CHICAGO – Down two possessions in the fourth quarter, the Rams were in Chicago Bears territory. Second-and-10, the opportunity to get into the red zone and cut into the lead.
Lined up in pistol, quarterback Matthew Stafford faked a handoff to running back Kyren Williams. Seeing backup center Beaux Limmer getting beat by his man, Williams stayed inside to help out. But that allowed blitzing defensive back Jaquan Brisker to come unchecked into the backfield for a sack. A short throw later, the Rams settled for a field goal.
It was that kind of day for the Rams’ short-handed offense, unable to get any kind of momentum going on Sunday, falling 24-18 to the Bears.
Sean McVay didn’t exactly get the fast start he’d been asking for, but the Rams (1-3) did strike first. The defense forced a punt on a screen-busting tackle by Quentin Lake, and the offense’s 13-play first drive ended in a Joshua Karty field goal from 46 yards out.
After a three-and-out by the Bears (2-2), the Rams again marched to the red zone. Quarterback Matthew Stafford nearly threw an interception in the end zone, but a replay revealed the defensive back did not reestablish himself back in bounds before making the catch. Another Karty field goal, and the Rams led 6-0.
But things quickly unraveled from there.
The Bears didn’t score on the next drive, but the cracks started to show. Defensive holding calls erased two sacks and kept the defense on the field. But the Bears were equally undisciplined, and a Braden Fiske sack on third down ended the threat.
Stafford was strip-sacked on the next drive, though. Tight end Colby Parkinson and a pulling Jordan Whittington weren’t enough to block defensive lineman Montez Sweat, who forced the turnover.
The Bears took over on the Rams 16, but the defense got the Bears into a third-down-and-long. One stop, get off the field without giving up a touchdown. But cornerback Tre’Davious White was draped over Keenan Allen in the end zone and was called for pass interference. The next play, Roschon Johnson ran in for a 1-yard touchdown.
An offensive pass interference on Tutu Atwell and a tipped ball on third down stalled the Rams’ next drive, and Karty missed his first field goal of the season thanks to the gusting Chicago wind and misplaced laces. The Bears took the short field and added a field goal before halftime for a 10-6 advantage.
The Rams stalled again in the red zone to open the second half. Two incompletions and a short screen pass, and they settled for another field goal. The Bears responded with a 12-play, six-minute drive punctuated by a D.J. Moore touchdown catch at the back of the end zone, and the Rams found themselves down eight.
With time running low, Stafford began to go into overdrive. Sixteen yards to Whittington and 25 more to Atwell, and the Rams were deep into Bears territory. They finally broke through with a Kyren Williams touchdown run, but the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
The Bears struck back quickly, with D’Andre Swift breaking free for a 36-yard touchdown. The Rams could only manage a field goal in response. Stafford avoided one sack but receiver Tyler Johnson took his eyes off the QB just before Stafford threw it his way. The next play, the quarterback was crushed by an unblocked Jaquan Brisker and Karty had to kick a field goal from 52 yards out.
The teams traded three-and-outs, and the Bears milked some clock before the Rams could force a punt. Facing a 92-yard field with 1:03 to play, Stafford threw an interception while taking a hit to the helmet. No flag was called, and the Bears could take knees to close out the game.
