By Shawn Stewart

Monday, Oct. 26 at 8:15 p.m. ET

ESPN

SPREAD: Rams, -6

The Monday Night Football matchup features two teams that are very similar in a variety of ways.  These are two teams that like to rely heavily on their defense, especially when you have the two biggest stars on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL, but also have players on the offensive side of the ball that can produce big plays as well.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears come into this Monday Night Matchup with a 5-1 record and sit atop the NFC North Division., just a half a game up on the Green Bay Packers.  The Bears have been road warriors so far this season. They are 3-0 away from Soldier Field. The last the Bears won their first 3 road games to start a season was back in 2006 when they reached Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts.  Nick Foles, who replaced Mitchell Trubisky earlier this season, continues to make winners out of this Bears team.  Foles has completed 95 passes out of 152 attempts for 878 yards and 6 touchdowns. Foles is completing over 60% of his passes. While the numbers do not completely jump off the page at you, Foles is showing that he knows how to lead a team and continues to win. 

Bears Offense

While the Bears passing attack continues to make big plays, the Bears running game has struggled through the first 6 games this season. The Bears as a team have only rushed for 540 total yards on 140 attempts and only have 2 rushing touchdowns. The Bears need to establish the run early to take some pressure off Nick Foles, although he is used to the pressure. Running backs, David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen need to find space between the tackles. Montgomery has carried the rock 82 times for 305 yards, that is an abysmal 3.7 yards per carry, and he has only found the end zone one time. Cohen, on the other hand, has only appeared in 3 games, due to an early-season injury, but he has only contributed 14 carries for 74 yards.  Tight End Jimmy Graham has been a nice addition to this offense. He currently leads the Bears offense in receiving touchdowns with 6.

Bears Defense

Khalil Mack is already in his 7th year in the NFL out of the University of Buffalo, and he is the heart and soul of that Bears defense.  The Bears linebacker core could be one of the best, if not the best in all of football.  Some of those names include Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. Combine this with Khalil Mack and the rest of the Bears defense, the opposing offensive team could be in trouble.   Through the first 6 games of the season, the Bears defense has 15 total sacks, and Mack leads the way with 4.5.  Linebacker, Roquan Smith, has already racked up 52 tackles in 6 games.

LA Rams

The Los Angeles Rams come in with a 4-2 record and currently sit in 3rd place in the very competitive NFC West. The Rams took it on the chin last week when they were beaten by a depleted 49er's team.  Jared Goff in that game could not get much going. He was only able to complete 19 of 38 passes for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns. If the Rams are going to have any success against the Bears and the rest of their teams on the upcoming schedule. they need Goff to play better and win the games that matter. The Rams had to sign a kicker this week, Kai Forbath, who was formerly with the Chicago Bears, a little ironic I guess you could say. The Rams offense currently ranks 6th in overall offense and 8th in rushing. They are averaging 25 points per game so far this season. It is safe to say that the Rams have the talent and the playmakers to win football games. Also, the Rams are 14-4 at home since 2018.  

Rams Offense

Much like their opponent in this matchup, the Rams have not been able to establish much of a run game. The departure of Todd Gurley could be part of the drop off in run production. The Rams currently rank 28th in rushing in the NFL, and that is not going to get the job done. This team has become one dimensional, and head coach Sean McVay is too talented of a coach to continue to run his offense this way. The Rams rushing attack has been more of a running back by committee approach. Darrell Henderson leads the way with 72 carries for 348 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Malcolm Brown and rookie Cam Akers have contributed with a combined 81 carries for 330 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. Someone in the Rams running game needs to step it up.

Rams Defense

On the other side, Aaron Donald, is arguably the best defensive player in football. He is also in his 7th year, out of the University of Pittsburgh. Both teams are going to rely heavily on their defensive stars under the lights on Monday Night Football. Donald comes into this game with 7.5 sacks which leads all Rams players by a wide margin. However, Aaron Donald has never sacked Nick Foles in 3 career games against the quarterback.  The Rams need to make things uncomfortable for Nick Foles and the Bears offense if they are going to have a chance in this game, and they are going to need other players to step up and contribute on the defensive side of the ball.

Prediction

It is safe to say that both teams are going to rely heavily on their defensive stars under the lights on Monday Night Football. The Bears have had the Rams number of late, winning 6 of their last 8 games. Jared Goff has struggled heavily against the Bears defense. Goff has the most interceptions (5) without a passing touchdown against the Bears in the Super Bowl era. If the Rams have any chance in this game, Goff and the offense are going to have to make some big plays.  The Rams offense struggled mightily against a depleted San Francisco 49er's defense last week, and the Bears are healthy for the most part on the defensive side of the ball, which could be bad news for Goff and the offense.  

The Bears on the other hand, just keep winning games, and they are doing it with Nick Foles behind center. If the Bears are going to be successful against the Rams defense, they need to run the football, and that starts with David Montgomery, who only has 1 game over 65 yards rushing this season. That is not going to get the job done. The Bears currently rank 28th in rushing. However, their defense has only allowed 1 receiving touchdown to a wide receiver this season, and that was Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, back in Week 5.  The Bears defense might have to win this game if the offense, especially the running game can't get going.  Turnovers could play a major role in this game on the defensive side of the ball, and the running game is going to be huge on the offensive side of the ball. This could be a tough game to call, since both teams are evenly matched, but I think the Rams offense is going to outplay the Bears defense, but don't be surprised if this game is close.

SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Rams 20 - 16

AJ’S PREDICTION: Rams 20 - 17

CADE’S PREDICTION: Bears 14 - 7

TIMOTHY’S PREDICTION: Bears 24 - 21

JAKE’S PREDICTION: Rams 35 - 17

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