The Chicago Bears will try to continue their surprising start when they travel to SoFi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears have been the kings of close games this season and are 5-1 to start the year. All five of Chicago’s wins have been by seven or fewer points and they are also 4-2 ATS this season. The Bears head to L.A. after a 23-16 win over the Panthers in a game where they were two-point underdogs. Meanwhile, the Rams will try to get back on the winning track after the San Francisco 49ers snapped their two-game winning streak with a 24-16 upset as 2.5 point underdogs. L.A. is 2-0 SU in two home games played this season.
The Chicago Bears look to take the sole position of first place in the NFC North when they take on the L.A. Rams on Monday night. The Bears are one of the big surprises of the season with their 5-1 record. They have won two straight games and head to this game after beating the Panthers 23-16 in their previous game.
Nick Foles has thrown for a total of 878 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62.3% of his passes. David Montgomery leads the Bears with a total of 305 rushing yards with one score. Allen Robinson has been one of the best wide receivers in the league this season with 44 catches for 474 receiving yards and two TD grabs. Roquan Smith leads the Bears with 52 tackles including 37 solo tackles. Khalil Mack has 4.5 sacks while Tashaun Gipson Sr. has a pair of touchdowns.
Chicago’s defense is allowing just 19.3 points per game this season. They have not allowed 20 or more points in their last three outings. The Bears though have struggled on offense, scoring just an average of 21.3 points per game this season. They are averaging 222.8 passing yards and only 90 rushing yards per game.
The Los Angeles Rams saw their two-game winning streak snapped by the San Francisco 49ers in their last game. With the loss, the Rams fell to 4-2 on the season which puts them in third place in the NFC West division. They aim to keep pace with the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals by picking up a win on Monday night.
Jared Goff has completed 67.4% of his passes and has passed for 1,570 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Darrell Henderson Jr. leads their rushing attack with 348 yards and three touchdowns. Cooper Kupp leads the team with 374 receiving yards and two touchdowns. John Johnson III leads the Rams with 46 solo tackles while Micah Kiser has 45 solo tackles. Aaron Donald has 7.5 sacks while Darious Williams has two interceptions.
The Rams’ defense is giving up an average of 19 points per game but allowed 24 points in their most recent outing. Offensively, Los Angeles has averaged 25.3 points per game. They are putting up averages of 253 passing yards and 135.2 rushing yards per contest.
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last seven games played. The Bears are 5-1 SU in their last six games played on the road. Los Angeles is 5-2 SU in their last seven games played. The Rams are 5-1 SU in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Bears are 6-2 SU in their last eight games played against the Rams. However, Los Angeles is 12-5 SU in their last 17 home games played against Chicago.
The Bears are the NFC north leaders after six wins however, they only have a +12 point differential over their opponents. The reason for this pedestal stat is their offense. The Bears rank 28th in the rushing department at only 90.0 rushing yards per game. Their passing game is also erratic but this has been mitigated by Allen Robinson who is fourth in the league in catches with 40.
The Rams took a step back with their loss to the 49ers. Los Angeles finished with fewer than 200 passing yards and were 4-12 in third-down conversions. Despite that, the Rams still rank 4th in the league in 3rd down conversions at 46.8% so expect a bounce-back game from them. Jared Goff will have to do better this week as he is up against a Chicago pass defense which has allowed only 224.2 yards per game, 10th in the league. But with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in tow, I expect the Rams to do better on Monday. Give me the Rams over the Bears.
Prediction: Los Angeles Rams -255
The Bears are 6-12 ATS in their last 18 games played. Chicago is 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the NFC and 3-0 ATS in three road games played this season. The Rams are 3-3 ATS in six games played this season. Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in their last six Week 7 games, and 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games played on a Monday. Head to head, the Bears are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Rams.
Chicago is averaging just 21.3 points per game this season. The Bears are struggling to run the ball this season and they’re going to have a hard time passing the ball against a Rams team that has allowed the second-least passing yards this season. Los Angeles is also holding its opponents to only 19 points per game this season. With Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey leading their defense, Los Angeles should be able to hold Chicago down. The Bears have found ways to win this season. But without a steady running game and an inconsistent Nick Foles, the Rams will win the game and cover the spread.
Prediction: Rams -6
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Bears. The under is 7-0 in their last seven games against the NFC West division. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Rams. The under is 4-1 in Los Angeles’ last five games against the NFC, and also 5-1 in their last six games against the NFC North. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
These are two very good defensive teams this season. Chicago has held three out of its last four opponents to under 20 points and their offensive struggles are well known this season. Meanwhile, the Rams are holding their opponents to 19 points per game while allowing more than 30 points per game only twice this season. These are two tough secondaries and the two quarterbacks are going to have a rough Monday night. I like these teams to hit the under.
Prediction: Under 44.5
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