Following a tough loss to the 49ers on Sunday Night Football, the Rams (4-2) will look to bounce back at home against the Bears (5-1) on Monday Night Football. Kickoff from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. pacific time on ESPN.
In advance of the contest, here is your first look at Rams-Bears on Oct. 26 presented by Cedars-Sinai, including notable Bears additions, some of Chicago's top statistical performers in Week 6 and key storylines:
Notable Bears additions
- Traded their compensatory fourth-round pick to the Jaguars for quarterback Nick Foles in March. Incumbent Mitch Trubisky initially won the competition for the starting job at the end of training camp, but after Foles took over for Trubisky and rallied the Bears from a 16-point deficit to a 30-26 win over the Falcons in Week 3, head coach Matt Nagy named Foles the permanent starter. Foles has completed 62.5 percent of his pass attempts for 878 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions.
- Activated kicker Cairos Santos from the practice squad in early September. After battling a groin injury during training camp, second-year starter Eddy Pineiro landed on injured reserve and forced Chicago to promote Santos. With Pineiro still on IR, Santos has made 10 of 12 field goal attempts and all 12 of his extra point attempts.
Top Performers in Week 6
Foles completed 23 of 39 pass attempts for 198 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Bears' 23-16 win over the Panthers.
RB David Montgomery paced Chicago's backfield with 19 carries for 58 yards, adding four receptions for 39 yards for nearly 100 yards from scrimmage.
WR Allen Robinson led all Bears receivers with 53 yards on five receptions.TE Jimmy Graham also finished with five receptions, adding 34 yards, but it was another TE – rookie Cole Kmet – who was on the receiving end of Foles' lone touchdown pass last week.
LB Roquon Smith led Chicago's defense with 12 combined tackles, while safeties Tashaun Gipson and DeAndre Houston-Carson each recorded an interception.
On special teams, Santos made all three of his field goal attempts (long of 55) and both of his extra point attempts in the victory.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
Like the Rams, the Bears have found different ways to win early on this season. Most of those breaks were self-created, some the result of failed execution by the opposing team:
- In Week 1, Trubisky's go-ahead 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Anthony Miller clinched the 27-23 victory and a 17-point second-half comeback over the Detroit Lions.
- In Week 2, Santos missed a 50-yard field goal with 2:02 remaining, setting up the Giants at their own 40. The Giants reached the Bears 10-yard line, and the Bears managed to hold on for a 17-13 win after an incomplete pass at the goal line and offensive pass interference penalty against the Giants as time expired.
- In Week 3, Foles' three fourth-quarter touchdown passes rallied them from a 16-point third quarter deficit to beat the Falcons 30-26.
- In Week 4, Robinson's 16-yard touchdown catch with 1:35 left pulled the Bears within eight of the Colts, but their comeback fell short when the Colts recovered the ensuing onside kick.
- In Week 5, Santos' go-ahead 38-yard field goal with 1:17 left, combined with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady appearing to forget the down count on their ensuing series, helped Chicago hang on for a 20-19 win over Tampa Bay.
- Last week, Houston-Carson's interception with 92 seconds remaining stalled the Panthers' potential game-tying drive and preserved a 23-16 Bears victory.
All told, each of Chicago's first six games have been a one-possession game decided by eight or fewer points.
For the Rams, starting fast and taking care of the football become increasingly important this week given how the Bears can create opportunistic turnovers defensively. Considering Chicago can also rally quickly from double-digit deficits offensively, this also could end up being a game that requires some timely takeaways created by Los Angeles' defense similar to what was seen in the first five weeks.
