Bear Digest

Former No. 1 pick makes bold claim about Rams scoring big vs. Bears

A former No. 1 overall pick offered a bold prediction about the Rams’ scoring potential against the Bears.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears fans aren't going to like former NFL quarterback and first overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft, Alex Smith, after some blazing hot takes on the Up & Adams Show this week.

Smith didn't mince his words when discussing the Bears and their chances against the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday's NFC Divisional Round.

"I think the Bears are the weakest team in the NFC left," Smith said. "Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay might hang 50 on the Bears."

MORE: This strength could define Chicago Bears’ Divisional Round matchup vs. Rams

Yikes. I mean... yikes.

50 points?

Come on, Alex. That's taking it one step too far, isn't it?

"Barring a blizzard, or 40, they're going to put a lot of points on that defense," he said.

Smith called the Rams' offense a juggernaut and suggested that the Bears' defense is weaker than the Carolina Panthers', and L.A. just dropped 34 points against the Panthers on the road.

Smith did give the Chicago Bears' offense -- and Caleb Williams in particular -- their flowers, but he couldn't get past the Bears' defensive woes.

"I just think that the Rams have a lot of firepower," Smith said.

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It's true. The Rams do have a lot of firepower. Stafford led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. That doesn't happen by accident, and we've all seen how much the Bears' defense has struggled against the pass in recent weeks.

Perhaps that's why Smith is so adamant that the Rams will score points in bunches. Maybe he thinks this is a classic matchup of best (Rams passing attack) against the worst (Bears pass defense), which makes his projection of 40+ points understandable.

And if this game were being played in Los Angeles, maybe he'd be right. But Stafford and that high-flying offense are coming to Chicago, where the freezing temperatures will slow the game's pacing quite a bit.

All signs point to the Chicago Bears having enough X-factors working in their favor to have a much better chance at stopping Stafford and the Rams than Alex Smith thinks.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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