The NFL season starts this Sunday, and Chicago Bears fans are in for a tough time.
The nfl predictions is a sports blog that provides 4 bold predictions for Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Los Angeles Rams feel confident in their ability to win. They’ve replaced Jared Goff, their weakest link, with Matthew Stafford, who looks to be the team’s missing piece. Now, they’re gearing up for the 2021 campaign, with high expectations of a stronger showing this time.
Of course, the Rams will have to answer some questions. Will Stafford’s effect be comparable to Tom Brady’s with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Or will it be similar to the Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins signing?
His influence will most likely fall somewhere in between the two as the Rams develop into a formidable playoff club headed by Stafford. All of this starts in Week 1 when the Bears go to Los Angeles.
4. Stafford passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns or more.
Few teams know Matthew Stafford as well as the Chicago Bears, and vice versa. Stafford has spent his whole career in the NFC North, playing the Bears twice a year, and he has had some memorable games against them.
Stafford passed for at least 350 yards three times against the Chicago Bears during his Detroit Lions career, so it wasn’t frequent but not impossible.
Stafford has played with some of the greatest offensive lineups he has ever seen. The offensive line seems to be in the top ten, and the weapons appear to be superior to what the Lions have had in previous seasons. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods may also benefit from Stafford’s arrival, while Tyler Higbee could get a shot at the starting tight end position.
Beginning in Week 1 against the Bears, Stafford will have a great collection of weapons to work with in Kupp, Woods, Higbee, and Darrell Henderson Jr.
3. Andy Dalton is sacked five times by the Rams defense.
This is a disaster waiting to happen for the Bears as the NFL’s best defense looks to continue its reign of terror across the NFC this season, led by Aaron Donald himself. Elite defensive line led by Aaron Donald taking on one of the worst offensive lines with Andy Dalton at quarterback: this is a disaster waiting to happen for the Bears as the NFL’s best defense looks to continue its reign of terror across the NFC this season.
Andy Dalton isn’t exactly someone who many would characterize as mobile, and no one knows why he’s starting ahead of Justin Fields. Perhaps the plan is to have Dalton absorb a lot of hits in Week 1 to prevent injuring Fields, then replace him in Week 2 and beyond.
It’s a tall order to expect the Rams to get five sacks, but it’s not out of the question. The Rams sacked the quarterback five times in five games last season. That’s clearly incredible, but I guess that’s what happens when you have Aaron Donald on your offensive line.
Until the last game of the season against the New York Giants, Dalton did not take five sacks in any of his starts in 2020. Changing offensive lines from the Dallas Cowboys to the Chicago Bears won’t help him prevent it occurring again.
2. Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson Jr. both score a touchdown.
Matthew Stafford has already scored three touchdowns in this game, so if all of these predictions come true, the Rams will score at least five touchdowns.
Given how pumped up this Rams offense has been all summer, as well as the Bears defense’s recent slippage, it isn’t all that surprising. In only a few years, the Chicago defense has gone from being one of the best in the NFL to being in the middle of the pack. On paper, they have the ability to rebound, but that doesn’t seem to be the most probable scenario.
After losing Cam Akers for the season, the Rams are expected to divide running back responsibilities between Michel and Henderson. Neither of these players will blow anybody away, but when they play together, they have the potential to be very good, and that may start in Week 1. Henderson in the center of the field, then Michel barreling in for a couple scores along the way, is the most probable split, but both running backs will score a touchdown in this game, whether via the air or on the ground.
1. The Rams cover the point spread.
In Week 1, the Rams are 7.5 point favorites against the Bears, which is a significant difference. Apart from selecting Justin Fields this summer, the Bears haven’t had much luck, and they’re still going to start Andy Dalton.
Playing the top defense in the NFL and matching Aaron Donald against a poor offensive line like the Bears’ is begging for five or more sacks. When everything is said and done, Andy Dalton is unlikely to be able to keep the Bengals within seven points of the Rams.
Stafford will seem to be the missing link in the Rams’ attack. The defense is top-notch, and now the offense must take one more step to join the best of the best.
Many people believe that Los Angeles will win the Super Bowl this season, and that begins with defeating teams who are weaker than them. The Bears are without a doubt one of those clubs. The Rams are favored to win big against the Bears in week one.
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