7 causes for concern as Bears face the Rams in Week 1
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of the 2021 season, where they’re traveling to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Despite the start of a new season, there are already concerns facing this Bears roster, particularly with the uncertainty of this offense and inexperience at the cornerback position.
As the Bears prepare for the Rams, there is plenty to be concerned about heading into Sunday night’s game.
Contending with Aaron Donald
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The biggest concern for any team facing the Rams is how to contend with reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald, who is a literal game wrecker. The Bears aren't going to be able to stop Donald. But if they can find a way to slow him down, they might just stand a chance on offense. But with concerns on the offensive line, it's not going to be easy. In four games against Chicago, Donald has recorded four sacks, where he's recorded at least 0.5 sack in all but one of those meetings, as well as nine QB hits and four tackles-for-loss. But recent history suggests Donald could be in for another big gamer, as he's totaled 2.5 sacks, two tackles-for-loss and five QB hits in his last two games against the Bears.
Bears offensive line
USA Today
One of the most important factors in success for an offensive line is developing continuity between a group of five guys. That's something the Bears haven't had during training camp and preseason due to a rash of injuries throughout the summer, which included the loss of their second-round pick Teven Jenkins, who is out indefinitely after having back surgery. But the Bears appear to have found their starting offensive line in Jason Peters, Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher, James Daniels and Germain Ifedi. Although they're still working on building that rapport following their first and only game action together as a group in Chicago's preseason finale. If the Bears stand any chance of beating the Rams, the offensive line is going to need a strong outing.
Inexperience at cornerback
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
The Bears defense remains the strength of this team heading into the 2021 season, but the unit is not without its faults or concerns. While there aren't many concerns about the front seven, which boasts some Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, Akiem Hicks among others, it's the secondary that presents the biggest concern with the inexperience at cornerback. Following the release of Kyle Fuller this offseason, second-year pro Jaylon Johnson steps into the CB1 role, where he's expected to take a big step in his development. But it's questions opposite him with second-year corner Kindle Vildor and in the slot with Duke Shelley that present the concern. While Vildor and Shelley were encouraging in their appearances at season's end, they don't have much experience and will find themselves tested from the get-go against the Rams' high-powered offense.
Cooper Kupp in the slot
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Keeping with the theme of inexperience at the cornerback position, the Bears will have to contend with one of the best slot receivers in the game in Cooper Kupp. Right now, it appears that it'll be Duke Shelley at slot corner, where he's at a disadvantage against the likes of Kupp. Last season, Kupp was held in check by Chicago's defense, where he hauled in six receptions for 43 yards. This figures to be a matchup the Rams will look to exploit. And unless Shelley can hold his own, Kupp projects to have a big game.
Bears' first-team offense struggled in preseason
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It's not really a surprise that there are already questions about the Bears offense heading into the 2021 season. From what we saw in the preseason, the offense has a lot of work to do. In eight possessions, the starting offense scored just six points, totaled 144 yards and had five punts, two turnovers and just four first downs. But it's worth noting the starting offense didn't play behind this current starting offensive line and they were without some key playmakers on offense, including Allen Robinson, who didn't play in the preseason. The thing is, we really don't know what this Bears offense is going to look like come Sunday night.
Allen Robinson has struggled against the Rams
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Allen Robinson has been the Bears' most consistent player on offense and their biggest weapon over the last three seasons. Robinson is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he's going to once again be featured prominently on offense this year. But Robinson hasn't found success against the Rams over the last three seasons. In the last three meetings between the Bears and Rams, Robinson has 13 receptions for 127 yards and zero touchdowns. It hasn’t helped that Robinson has battled star cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the last two meetings, where he was limited to 8 receptions for 85 yards. We'll see if Chicago can find a way to get Robinson going against the Rams, where he'll primarily be shadowed by Ramsey.
Sean McVay vs. Matt Nagy's season-opening track record
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While this has nothing to do with the current matchup, it certainly doesn't bode well for the Bears. The Rams have been undefeated in season openers over the last four years under head coach Sean McVay, where his team has outscored their Week 1 opponents by 15.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the Bears have gone 1-2 under Matt Nagy. That could just as easily be 0-3 if not for Lions running back D'Andre Swift dropping a touchdown in the end zone in the final seconds of last year's season-opening win for the Bears. The Bears and Rams are playing for the fourth consecutive year on prime-time, and Los Angeles has won the last two meetings. [listicle id=480234] [listicle id=480167] [listicle id=480221]
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