Chicago Bears face early primetime test with Week 1 matchup vs. Rams

The Chicago Bears will be tested early in the 2021 season with a Week 1 matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Another new year comes another season for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams, both of who will meet in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football. Familiar faces will collide as the Rams trot out their new starting quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who, along with his new arsenal of offensive weapons, will be sure to give the Bears defense an early-season test.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the ball, Chicago will likely send out Andy Dalton in his first start in a Bears uniform after spending the previous year guiding the Dallas Cowboys to a 6-10 record once he took over for an injured Dak Prescott.

In Chicago now, Dalton does have a nice supporting cast, but the fans will undoubtedly be clamoring for 2021 first-round pick Justin Fields to be the man taking snaps for the Bears.

Both defenses will be on full display as Chicago trots out a new leader in defensive coordinator Sean Desai while Rams head coach Sean McVay will be looking to have Aaron Donald and friends ready to show that even without defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who left for the Chargers, that they are still a formidable group.

Both the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams need this win to set the tone for the season.

Sure, a Week 1 battle doesn’t always mean that the loser will have a bad season. But let’s not kid ourselves, the NFC is a very tough conference, and the Rams especially will need an early break given the division they are in, but the same can be said for the Bears.

Last season despite losing to Green Bay in the season finale, Chicago squeaked into the playoffs as a No. 7 seed, thanks largely to Los Angeles defeating Arizona in the final game. The Rams went on to beat Seattle before leaving Green Bay both bruised and battered.

Chicago, on the other hand, got the slime treatment in New Orleans as part of the inaugural Nickolodeon broadcast before Brees bid his farewell the following week thanks to the Buccaneers.

The Bears have a real test ahead of them, and it is possible that Chicago could insert Fields into the lineup if he outplays Andy Dalton. In contrast, the Rams are itching to see whether or not the investment they made in Stafford pays off, as they did give up a few first-rounders to get Jared Goff out from their books. What better way for both teams to take an early-season test than in front of a national audience with the country tuning in?