Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, January 18th, 6:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Rams face off against the Chicago Bears in what could be a massively entertaining game, and this could be the most entertaining game of the weekend, but how did we get here? The Los Angeles Rams saw their hopes for the no. 1 NFC seed go up in smoke with two brutal, late-season losses.
The Rams then had to 'settle' for the fifth seed, and that gave them a date with the Carolina Panthers, who were able to give LA some fits. They were going to win that game, though, as LA knew they had some bigger games on the schedule.
Matthew Stafford didn't play super well, and the defense was again shaky, so if those two things do not improve against a much more formidable Bears team, the Rams will be sent home much earlier than they would like.
The Chicago Bears, in the Wild Card Round, were trending toward being blown out by the Green Bay Packers, but then the fourth quarter happened. It was yet another fourth quarter comeback by this insanely dramatic team, and with a great team like the Rams coming to town, I struggle to see how the Bears would be able to do this again.
Chicago's season has been insanely fun to watch, but there comes a time where this team needs to play a more complete game. I just can't necessarily see them doing that just yet, as the defense is subpar in many respects, so Matthew Stafford should be able to have his way.
While Chicago is going to keep this one close, Los Angeles is a better overall operation right now. They should win this one. The comeback effort by the Bears won't be enough - but if this prediction does indeed come true and the Bears season ends, they should be very proud of how far they've come, as the growth in year one of the Ben Johnson era is noticeable.