Chicago Bears: Behind the shocking numbers in win over Rams

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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In their win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Chicago Bears made quite the statement. The numbers generated via this win were startling.

Boy, this has been a fun few days, eh? I mean, let’s be honest, how many people thought the Chicago Bears would do that to the Los Angeles Rams? Coming into Sunday night, those Rams held sole possession of the best record in football.

What ensued following the opening kickoff, though, was an utter dominating performance by the Bears defense. Just how good was the defense on Sunday night? Let’s dive into the numbers, and I’ll be honest, if you’re a Rams fan, you’ll want to look away.

“I don’t want them to gain … another yard.”

That performance was reminiscent of the classic film, Remember the Titans, when their defensive coordinator uttered those words to his group. I thought about that line after this game, and wondered just how the Bears were able to hold the Rams to such a low number in that category. Los Angeles came into this one averaging nearly 440 yards of offense per game. What did the Bears do?

The Rams’ 214 total yards on offense were a season-low, and the fewest by the Rams offense since 2016.

Quarterback play was pretty atrocious for both teams, but Jared Goff has taken it to another level this year, and no one saw this coming. Goff threw four picks, the most he has thrown all year. He finished 20-for-44 for 180 yards (that’s an average of just 4.1 yards, for those keeping track).

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Goff finished with a quarterback rating of 19.1, and a total QBR of just 6.2, which are season-lows.

Battle of NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidates

Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack are the two best defensive players in football, and it’s not close. If you need any proof, look at all of the other guys around Mack who have had career-years thanks to all of the attention he has drawn. Donald, on the other hand, came into this past week leading the NFL in sacks with 16.5 — and he plays on the interior.

Mack had a solid outing in this one, totaling three quarterback hurries, two quarterback hits, one sack and one tackle for loss.

Donald was held without a sack for just the second time in the past 10 games.

MVP shut down completely

Todd Gurley, the best running back in football, was a non-factor against the Bears. We’re talking about a guy who has totaled triple-digit yards from scrimmage in eight games this season. We’re talking about a guy who went for 208 yards on the ground earlier this season against the Denver Broncos. We’re talking about a guy with a league-leading 19 total touchdowns.

Gurley was held to 28 yards on 11 carries, and three catches for 30 yards, giving him a season-low 58 yards total.

Never seen anything like this

The Rams came into this game with one of the most potent offenses this league has ever seen. They had scored under 29 points just once this season (23 against the Broncos). They were averaging 440 yards per game on offense.

The Rams scored just six points against the Bears — by far and away a season-low.

No. 1 option was locked down

Brandin Cooks came into this game with the Bears already totaling over 1,000 yards receiving on the year. Averaging 16 yards per reception, Cooks was the biggest threat to the Bears in the passing game. He ended up being a complete dud for the Rams while the Bears’ corners shut him down.

Cooks finished with just three receptions for 22 yards, a season-low in both yardage and yards per catch (7.3).

Oh, there he is

Jordan Howard has been somewhat the forgotten man this season, but he proved against the Rams that he is still a threat when the Bears want to get him involved. Howard carried the ball 19 times for 101 yards, going over the century mark for the first time this season. To fans’ delight, Howard looked just like the guy we all thought he was coming into the season.

The Bears’ 194 rushing yards were a season-high.

Next. Bears: The good, bad and ugly from Rams game. dark

What’s next?

You know what’s next. I don’t have to tell you. It’s Green Bay Packers week, and these two teams are headed in the complete opposite direction. The Bears get to square off with their oldest rival this Sunday at noon. Best believe, this time will be different.