The Bears badly need a win Sunday against the Rams to get to 2-2 and have a chance to rest their season after a rough start. While the Rams are struggling, they’re hardly a pushover. Here are three keys for the Bears:
1. Toeing the line
Caleb Williams’ passing accuracy has gotten better each week, but he has made some bad decisions that led to interceptions. First, there was the ill-advised throw across his body against the Texans (that one was negated by penalty, but he threw two other picks in that game), then a late, lofty throw to the sideline against the Colts that nearly was taken for a pick-six by cornerback Jaylon Jones. The Bears don’t necessarily want Williams to play it safe, because he has potential to connect on gutsy passes, but he can’t play quite that recklessly.
2. Make Stafford a liability
The Rams are 29th in yards rushing per game and 30th in yards per carry, so the Bears should be able to handle their running game. From there, Matt Stafford is down his top two wide receivers in Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee). That leaves Tutu Atwell as their leading receiver with seven catches for 141 yards. The Bears need to force Stafford into must-pass situations and take away all his options.
3. Stay sharp
The Bears can’t afford more lapses from coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. There can’t be any blown timeouts on bad replay challenges or because they aren’t ready for a two-point conversion, and the red-zone and goal-line play calls need to be more intuitive. Rams coach Sean McVay towers over Eberflus and Waldron. They’ll have enough of a challenge matching his moves without self-inflicted adversity.