Top Passing Matchups
LA Rams at Chicago
The big question heading into this game is the health of Matthew Stafford, who is dealing with a right finger injury. He's been a full participant in practice all week, but how much the cold weather in Chicago will impact him remains to be seen, as it is projected to be around 15 degrees at game time. Stafford has had a career season and has continued to come up in the clutch when the Rams have needed him, as it took all of his 304 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Panthers to survive the 34-31 victory. The good news for the Rams is that Davante Adams looked as close to 100% healthy as possible and was not listed on the injury report this week. The big news for the Rams is that they should get Kevin Dotson back this week at right guard, which is a massive upgrade to this offensive line, as Dotson has consistently been one of the best interior offensive linemen in the NFL.
Chicago has been able to survive back-to-back 300+ yard passing performances, as they allowed 323 passing yards and four touchdowns to Jordan Love in the Wildcard round. The issue for the Bears has been injuries. They lost linebacker T.J. Edwards, the heart of this defense, in the Green Bay game, and since cornerback Jaylon Johnson returned from injury in Week 13, the Bears have allowed 257 passing yards per game. Johnson has been one of the most reliable corners in the NFL over the last two seasons. However, he has been a liability in 2025, likely because he's still playing injured. Opposite of Johnson is Nahshon Wright, who should be better than he is with his 6-foot-4 frame. He takes too many chances, which is a big reason he has five interceptions this season, but by taking those chances, he often gets burned in coverage. The key to Chicago's success in this game will be the pass rush and whether they can get pressure outside of Montez Sweat. The Bears are tied for the seventh-fewest sacks on the season, and given the prolific passing offense of the Rams, they're going to need to find a way to get pressure.
Chicago vs LA Rams
The Bears are riding high after a franchise record playoff comeback after being down 21-3 at halftime. It was a tale of two halves for Caleb Williams, who ended the day with 361 passing yards and two touchdowns, but did throw two interceptions and completed just 50% of his passes. Williams did an excellent job distributing the ball amongst all of his receivers, as Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, DJ Moore, and Colston Loveland all had at least 40 yards, with Loveland being the top option for Chicago as he had 137 yards on 15 targets. Loveland now has 10 or more targets in each of his last three games and has 90+ yards in all three games as he's turned into the top option for Chicago. It seems to be a season of destiny for Chicago and Caleb Williams, who continues to make plays whenever the Bears need him, as they have kept coming back to pull off miracle victories. A key player for the Bears is DJ Moore, who's been extremely volatile this season: he's had two or fewer catches in six of his last 10 games, but he's had at least 60 yards and a touchdown in all four games with more than two receptions.
The one thing that may hold the Rams back from a Super Bowl run is their secondary, as it almost cost them in the 34-31 victory over the Panthers. Bryce Young had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 264 yards and a touchdown, and the Rams have now allowed 240 passing yards or more in five of their last six games, which include performances to Jacoby Brissett twice, Bryce Young, Sam Darnold, and Jared Goff. Over that same stretch, the Rams' corners have allowed six wide receivers to top 90 yards, including four to top 130 yards, as Jalen Coker, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Michael Wilson, and Jameson Williams all torched this defense. While the pass rush is great, led by Jared Verse and Byron Young, this is a team that does not blitz a lot, as they blitz the second-fewest among all teams at just 18%, but are tied for the seventh-most sacks on the season. The reason is simple: they have to provide as much help to Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Cobie Durant as possible, because they can't trust them one-on-one. With the Bears' plethora of options, this could pose problems for the Rams, who had a difficult time stopping a team with limited options in Carolina. If the offensive line can keep Caleb Williams upright, this could be a big day for the Chicago passing attack.
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