At 5-4, the Los Angeles Rams need wins any way they can get them. A third straight NFC West title is rapidly slipping away, and in the wild-card race, they’re also falling behind teams like the Seahawks and Vikings.
With just seven weeks remaining, the Rams can’t waste any more time. Each mounting loss pushes them further back and hurts their playoff chances – which currently sit at 16.5% through 10 weeks.
Sean McVay isn’t panicking, but he’ll take a win any way he can.
“I think we’re comfortable with whatever we feel like we need to do to win the football game,” McVay said when asked if he’d be OK winning an ugly game against the Bears. “That’s one of the things that you continue to learn is, ‘All right, with this specific approach it’s about putting all three phases together and it’s about winning as a team.’ That’s the most important thing. We do have an approach that we’d like to see how the game plays out. You know in an ideal setting for us, things always don’t go according to plan but if that’s the case and we end up coming away with the win, we would take it however we end up getting that.”
The Rams are favored by 6.5 points over the Bears, but this is hardly an easy game for them. Chicago was the first team to truly shut down McVay’s offense, holding the Rams to just six points at Soldier Field last season.
The warmer weather and friendly confines of the Coliseum should help the Rams in this one, but Chicago is still a tough opponent. The Bears defense remains one of the more talented units in the league, especially up front.
Khalil Mack will have a very favorable matchup against rookie Bobby Evans, who’s expected to make his first career start at right tackle on Sunday. On the interior, the Bears have Eddie Goldman, too, who will face the Rams’ makeshift guard combo of Austin Corbett and David Edwards.
Getting the running game going in this one would certainly help Los Angeles move the ball offensively, and McVay knows sometimes you have to continually run it even if it struggles initially.
“I think in some instances, I think you do,” he said. “You have an appreciation that each play is so important throughout the course of the game. You don’t ever want to just really feel like you’re wasting plays. But I would say that based on the flow of the game and in some instances based on what you’re trying to get done, there might be some opportunities where you feel like, ‘all right let’s get a good tough physical downhill run and try to get some efficient yards.’ Even if it might not be that premier look that you’re looking for.”