Category: Latest Bears News

Bears’ 53-man roster, practice squad for Week 1 vs. Rams

Here’s a look at the Bears’ 55-man roster and 14-player practice squad heading into their Week 1 game vs. Rams.

The Chicago Bears kick off their 2021 season against the Los Angeles Rams, where the Bears will be looking to upset the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

NFL teams are allowed to elevate two practice squad players to the active roster the day before a scheduled game. The Bears activated linebacker Josh Woods and nose tackle Damion Square to the active roster on Saturday, which brings Chicago’s game-day roster to 55 players.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ 55-man roster and 14-player practice squad heading into their Week 1 game vs. Rams.

Bears vs. Rams: 5 things to watch in Week 1 matchup

From Andy Dalton’s debut to opportunities for players on defense, here are five things to watch as the Bears battle the Rams in Week 1.

The Chicago Bears will battle the Los Angeles Rams in prime time to kick off their 2021 season, where the Bears will be looking to pull off an upset of the favored Rams.

This matchup marks the fourth consecutive year these two teams will meet — the fourth straight on prime time, no less — where Chicago will need to play near-flawless football if they hope to make this a game.

From Andy Dalton’s debut to opportunities for players on defense, here are five things to watch in their Week 1 matchup — and a final prediction!

Bears NT Eddie Goldman ruled out vs. Rams

The Bears have ruled out Eddie Goldman vs. Rams, which means rookie Khyiris Tonga should see plenty of action.

The Chicago Bears will be without an important defensive starter when they take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.

The Bears have officially ruled out nose tackle Eddie Goldman for Week 1. Goldman, who tweaked his knee during Monday’s practice, was listed as day-to-day by Matt Nagy. Goldman didn’t practice all week and was listed as doubtful vs. Rams.

Chicago has also elevated linebacker Josh Woods and defensive tackle Damion Square from the practice squad to the active roster. NFL teams are permitted to elevate up to two practice squad players to the active roster by 3 p.m. CT the day before their scheduled game, which gives them the opportunity to carry 55 players on their roster for game day.

With Goldman out, look for Bilal Nichols and seventh-round rookie Khyiris Tonga to split reps at nose tackle, where Tonga is likely to get the start with Nichols at defensive end.

[listicle id=480262]

[listicle id=480244]

[listicle id=480258]

One analyst boldly predicts Justin Fields will lead Bears to comeback win vs. Rams

One NFL analyst’s bold prediction involves rookie Justin Fields leading the Bears to a comeback win vs. Rams on Sunday Night Football.

When the Chicago Bears take the field against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, it’ll be quarterback Andy Dalton leading the team out despite many calling for rookie Justin Fields to start from the get-go.

But will Dalton finish the game? One NFL analyst doesn’t believe so.

A group of NFL.com analysts shared their bold predictions for Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, and Marc Ross’ prediction will leave Bears fans quite happy. He believes Fields will relieve Dalton at halftime and lead Chicago to a comeback win over Los Angeles on Sunday Night Football.

Andy Dalton has the second-worst win percentage in prime-time games (.261) since 2000 — and those struggles continue Sunday night in Los Angeles. The veteran is benched at halftime after being shut out and mustering just 100 yards of total offense. In steps rookie sensation Justin Fields, who leads the Bears to a comeback win against a Rams defense that can’t overcome the offseason losses of Brandon Staley, John Johnson, Troy Hill and Michael Brockers. Fields’ debut includes one passing TD and another on the ground.

It’s certainly a bold claim that would leave most Bears fans happy, regardless of win or loss. But you figure 100 total yards of offense in one half should be plenty for Dalton to keep his job. Don’t forget, there was a time when Chicago’s offense mustered just 9 yards of offense in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019. And no one was benched.

Granted, it also depends on just how short Dalton’s leash is heading into the opener. If Matt Nagy does indeed pull the trigger on inserting Fields into the game, it would only add fuel to the fire that Dalton only got the start because the Bears promised him that when they signed him in free agency.

Then again, this all becomes a moot point if Dalton shocks the football world and balls out against the Rams. Or, at the very least, doesn’t do enough to lose the starting job.

[listicle id=480244]

[listicle id=480258]

[listicle id=480256]

One thing to watch for in each Bears defensive position group against the Rams

From Khyiris Tonga’s debut to inexperienced cornerbacks, here’s one thing to watch at every position group on the Bears defense vs. Rams.

The Chicago Bears will open the 2021 season against the Los Angeles Rams, where the Bears need their defense to step up if they stand a chance to upset the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

The Bears defense will face a challenge from the outset when they face a high-powered Rams offense that boasts new quarterback Matthew Stafford and a slew of weapons ranging from Robert Woods to Cooper Kupp to Tyler Higbee.

Here’s one thing to watch at each defensive position group for the Bears heading into their prime-time game against the Rams:

Keys for Bears offense vs. Rams in Week 1

As the Bears prepare for face the Rams, here’s what Chicago’s offense needs to do to get going against Los Angeles’ defense in Week 1.

The Chicago Bears will face the Los Angeles Rams to open the 2021 season, which marks the fourth consecutive year they’ve met on prime time. There’s not a lot of faith in the Bears to pull off an upset, but no game is unwinnable.

While the Bears defense has its own concerns at cornerback, the biggest question mark is once again how Chicago’s starting offense will look when it takes the field Sunday night. After all, we don’t really know what to expect, given the limited preseason action and how not all starters were playing.

As the Bears prepare for face the Rams, here’s what Chicago’s offense needs to do to get going against Los Angeles’ defense in Week 1.

Matt Nagy attempted to compare Aaron Donald to star basketball player, and Bears fans were confused

Bears HC Matt Nagy compared Rams DT Aaron Donald to a great scorer in basketball. But the execution of the comparison left people confused.

When the Chicago Bears open the season against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, they’ll have to contend with the best defensive player in the NFL in Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

No one needs to be told just how dominant Donald is, but Bears head coach Matt Nagy attempted to compare Donald to a great scorer in basketball, which left many people confused by the comparison.

It’s easy to see what Nagy was attempting to do here. He was acknowledging that Donald is going to make an impact — it’s just what he does — but it’s up to the Bears to contain him as much as they can. That much was understandable.

The perfect example of this is how the Bears dealt with Donald back in 2018, when then-rookie guard James Daniels held his own against Donald, who was held to two tackles, one quarterback hit and, most importantly, no sacks.

But Nagy’s execution of said comparison didn’t exactly translate, and Twitter had plenty to say about it.

WATCH: Justin Fields and Matt Nagy throwing deep balls at Bears practice

Following Friday’s practice, Bears QB Justin Fields and HC Matt Nagy were spotted throwing deep balls.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their Week 1 opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, where they’ll be looking to upset the heavily-favored Rams.

Despite an impressive training camp and preseason, it won’t be rookie quarterback Justin Fields who lines up under center for the Bears. It’ll be veteran Andy Dalton, who Matt Nagy promised the starting job back when Dalton signed with Chicago in free agency.

It might be awhile before we see Fields playing in a game, so these videos of Fields throwing at practice will have to get us through.

Following Friday’s practice, a couple of Bears beat writers shared video of Fields and Nagy throwing deep balls at the end of practice.

The Bears wrapped Friday’s practice, where their final injury report showed nose tackle Eddie Goldman is doubtful with a knee injury. If Goldman can’t go, Bilal Nichols and seventh-round rookie Khyiris Tonga will likely split reps at nose tackle.

Chicago also has a handful of starters listed as questionable against the Rams, including Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Darnell Mooney and Eddie Jackson. But he didn’t sound too concerned about their status for Sunday night.

[listicle id=480262]

[listicle id=480244]

[listicle id=480234]

Bears name team captains for Week 1 vs. Rams

Weekly captains are back! See which players from offense, defense and special teams will represent the Bears in Week 1 vs. Bears.

As the Chicago Bears gear up for the start of the 2021 season, there will once again be rotating weekly captains for each game, something head coach Matt Nagy established back in 2018.

There will be one captain from each phase — offense, defense and special teams — which will give different players an opportunity to represent their squad throughout the year.

For the Week 1 opener against the Los Angeles Rams, the team captains will be running back David Montgomery, linebacker Roquan Smith and safety DeAndre Houston-Carson.

All three of those players will be instrumental in the success of the Bears against the Rams on Sunday night. For Chicago’s offense to find rhythm, they need to get Montgomery going, something many will be keeping an eye on with Nagy back calling plays.

Smith is one of the leaders of that Bears defense, and he’ll be tasked with providing support in the run game and in coverage, where he proved to be a formidable force last season. Houston-Carson will need to show up on special teams, where the Bears had some concerns with coverage during the preseason.

[listicle id=480262]

[listicle id=480244]

[listicle id=480234]

Bears’ final injury report: Eddie Goldman doubtful vs. Rams

Here’s a look at the Bears’ final injury report from Friday’s practice, where NT Eddie Goldman has been ruled doubtful vs. Rams.

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, where nose tackle Eddie Goldman missed practice for the third straight day with a knee injury.

Earlier this week, Matt Nagy called Goldman day-to-day after he tweaked his knee during Monday’s practice. Goldman has officially been ruled “doubtful” against the Rams.

While players like outside linebacker Khalil Mack, outside linebacker Robert Quinn and wide receiver Darnell Mooney have been deemed questionable for Sunday night, Nagy

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Friday’s practice and game designations: