NEWSLETTER
I’m out here from a very far away place
All for a chance to be a star
Nowhere seems to be too far…
The Kanye West-Kendrick Lamar banger “No More Parties in L.A.” is a song with a message that will resonate with Bears fans sooner, rather than later. At the core of this track, you’ll find two rappers trading bars in which they essentially are leaving their old selves behind. It’s a nice concept for a tandem track and well executed. And while the Bears aren’t in a position to speak of the Andy Dalton era — which won’t even begin until 7:20 p.m. CT on Sunday — as a thing of the past, the time will come.
In the meantime, expect upcoming Bears broadcasts to inundate us with questions about Justin Fields. Will he enter the game as a gadget player? Is Matt Nagy creating a package to deploy the QB with the loudest tools in the room? And, ultimately, when will Fields start? Sunday’s broadcast featuring Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will get that conversation going on a national level. But hopefully, names with that gravitas can share and deliver anecdotes that wouldn’t be available elsewhere.
Yeah, I know there is a game to be played between the Bears and Rams. But there will be moments in which that will be secondary because of how enticing talking about the big picture will be. Don’t say I didn’t (say I didn’t) warn ya.
“Never Tell Me The Odds”
The DraftKings SportsBook lists the Bears (0-0) as 8-point underdogs against the Rams (0-0). Over/under: 46.5. More on the odds and ATS pick here.
Series History:
The Bears lead 57-37-3 in regular season meetings, but the Rams have won the last two (both played in California).
Game Time, Broadcast Info, Officiating Crew:
Location: So-Fi Stadium; Inglewood, Calif.
Broadcast Info: Sunday, Sept. 12 at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya), WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote), Universo (Carlos Mauricio Ramirez, Jorge Andres), Westwood One (Ryan Radtke, Rod Woodson)
Officials: Brad Allen (referee)
Expected Starters and Lineups:
CHICAGO BEARS (0-0, 0-0 NFC North)
POINTS FOR: 372 (23.3 PPG, t-22nd of 32 in 2020)
POINTS AGAINST: 370 (23.1 PPG, 14th of 32 in 2020)
Offense
• QB Andy Dalton
• RB David Montgomery
• WRs Allen Robinson II, Darnell Mooney, Marquise Goodwin
• TE Cole Kmet
• LT Jason Peters, LG Cody Whitehair, C Sam Mustipher, RG James Daniels, RT Germain Ifedi
Unavailable: OL Teven Jenkins, RB/PR Tarik Cohen
Defense
• DT Akiem Hicks, NT Eddie Goldman Khyiris Tonga, DE Bilal Nichols
• OLBs Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn
• ILBs Roquan Smith, Alec Ogletree
• CBs Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor
• FS Eddie Jackson
• SS Tashaun Gipson Sr.
Unavailable: LB Danny Trevathan, DE Mario Edwards Jr.
Specialists
• Cairo Santos (kicker), Pat O’Donnell (punter, holder), Patrick Sales (long snapper), Nsimba Webster (punt returns), Khalil Herbert (kick returns)
Expected Starters and Lineups:
LOS ANGELES RAMS (0-0, 0-0 NFC West)
POINTS FOR: 372 (23.3 PPG, t-22nd of 32 in 2020)
POINTS AGAINST: 296 (18.5 PPG, 1st of 32 in 2020)
Offense
• QB Matthew Stafford
• RB Sony Michel
• WRs Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Robert Woods
• TE Tyler Higbee
• LT Andrew Whitworth, LG David Edwards, C Brian Allen, RG Austin Corbett, RT Rob Havenstein
Unavailable: OL Tremayne Anchrum Jr., RB Cam Akers
Defense
• LDE A’Shawn Robinson, DT Aaron Donald, NT Sebastian Joseph-Day
• WILL Justin Hollins, SLB Leonard Floyd, ILB Kenny Young, ILB Troy Reeder
• CBs Darious Williams, Jalen Ramsey
• S Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp
Unavailable: OLB Ogbonnia Okornkwo
Specialists
• Matt Gay (kicker), Johnny Hekker (punter, holder), Matt Orzech (long snapper), Cooper Kupp (kick and punt returns)
Three Bears …
Jason Peters is responsible for protecting Andy Dalton’s blindside. And with that responsibility comes a key to how Dalton plays on Sunday. Don’t get it twisted. I wouldn’t dare expect for Peters to play at the Pro Bowl level we saw form him when he was in Philly. But if Peters can put together a cromulent effort, it would embiggen the souls of Bears fans. And it would give Dalton a puncher’s chance against an elite Rams defense.
Last we saw he Bears offensive line, it allowed a grand total of six pressures. Not bad, but that three came on the first-two drives against the Titans’ first-string unit is a red flag. Hopefully, the Bears have fixed some issues since then.
Andy Dalton isn’t great in prime-time. As Brad Biggs of the Tribune notes, Dalton’s teams are 6-17 in those games. Dalton himself owns a 78.7 passer rating and 59.2 percent completion rate. We’ll give him an opportunity to start with a clean slate here. After all, someone who was able to lead THE BENGALS to multiple postseason berths had to be doing something right. Nevertheless, a history of ugly performances under the brightest lights is a cause for concern until proven otherwise.
Trevis Gipson is an under-the-radar player watch on Sunday. After flashing throughout the summer, Gipson is in line to get more playing time (played just 6.6% of defensive snaps last year) as a rotational pass-rusher. After seeing Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn spend time on the injury report this week, it is a reminder the Bears could scale back on using their top pass rushers for the sake of keeping them fresh throughout a game. If that happens to be the course of action, Chicago needs Gipson to step up.
