The Chicago Bears are going to have their hands full with the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, regardless of which players are and aren’t on the field for L.A. come kickoff on Sunday.
That said, MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford is probably the one player the Rams’ talented and postseason-tested roster simply can’t afford to lose, which made his most recent comments of particular note.
Stafford suffered a moderate injury to a finger on his throwing hand in the team’s first-round victory over the Carolina Panthers, but he was able to remain in the game. He told reporters on Monday, January 12 that he will play against the Bears at Soldier Field this weekend and doesn’t anticipate the finger issue proving a problem in any way.
“Hand is good. I’m not worried about it at all,” Stafford said, per Pro Football Talk. “I was just throwing a ball over the middle to Puka [Nacua] and caught somebody’s forearm — just bent it way back. I just was looking down a little bit like, ‘What’s this thing gonna look like when I go down there and look at it?’ But it was fine — a little bit stiff throughout the game, like a jammed finger. But I know by Sunday next week I’ll be feeling great.”
Bears Home Underdogs for Second Consecutive Playoff Game
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
Considering Stafford’s optimistic assessment of his own injury status, the Bears (No. 2 seed) will enter their second consecutive home playoff game as betting underdogs.
DraftKings Sportsbook at one point early Monday listed Chicago as a 4.5-point underdog. However, the spread had dropped to 3.5 points in favor of Los Angeles on Monday night as the final contest of the Wild Card Round approached — the Houston Texans on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears (11-6) captured the NFC North Division, while the Rams (12-5) finished second in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks (14-3) and just ahead of the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) via a tiebreak.
It is just Chicago and the three NFC West playoff teams remaining on that side of the bracket, with the No. 6-seeded 49ers headed to play the top-seeded Seahawks in Seattle next Saturday after besting the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 3 seed) on the road last Sunday. The Seahawks earned a bye through Round 1 as the top team in the conference.
The NFL announced Sunday night that the Bears and Rams will play on January 18, while the Seahawks and 49ers will square off on January 17. The league will release kickoff times, as well as information on which networks will air which games, following the Texans-Steelers contest Monday night.
Chicago’s game against the Rams will begin at either 3 p.m. ET or 6:30 p.m. ET next Sunday.
Bears Can’t Allow Playoff High to Result in Second Straight Slow Start
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears are riding a playoff high after coming back from 18 points down at the half and 11 points behind in the the fourth quarter to best the Green Bay Packers in Round 1.
However, Chicago is almost certainly going to have to play better from the start if the team hopes to keep pace with the Rams in Round 2.
L.A. has the best offense in football, while the Bears boast the No. 6-ranked unit. But Chicago’s offense often must compensate for the mistakes of its No. 29-rated defense. Los Angeles isn’t a great defensive team either, but is essentially league average at No. 17 in that category.
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