Tag: Bears

Rams’ Week 11 studs and duds: Ramsey rises up, Goff and Kupp falter

The best and worst performances by the Rams from Sunday night’s win.

It took another dominant performance by the defense on Sunday night for the Rams to get a win, holding off the Bears 17-7 at home. The defense shut down Mitchell Trubisky and Chicago’s offense, while the Rams did just enough to win this one.

There are certainly some concerns coming out of this game, such as Jared Goff’s continued struggles, but there are also signs of encouragement. Jalen Ramsey was a star again, Aaron Donald shined as he always does and Todd Gurley got a healthy dosage of touches.

Here are our studs and duds from Sunday’s win.

Studs

Jalen Ramsey

Ramsey looked exactly like the lockdown cornerback the Rams paid up to get on Sunday night. He more or less took away Allen Robinson, holding him to just 15 yards on four catches (six targets). Ramsey also showed what makes him an elite defender, breaking up one pass, hitting the tight end on another to jar the pass loose and slamming Robinson on his back with a huge hit on the sideline. He’s completely changed the look of this defense.

Offensive line

It’s hard to overstate just how well the offensive line played. Jared Goff was only pressured on one of his 18 dropbacks, which is the lowest rate (6%) he’s ever faced in his career. This was with rookies Bobby Evans and David Edwards on the right side, and newcomer Austin Corbett at left guard. Austin Blythe was an upgrade over Brian Allen at center, too, though the Bears were without Akiem Hicks, which hurt.

Regardless, it was a great performance by the offensive line, aside from the holding penalty on Andrew Whitworth to take away an 18-yard play.

Troy Hill

Hill isn’t exactly a model of consistency, but he played well on Sunday night. In his stat-stuffing performance, he had six tackles, one sack, an interception and three passes defensed. He was called for defensive holding on a key third-down stop, but it was a questionable call so it’s hard to fault him. The Bears only had 193 net passing yards and Hill’s play is one of the many reasons why. He had a nice performance.

Todd Gurley

Gurley answered the call against the Bears, carrying the ball 25 times for 97 yards and a touchdown, adding 36 yards receiving on three catches. Without him, the Rams probably would not have won this game. He looked like his old self, taking back the workhorse role that he’s had for several years. Gurley was a huge factor in this win.

Josh Reynolds

Reynolds came up big for the Rams down the stretch. He finished the game with three catches for 55 yards, but it should’ve been much more than that. He had a 51-yard touchdown catch taken away by an illegal formation penalty on Andrew Whitworth, and on that drive alone, he had 44 yards receiving. Without that touchdown drive, Los Angeles would’ve been in serious danger of losing.

Aaron Donald

Donald had four tackles, two sacks, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and a batted pass, once again filling the box score with a dominant performance. The Bears tried to double- and triple-team him, which came as no surprise, but he proved to once again be nearly impossible to block.

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5 takeaways from the Rams’ 17-7 victory against Chicago

The Los Angeles Rams snuck away with a crucial victory against the Bears on Sunday Night Football. Steve Rebeiro gives his takeaways.

(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Rams snuck away with a 17-7 victory against the Bears in prime time on Sunday night.

It wasn’t pretty, but neither was last year’s Sunday Night Football showdown between these two teams. The Rams lost that one 15-6, but they escaped with a victory tonight.

Here are five takeaways from a win Los Angeles desperately needed against the Bears.

Rookies lead impressive offensive line performance

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Rams’ offensive line has been an absolute dumpster fire this year. They went from one of the NFL’s best units last season to arguably the worst in the NFL this year. Last week, they lost two starters, including longtime starting tackle Rob Havenstein to injury. Fans were praying for Jared Goff’s health with a bunch of unproven backups protecting him against Khalil Mack and Chicago’s tough defense.

Oddly enough, the Rams offensive line turned in one of its best performances of the year with its back against the wall.

The big difference was switching from Havenstein, who has started 68 games for the Rams over the past five years, to rookie Bobby Evans, who played three snaps in his career. Evans and fellow rookie David Edwards gave both Todd Gurley and Goff all the protection they could ask for against the Bears. It resulted in a major victory for the Rams in prime time.

Sean McVay will have a decision to make when Havenstein comes back from injury. He’s been a weak link on the line this season, and Evans looked better tonight than Havenstein has all season. Evans should hold the job until he gives them a reason to bench him.

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Rams shut down Bears, hold on for 17-7 win: Instant analysis from Week 11

It wasn’t pretty, but the Rams moved to 6-4 on the year with a 10-point win over Chicago.

The margin for error in Los Angeles has become razor-thin for the Rams, and they needed a win in the worst way on Sunday night. They got exactly that, beating the Chicago Bears 17-7 at the Coliseum.

It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t a shootout by any means, but the Rams got their sixth win of the year. They move to 6-4 on the season, keeping pace with the Vikings and 49ers, who won earlier on Sunday.

The Rams had just 283 yards of total offense, and Jared Goff struggled throughout the night, but Todd Gurley had a big impact and helped lift the team to victory. The defense was a big part of the win, holding Chicago to 267 yards and 6-for-17 on third down.

Player of the game: Todd Gurley

Gurley had his most productive game of the year, gaining more than 100 yards from scrimmage and setting a season-high with 28 touches. He was the only consistent player on offense in a game where neither team had much success.

Stat to know: 3.6

The Rams held the Bears to just 3.6 yards per play on Sunday night, limiting them to only 267 yards of total offense on 74 plays.

Game notes

  • The Bears defense is good, but there’s still something off with the Rams offense. Jared Goff simply isn’t playing well right now and it’s really holding the team back. Sean McVay opted to lean heavily on the run, which was the only part of the offense that worked, but it also limited the number of big plays Los Angeles could produce.
  • Goff finished the game only throwing it 18 times, completing 11 of those passes for 173 yards. He had zero touchdowns and one interception with a passer rating of 69.9. He should’ve had two touchdowns, but Cooper Kupp fumbled it at the 1-yard line and a 51-yard TD pass to Josh Reynolds was taken off the board due to a penalty.
  • Without Robert Woods, the Rams had to change things up with their personnel. They utilized a lot of 12 personnel, putting two tight ends on the field at the same time very often – especially early in the game.
  • Gerald Everett didn’t play much in this one, and even when he was on the field, he didn’t have much of an impact on the game. He was only targeted once and made a 20-yard grab, but he played his fewest snaps of the season. It’s unclear why that is, but Everett was limited in practice with a wrist injury this past week.
  • Gurley finally got going, being featured heavily on offense. The Rams were atrocious on third down, which caused drives to stall, but Gurley played well. He went over 100 yards from scrimmage and scored one touchdown, essentially carrying the Rams offense to victory. On a night where Goff was subpar, Gurley stepped up in a big way.
  • Jalen Ramsey had his best performance of the season as a member of the Rams. He covered Allen Robinson for much of the night, and the Bears wideout only had four catches for 15 yards. Troy Hill was also effective, making six tackles with one interception and a sack.
  • The Bears had almost no answer for Aaron Donald, as is the case for most offensive lines. He had two sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in the game.

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How Twitter reacted to Oklahoma’s 34-31 comeback win over Baylor

Wow.
No. 10 Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1) erased a 25-point deficit against No. 13 Baylor (9-1, 6-1)

Wow.

No. 10 Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1) erased a 25-point deficit against No. 13 Baylor (9-1, 6-1), handing them their first loss of the season and taking the Bears’ playoff hopes with them.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Oklahoma’s largest comeback win in school history.

28-3 is a tough lead to keep…

An exact representation of the game.

Norman is a 10/10 good boy.

The Bears could be on the next episode of ‘Fixer Upper’.

Surrender Cobra!

Second half team? Second half team.

Right, mhm, sure.

Pete, buddy. You must be new here, huh?

Heel turn for Jalen Hurts in the eyes of Sooners fans.

Before the comeback was in full motion:

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Oklahoma overcomes 25-point deficit, beats Baylor 34-31

Sooner. Magic.

Once down 28-3, then 31-10, No. 10 Oklahoma (9-1, 6-1) prevailed to keep its season alive.

Sooner Magic in McLane.

Once down 28-3, then 31-10, No. 10 Oklahoma (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) prevailed to keep its season alive.

Without their best offensive player, CeeDee Lamb, the Sooners seemed dead in the water for much of the first half. Down 31-10 at the break, the Sooners flipped a switch, dominating the third quarter.

The Sooners only came away with seven points in the third but they out-gained the Bears 199-to-34 and held possession of the ball for 13:42 in the third, weakening Baylor’s defense for the fourth-quarter onslaught that would ensue.

Heading into the fourth-quarter needing 14 points to tie, Jalen Hurts put the team on his back, despite turning the ball over three times in the first half. Hurts finished the game going 30-of-42 through the air for 297 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Hurts also kept the Sooners alive, rushing for 117 yards on 27 attempts alongside second-leading rusher Kennedy Brooks who had 93 yards on 18 carries.

The comeback would not have ever happened had Alex Grinch’s defense not shutout the Baylor offense in the second half. The Sooners kept pressure on Bears quarterback Charlie Brewer all night, eventually forcing an interception that would seal the victory for the Sooners.

Defensively, Oklahoma was led by Ronnie Perkins and Parnell Motley, as both came up with key plays throughout the entire game.

The Sooners’ playoff hopes stay alive as they make a statement of sorts. They move to 10-1 (7-1) on the season.

Oklahoma takes on TCU next Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.

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How Twitter reacted to Baylor’s dominant first half against Oklahoma

No. 10 Oklahoma 8-1 (5-1) has yet to show up against No. 13 Baylor 9-0 (6-0). Here is how Twitter reacted to the first half.

No. 10 Oklahoma 8-1 (5-1) has yet to show up against No. 13 Baylor 9-0 (6-0). The Sooners trail 31-10 at halftime and haven’t looked like they belonged on the same field as Baylor.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the first half.

Former Sooner cornerback, Zack Sanchez has had enough…

If you’re going to talk down on a player, at least spell their name right …

Watching cooking shows over football is a totally new level of hurt.

These guys…

Simple and to the point.

Should we tell him?

Conspiracies are always fun!

Florida State would gladly take anyone affiliated with Oklahoma…

This man rather do chores. Sad!

#BasketballSZN

@OldTakesExposed ??

I love a good pun.

*Checks depth chart* Now entering the game, walk on freshman, Dom Trady?

This is dedication.

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How Oklahoma wins, loses against Baylor

No. 10 Oklahoma versus No. 13 Baylor. Playoff aspirations are on the line in Waco, Texas this weekend. 

No. 10 Oklahoma versus No. 13 Baylor.

Playoff aspirations are on the line in Waco, Texas this weekend.

OKLAHOMA WINS IF…

… Jalen Hurts does Jalen Hurts things. Last week, Hurts did not look like himself, throwing a, interception on a throw that even a freshman high school quarterback probably would not have forced. This week should be different. An atmosphere as similar to an SEC game as a Big 12 game can get and with implications that Hurts is familiar with, Hurts should be comfortable in the spotlight. Against Iowa State, Hurts was caught off guard with the pressure. If Hurts knows the stakes coming into a game, history favors him playing well.

… they run the ball. It sounds simple but it has been such a problem for the Sooners recently. Establishing the run with an offensive line that has been somewhat subpar so far this season will have to be a necessity Saturday night. With Trey Sermon out for the season and Rhamondre Stevenson limping around the field last week, Oklahoma’s running backs room is wounded but not all the way out. Running the ball with players other than Jalen Hurts will have to happen if the Sooners want to walk away with the win.

… the defense steps up. I know, I know I’m beating a dead horse. But the Oklahoma defense has to show some signs of life following two straight games of nearly flatlining. It will be a tall task but the defense has an opportunity to show the nation that the Sooners should still have a shot at making the playoff.

OKLAHOMA LOSES IF…

… Jalen Hurts lays an egg. Although Hurts has played in regular season games with similar postseason implications, Waco at night is different. Baylor will play with nothing to lose unlike teams Hurts faced while at Alabama. With the Bears lined up across from him, the chances Hurts folds are just as high as him deciding to run on a pass play.

… Lincoln Riley fails to establish the run. Bad things can happen and happen quickly if the offense cannot gain decent yardage on the ground.

… Alex Grinch’s defense fails to make the trip to Waco. If the Sooners look anything like they did the past two games on the defensive side of the ball, Oklahoma may be in trouble.

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Rams vs. Bears: 4 key matchups to watch on Sunday night

Jalen Ramsey should be matched up with Allen Robinson throughout this game.

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The Rams will get a shot at redemption on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, trying to avenge their ugly loss at Soldier Field last season. This game comes with far fewer playoff implications as both teams are falling out of the postseason race, but the winner will keep their slim hopes alive.

The Rams have been the better team this season and have more talent on paper, but they’re banged up and Chicago is coming off a much-needed win over Detroit.

With injuries and lineup changes impacting the game, here are four key matchups to watch on Sunday night.

Jalen Ramsey vs. Allen Robinson

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Robinson is far and away the Bears’ biggest threat at wide receiver, and it’s not close. He’s been targeted 80 times, which is 25 more than the next-closest player (Tarik Cohen) and 49 more than the next wide receiver, Taylor Gabriel. The Bears try to get him the ball often, and while they’ve had some success doing so, it does make them one-dimensional when throwing the ball.

Ramsey has the ability to take him away and force Mitchell Trubisky to use his other receivers more often. Robinson leads the team with 618 yards receiving, with the second player in that category (Gabriel) posting 277 yards in seven games. The Rams have to limit Robinson’s production because he has the potential to go off.

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