2020 Rams Recall: A Week 7 win over the Bears

The Bears started 5-1. The Rams started 4-1. Neither team had the end-of-season record that they were hoping for after the first five or six weeks of the year. But there’s no doubt left that LA got the better of Chicago on a Monday night in Week 7, or that they were much better than a team that lost six in a row beginning with this contest.

The Rams will host the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 1 this year and both teams will have new quarterbacks. And new hope that they can finish as well as they begin.

Week 1 - Win over the Cowboys

Week 2 - Win over the Eagles

Week 3 - Loss to the Bills

Week 4 - Win over the Giants

Week 5 - Win over a Football Team

Week 6 - Loss to the 49ers

Week 7 - (4-2) Los Angeles Rams vs (5-1) Chicago Bears

Important Personnel Notes:

• Taylor Rapp again starts for Jordan Fuller
• Nick Foles start at quarterback for the Bears
• Darrell Henderson leads backs with 40 snaps, followed by 29 for Malcolm Brown
• Terrell Burgess is on the verge of having a breakout game, but is injured after 12 snaps and won’t return again in 2020

The Rams didn’t get a touchdown or a field goal on their opening drive in this game, but they were able to consistently move the ball in the first three quarters. LA’s shortest drive prior to the fourth quarter was 24 yards. And defensively, the Rams forced Chicago to punt on five of their first six drives and things never really got any better for the Bears after that either.

After punting on the first drive, Jared Goff went five-of-six for 48 yards and a touchdown to Josh Reynolds to lead 7-0. Chicago kicker Cairo Santos made it 7-3 on a 42-yard field goal and those would be the Bears’ only offensive points of the game.

Early in the third quarter, LA punted from midfield and pinned Chicago at the 1. They got the ball back at midfield a few plays later and drove right down the field for a one-yard touchdown run by Malcolm Brown.

In the first eight games of 2020, Brown had 75 carries for 314 yards, three touchdowns, and he was leading all Rams running backs in snaps played. Cam Akers was still getting three or fewer snaps per game. In the second half of 2020, Brown was reduced to 26 carries, 105 yards, and LA’s offense was consistently better with a back like Akers behind center. Today, Brown is with the Dolphins and honestly it’s not as though he has a significant barrier between himself and starting for a competitive team again.

Key Play:

At a time when the score could have been cut to 17-10, Troy Hill deflected an end zone pass to teammate Taylor Rapp and the Rams effectively ended the game with that one.

The Rams put on an 80-yard drive, with five plays of 10 or more yards, and scored on a throw from Goff to Gerald Everett to make it 24-3. That’s the swing that guaranteed LA a key win at home vs a team that backdoored the playoffs at 8-8.

Robert Woods would later fumble, which was recovered by Eddie Jackson for a defensive touchdown. Jalen Ramsey would intercept Foles to seal the win, however.

Final Score: Rams 24, Bears 10

Up next: at Miami Dolphins