Bear Digest

What the Rams are bracing for from Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears

Here's what the Los Angeles Rams defense is expecting from Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

If there's one thing we've learned about Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears this season, it's that they love to run the ball. And the Los Angeles Rams know it.

According to NFL Network's Stacey Dales, the Rams are coming to Soldier Field for Sunday's Divisional Round matchup expecting a heavy dose of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

"Ben Johnson said this week they've taken a little bit of a dip in their ground game over the past few weeks, but he said they have to be able to lean on it," Dales said. "The Rams have been stout, though ... 12th in the NFL. They've given up around 111 per game this season."

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Indeed, the Bears haven't been ripping off tons of yards on the ground lately, but Swift was a big reason why Chicago completed a miracle comeback against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. It's something that Dales said the Rams and defensive lineman Byron Young know will be a challenge to stop.

But it's not just the Bears' top running back tandem who concers the Rams. Caleb Williams just might be the X-factor on the ground.

"So we'll see how Caleb Williams is able to find the end zone on Sunday night," Dales said. "But again, the strength of the (Rams) up front, the Bears consider that, that front seven for the Rams. And in talking to Byron Young, he said, you know, it's one thing to deal with Kyle Monangai, D'Andre Swift. But when it comes to Caleb Williams, he told me, 'You just can't rush for four seconds. You've got to rush for six, seven, eight seconds. And it's not the first guy, the second guy, even the third or fourth guy. He's going to make you miss.' And so they will be targeting him on Sunday night in Chicago in a hostile environment."

Williams' mobility has been a quiet but meaningful part of Chicago's offense. During the regular season, he rushed for 388 yards and 3 TDs, and often turned broken plays into critical positive gains.

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While the Rams' run defense is solid, the Bears have been effective against almost every defense they've faced in the second half of the season. And it's because of their three-headed backfield, which includes Williams.

A committed run game, in a hostile Soldier Field environment, and a quarterback who's as slippery as any in the NFL, is exactly what the Chicago Bears will need to advance to the NFC Championship.

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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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