Matthew Stafford and Rams can’t keep up momentum in loss to Bears
CHICAGO — So much for that confidence boost.
A week after a dramatic comeback victory, the Rams could not maintain any momentum against the Chicago Bears.
The Rams’ 24-18 defeat on Sunday before 59,074 at Soldier Field dropped their record to 1-3 going into next Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium.
After that, the Rams will have an open date, a chance for some of their injured starters to perhaps fully recover from injuries and return.
Check out the game summary from the Rams’ loss Sunday.
Stafford had brought back the Rams against the San Francisco 49ers, but he could not do the same against a stout Bears defense.
On a day when Stafford moved into 10th place on the NFL’s career passing yardage list, the Rams could not beat a Bears team led by quarterback Caleb Williams, the top pick in the NFL draft.
Stafford completed 20 of 29 passes for 224 yards, with an interception. He moved past Eli Manning on the all-time list.
Rams fall to 1-3 after Matthew Stafford throws interception in final minute
🏈 Bears 24, Rams 18 — FINAL
Matthew Stafford was picked off by Chicago safety Jaquan Brisker on first down with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter as the Rams fell for the third time in four games to start the season.
The Rams gave up a pair of first downs to the Bears, who chewed 3:01 off the clock on their final drive and forced the Rams to burn their three timeouts. A perfect backspinning kick by Bears punter Tory Taylor put the ball on the eight-yard line.
Joshua Karty’s 52-yard field goal cuts into the Bears’ lead
🏈 Bears 24, Rams 18 — 8:47 left in the fourth quarter
Joshua Karty kicked a career-best 52-yard field goal — his fourth field goal today — to cut into the Bears’ fourth-quarter lead.
The Rams’ seven-play, 36-yard drive stalled after Matthew Stafford was sacked by safety Jaquan Brisker on second down. An 11-yard pass from Stafford to tight end Colby Parkinson got the Rams back into field-goal range.
An 18-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson and a 17-yard reception by Tutu Atwell helped fuel the drive.
D’Andre Swift scores on 36-yard TD run to extend Bears’ lead
🏈 Bears 24, Rams 15 — 12:26 left in the fourth quarter
D’Andre Swift scored on a 36-yard touchdown run up the middle of the Rams defense to extend the Chicago Bears’ lead in the fourth quarter.
Swift leaped over a diving Rams player near the line of scrimmage and found daylight in the second level, sprinting to the end zone to end a five-play, 70-yard drive.
Swift has 80 yards on 11 carries in addition to six catches for 63 yards. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has completed 16 of 22 passes for 148 yards and touchdown.
After last week’s thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against the San Francisco 49ers, do Matthew Stafford and the Rams have another one in them?
Kyren Williams touchdown cuts into Bears’ lead
🏈 Bears 17, Rams 15 — 14:55 left in the fourth quarter
Kyren Williams scored the Rams’ first touchdown of the game on a three-yard run to open the fourth quarter, but the Rams failed to convert on a two-point conversion attempt.
It was Williams’ seventh consecutive game with a touchdown — the longest active streak in the NFL.
Demarcus Robinson caught Stafford’s pass in the far corner of the end zone on the two-point attempt, but Robinson fell out of bounds.
Williams’ touchdown capped a six-play, 70-yard drive that included a 14-yard run by Williams and a 25-yard catch by Tutu Atwell.
Bears extend their lead on Caleb Williams’ first TD pass at Soldier Field
🏈 Bears 17, Rams 9 — 2:37 left in the third quarter
Caleb Williams tossed a nine-yard touchdown pass to receiver DJ Moore to cap a methodical 74-yard drive.
It was Williams’ first touchdown pass at Soldier Field.
Williams, the top pick in the NFL draft and a Heisman Trophy winner at USC, has completed 13 of 19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.
D’Andre Swift has rushed for 39 yards in nine carries. He also has five catches for 58 yards.
Rams sputter again in the red zone, settle for field goal
🏈 Bears 10, Rams 9 — 8:50 left in the third quarter
The Rams got the first possession of the second half, and they used more than six minutes before Joshua Karty kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Running back Kyren Williams got seven touches during the 12-play, 63-yard drive.
Williams has rushed for 62 yards in 13 carries.
Matthew Stafford has completed 14 of 21 passes for 132 yards.
Bears extend their lead just before halftime on field goal
🏈 Bears 10, Rams 6 — HALFTIME
Cairo Santos kicked a 40-yard field goal with six seconds left in the second quarter to give the Bears a four-point lead.
The Bears got the ball with less than a minute left after Rams kicker Joshua Karty missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt — his first miss of the season.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has completed 11 of 16 passes for 122 yards. With 101 more yards passing, he will move past Eli Manning into 10th place on the NFL’s career passing yards list.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has completed eight of 13 passes for 71 yards.
The Rams have limited the Bears to 97 yards, but the Rams have managed only two field goals by Karty.
Bears capitalize on Matthew Stafford fumble to take the lead
🏈 Bears 7, Rams 6 — 5:42 left in the second quarter
Roschon Johnson rushed for a one-yard touchdown to give the Bears the lead.
The Rams gave the Bears their opportunity when they failed to capitalize on a sack by Braden Fiske that caused a fumble that forced the Bears to punt.
But on the first play of the ensuing possession, Montez Sweat sacked Matthew Stafford and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Bears at the Rams’ 16-yard line.
Cornerback Tre’Davious White was penalized for defensive holding on third down, giving the Bears a first-and-goal at the one.
Rams extend their lead on another Joshua Karty field goal
🏈 Rams 6, Bears 0 — 13:05 left in the second quarter
Joshua Karty kicked a 37-yard field goal to increase the Rams’ lead.
Karty’s field goal was set up after officials ruled that Bears defensive back Jaquan Brisker had stepped out of bounds, and had only one foot back in, before intercepting a pass by Matthew Stafford in the end zone.
Karty’s field goal ended an eight-play, 56-yard drive.
Stafford has completed eight of 10 passes for 83 yards.
Rams strike first on Joshua Karty field goal
🏈 Rams 3, Bears 0 — 4:01 left in the first quarter
Joshua Karty, who last Sunday kicked a winning field goal against the San Francisco 49ers, puts the Rams ahead with a 46-yard field goal.
Karty’s kick capped a 13-play, 68-yard drive that featured quarterback Matthew Stafford delivering passes from multiple arm angles.
Stafford completed five of six passes for 50 yards.
Kyren Williams rushed for 26 yards in five carries.
Tutu Atwell eager to fulfill whatever role the Rams need him to play
It happens nearly every time Tutu Atwell produces what otherwise might be considered a breakout performance.
Coach Sean McVay compliments Atwell for seizing an opportunity, and then McVay laments that he should be giving Atwell more of them.
McVay did it again last Sunday after Atwell caught four passes for 93 yards, including one for 50 yards that set up a game-tying touchdown of an eventual 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
“It makes you realize he probably should have gotten other opportunities,” McVay said.
Atwell does not seem to worry about it.
“It’s all good,” said Atwell, a 2021 second-round draft pick, said this week as he prepared for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. “I just leave it in the coaches’ hands. Whenever my number is called, I make the most of it.
“It don’t bother me. I just sit back and wait, and when it’s my turn I make the most of it.”
In addition to his catches against the 49ers, Atwell also drew a pass-interference penalty that resulted in a 48-yard gain. He also completed a pass that was overturned on review.
Atwell does not consider himself solely a deep threat.
“Playmaker,” Atwell said. “Get the ball in my hands.”
Atwell could have another prominent role on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Star receiver Cooper Kupp remains out indefinitely because of an ankle injury, and Puka Nacua is on injured reserve for at least two more games because of a knee injury.
Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, rookie Jordan Whittington and veteran Tyler Johnson will be quarterback Matthew Stafford’s receivers again on Sunday.
Atwell said he would be ready for whatever role he needs to fill.
“Just do what I do,” he said. “Have fun and play football.”
Bears’ Caleb Williams impresses Matthew Stafford because Rams QB has No. 1 perspective
He was the top pick in the NFL draft, a quarterback regarded as a generational talent selected by an NFC North team coming off a losing season.
No, Matthew Stafford.
In 2009, a few months after they finished 0-16, the Detroit Lions selected Stafford No. 1. It took Stafford a few seasons to find his footing. Now — 15-plus seasons later — he’s pushing to move into the top 10 in several passing categories.
Williams, the No. 1 pick this year, is three games into his first season with the Chicago Bears. He also is a Stafford admirer, and Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, Stafford and the Rams will try to prevent a breakout performance by the former USC star.
Don’t remind Sean McVay of the Rams’ last visit to Soldier Field
The game was played nearly five years ago, but it does require someone with Sean McVay’s instant recall to remember it.
On December 9, 2018, the Rams traveled to Soldier Field to play the Chicago Bears.
The Rams were flying high with an 11-1 record and one of the NFL’s top offenses. But they managed only two first-half field goals in a 15-6 defeat.
Rams coach Sean McVay, preparing for the Rams’ first trip to Soldier Field since that loss, joked when a television reporter asked him about the 2018 game.
“Why would you bring that up?” McVay said. “I only wake up in sweats every night thinking about it.”
A Bears defense that featured lineman Khalil Mack and linebacker Roquan Smith shut down the Rams.
“That was a very humbling night,” McVay said, adding: “It felt like we were playing against 15 guys [on defense] that night.”
The defeat did not stop the Rams from surging toward the Super Bowl. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles the next week, and then won two games to finish 13-3. Their season ended with a loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
The defeat by the Bears also contributed in part to McVay hiring Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator in 2020. Staley was the outside linebackers coach under coordinator Vic Fangio for that Bears defense, and he had moved to Denver when Fangio was hired as the Broncos coach in 2019.
Rams vs. Chicago Bears inactives for Sunday
Here are the players on the Rams and Chargers who will not be playing on Sunday:
Rams: WR Cooper Kupp, QB Stetson Bennett, RB Cody Schrader, LB Brennan Jackson, OT Geron Christian, DE Desjuan Johnson
Bears: WR Velus Jones Jr., RB Khari Blasingame, DB Terell Smith, OL Bill Murray, DL Dominique Robinson, DL Zacch Pickens
Xavier Smith making the most of his opportunity with the Rams
Xavier Smith was not angry. He did not pout.
Despite an impressive preseason as the Rams punt returner, Smith got caught in a squeeze at the receiver position and did not make the 53-man roster.
But the second-year pro said that he knew he would eventually get the chance to show the Rams or another team that he belonged.
“It was just understanding that as long as I’m doing what I’m doing, another opportunity is going to present itself,” he said, “and I’m going to take advantage.”
Opportunity presented itself last Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. And Smith, who had been promoted from the practice squad, did not flinch.
His 38-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter helped set up a field goal that gave the Rams a 27-24 victory and improved their record to 1-2.
Smith, signed by the Rams in 2023 as an undrafted free agent from Florida A&M, is now the Rams full-time punt returner, coach Sean McVay said this week as the Rams prepared for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Smith’s preseason performances “made it really difficult for us” to keep him off the roster, McVay said.
“He just kept working,” McVay said, “and to see him capitalize on his opportunity, that wasn’t just being ready that week. He had put himself in a position based on his body of work to be ready when the moment presented itself.”
Running back Kyren Williams had opened the season as the punt returner, but Smith was informed a few days before the game against the 49ers that he might play.
He called his mother, who bought a plane ticket to come see him play his first NFL game.
On a second-quarter punt, Smith had called for a fair catch. But when he jogged onto the field with less than a minute left, he was not thinking conservatively.
“I’m trying to win the game for my team,” he said, laughing. “I’m not shying from those moments.”
Smith said McVay has peppered meetings with references to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan talking about their mindset in crucial moments of games.
“If I’m going to be a big-time player,” Smith said, “my mindset’s got to be the same.”
Special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn was not surprised.
“I told him after the game how proud I was of him,” Blackburn said. “Not because of the return, not because of that one play, but just to be able to sustain throughout not getting elevated, not having that opportunity and just continuing to be the same person every day.
“That’s what we’re trying to preach to our guys.”
Some Bears fans will be rooting for Rams rookie Braden Fiske
Braden Fiske remembers the Chicago Bears’ last trip to the Super Bowl.
Fiske, a Rams rookie defensive lineman, grew up in Michigan City, Ind., about an hour by car from Soldier Field in Chicago. With family members and friends rooting for the Bears, a-7-year-old Braden was enamored by the Indianapolis Colts, who defeated the Bears in Super Bowl XLI in Miami to cap the 2006 season.
“I grew up in the Peyton Manning era,” Fiske said. “I have family down in Indianapolis, and I grew up loving that defense. [Retired All-Pro safety] Bob Sanders is still one of my favorite players.”
Fiske is looking forward to one day playing against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and he also is excited to compete for the first time as a pro against the Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday. At least 25 family members and friends are expected to attend the game, he said.
Rams vs. Chicago Bears: How to watch, prediction and betting odds
The Rams are riding high with confidence after avoiding a disastrous 0-3 start by coming back to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 27-24, with a last-second field goal.
If he amasses 223 yards passing, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will move past Eli Manning into 10th place on the NFL’s career passing yardage list.
Stafford is still without injured receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, so running back Kyren Williams must have another big performance. Receiver Tutu Atwell is among others who must again step up.