears’ 27 with 2:16 left in the game.
11:02 p.m.: With 2:25 left, the Bears face third-and-9 on their 37-yard line and the Bears need a first down to keep this game alive.
10:56 p.m: TOUCHDOWN, RAMS. Matthew Stafford has his third touchdown of the game, a 2-yard pass for Robert Woods to essentially seal this game for Los Angeles. Rams 34, Bears 14. That score capped off a 12 play, 70-yard drive that took 6:44. Just over three minutes remain in the inaugural ‘Sunday Night Football’ game of 2021.
10:51 p.m.: The Rams have found the run game as Henderson continues his strong quarter, taking it 15 yards all the way to Chicago’s 5-yard line.
10:49 p.m.: Another holding penalty for the Rams, setting up first-and-20 on Chicago’s 31.
10:48 p.m.: The Stafford-Kupp connection is white hot as the latter picks up 15 yards for the first down on third down and puts the Rams on the Bears’ 21-yard line.
Bears offense spent the entire game in Rams territory with almost nothing to show for it.
Adam Rittenberg
NFL
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Whats Going To Happen
Its not like the Bears dont know Stafford, and vice versa, but this will be different.
Dont expect LA to open it up and go off, partly because the defense will take care of a Chicago offense that wont go on enough long, sustained drives. The Bear coaching staff will have enough wrinkles to keep this from getting out of hand, but the differences in the lines will make a huge difference.
Bears Vs Rams Prediction Week 1
The Rams open at home in SoFi Stadium and facing one of their historically tougher opponents. Regardless of the quality of either team, they have recently played stout defense against one another. In fact, since 2018, the final scores have gone 15-6 , 17-7 , and 24-10 . While you may be tempted to go with the under in this one, Im not comfortable recommending a low-scoring contest with Stafford at quarterback.
While the Bears had historically had the better team than the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford is a career 9-11 against the Bears while completing 63.6 percent of his passes. That had resulted in 5,440 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. Stafford has a lifetime passer rating of 86.3 when facing the Bears.
LA head coach Sean McVay has a bit of showmanship in him, and his team has a prime-time, all NFL eyes on the SNF stage to debut the new and improved offense. The Rams wont squander the chance to showcase just how dangerous Stafford can be throwing to the many receivers in the teams arsenal. Stafford will connect at least twice with new receiver veteran DeSean Jackson, one for a touchdown, to put all NFL defenses on notice. But dont overlook the Rams willingness to run their new rusher, Sony Michel, up the gut.
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What To Expect From The Rams In Week 1
We are expecting a lot from the LA Rams. LA made a sizeable upgrade by trading for Detroits Matthew Stafford. Stafford is easily a top-ten QB, who should thrive with the Rams and McVay. For Stafford, LA is not only a better offensive system, but this offensive line should be the best he has ever played behind.
The Rams have a top-heavy offense, but the receiving core of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp still grades as a top ten unit. Both players have been open on 59%+ of their single coverage targets in the last season and should be in a decent position going into the Week 1 matchup against Chicago. Since his breakout campaign in 2018, Woods only dropped 34 of his 596 catchable passes, while Kupp has been graded 76 or higher in each of his four seasons.
The WR core got plenty of help in 2020 from a solid TE duo of Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett. With Everett playing for Seattle, Higbee will have a solid opportunity to lock himself in as the TE #1 of the franchise. According to reports, rookie TE Jacob Harris has become a special project for head coach Sean McVay and he is expected to be used as a hybrid receiver/tight end through the season.
Rams Game Sunday: Bears Vs Rams Odds And Prediction For Nfl Week 1
The LA Rams open the 2021 season at home with an inter-divisional matchup against the Chicago Bears on the debut of Sunday Night Football. This will be the fourth meeting between the Bears and Rams since 2018. The Rams hold an edge over the past three games, 2-1, winning in 2020 by the score of 24-10.
The Bears are coming off an 8-8 2020 season, which was just enough to squeak into the post-season. This year, theyve reworked their offense around new veteran quarterback Andy Dalton and the rookie that the Bears are eager to unleash in Justin Fields. Last years starting quarterback, Nick Foles, is not the third-stringer for the Bears offense.
The LA Rams had another winning season under head coach Sean McVay in 2020, a 10-6 season, that eventually ended in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs when they could not get past the Green Bay Packers. They ended the season as the fifth-seeded team in the NFC, but even still made a similar move at quarterback. So the team has gone all-in at quarterback with former Detroit Lions veteran Matthew Stafford now running the offense.
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The Big Lead: Rams 40 Bears 17
Kyler Koster and Liam McKeone write: “Andy Dalton will start for Chicago for the first SNF game of the season. NBC must be thrilled. It will take all of one game for the calls for Justin Fields to start while Matthew Stafford absolutely dominates in his first game under Sean McVay. It will be a firestorm of deep plays and touchdowns against a Bears defense that, while talented, lacks the same quality of depth and excellence in the secondary. This one will be over by halftime, and the Fields watch will begin across the Windy City.”
Play Picks: Take The Rams Against The Bears
Brian Sausa writes: “The first Sunday Night Football matchup of the year will feature the Rams hosting the Bears at SoFi Stadium, which welcomes fans for a regular-season game for the very first time. There arent many spreads of a touchdown or more in Week 1 but Los Angeles opened at -7 and the spread has stuck there at most online sportsbooks. There are question marks for both of these teams, starting with who the Bears start at quarterback. It looks like it will be Andy Dalton in the beginning despite the clamoring for Justin Fields, though the Bears offensive line is probably more worrisome than the quarterback. Los Angeles has a new defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris but return one of the best units in the league. On offense, it has an upgrade at quarterback in Matthew Stafford. All things considered, its hard not to be comfortable with the home team here. The Rams will finally have fans in the building and are upgraded at the QB position while still boasting whats probably a top 10 offensive line. A whole touchdown is plenty of points so if youre unwilling, put them in your Stanford Wong six-point teaser. Despite the Rams defense potentially being due for regression, the Chicago offense is unlikely to keep up with Dalton unless its defense carries the day. At seven points or less, well go with the Rams at home and a likely under on this mid-40s total.”
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Bears Vs Rams: Week 1 Nfl Preview
The Chicago Bears battle the Los Angeles Rams in NFL Week 1, with both teams welcoming new quarterbacks as Matthew Stafford and Andy Dalton make their regular-season debuts.
There are plenty of intriguing matchups that will shape this Bears vs Rams game and our preview examines game info, odds and predicts the outcome for Sunday Night Football.
Discover where the Bears and Rams land in our Week 1 NFL power rankings
Why Los Angeles Will Win
The Ram defensive front vs. the Chicago offensive line. Two words
Oh no.
This was already going to be a work in progress for the Bears, and it didnt get better over the preseason. Now the Chicago O gets to deal with Aaron Donald and company.
Yeah, Dalton will be fine for the Bear attack, but he might have to turn it loose considering the LA offense is about to upgrade in a big way with
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Andy Dalton Vs Rams Defense
Chicago is sticking by its decision to start Andy Dalton. Maybe thats because Matt Nagy really believes he is the best option and the veteran won the starting job this summer. Far more likely, Dalton is being thrown out on the field in Week 1 to get hit by the Rams defense.
Find out where the Rams and Bears land in our NFL defense rankings
On the other side, dont expect Los Angeles to dominate quite as much as we saw in 2020. Brandon Staley is gone and that will have a negative impact on this defense. But the far bigger blows come in the secondary, a group that lost Troy Hill and John Johnson III.
- Clock is Ticking: The fans want Justin Fields at quarterback and it might not be long before the locker room starts calling for a switch. Chicagos best quarterback during the preseason was its rookie and it wasnt especially close. If Dalton throws multiple interceptions, it might be his last NFL start.
- Facelift: Raheem Morris has done very good work calling defensive plays and it seems players in Los Angeles are already rallying around him. It will be interesting to see how the Rams new defensive coordinator uses the pieces around Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
Advantage: Los Angeles Rams