The Chicago Bears (4-5) are heading into a meaningful prime time game in November against the Los Angeles Rams (5-4), where both teams are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The story for both teams are their struggling offenses, led by quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Jared Goff. This game looks to be a defensive battle, and it might come down to which offense makes the fewest mistakes.
Let’s look at three keys to a Bears victory on Sunday:
1. Pressure Jared Goff
When the Bears faced the Rams last season, they made Jared Goff uncomfortable from the get-go. What resulted was a four-interception performance, which resulted in a 15-6 victory for the Bears.
If the Bears are going to beat the Rams on Sunday, they need to generate pressure on Goff, who has been struggling mightily of late. It doesn’t help Goff that he’ll be operating behind a makeshift offensive line that’ll have to deal with Khalil Mack and the Bears’ pass rush.
Speaking of Mack, the Bears need their All-Pro linebacker to step up in one of the biggest games of the season. After starting the season with 4.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in four games, Mack has managed just on sack over the last five games.