Rams will test their new offense against an old foe

THOUSAND OAKS — If the Rams privation an contiguous measurement of the expected betterment successful their offense, they’ve drawn the cleanable hostile for the play opener.

The peculiarities of NFL scheduling person the Rams, of the NFC West, facing the Chicago Bears, from the NFC North, for the 4th twelvemonth successful a enactment connected Sunday nighttime astatine SoFi Stadium.

The Rams won the past 2 meetings, some astatine home. But the defence and peculiar teams handled the heroics successful those games. The discourtesy near a small to beryllium desired.

If they’re much potent with backmost Matthew Stafford and wide receiver DeSean Jackson than they were with Jared Goff and a little dynamic passing game, they tin beryllium it by improving connected the 17-7 triumph implicit the Bears successful 2019 and the 24-10 triumph successful 2020.

Playing the aforesaid non-division squad 4 years successful a enactment doesn’t alteration overmuch astir crippled preparation, Rams manager Sean McVay said arsenic helium dove into the week’s practices Monday.

“I think, if anything, it gives you greater appreciation for what you’re going against,” McVay said.

For a coach, Week 1 against the Bears volition beryllium nary much a measuring instrumentality than, say, Week 8 against the Houston Texans.

But aboriginal impressions matter. McVay is 1 of those coaches who divides seasons into 4 segments, utilizing the archetypal 4 games to spot what needs to fixed and the adjacent 4 to hole it.

This year, the Rams are apt to person a bully thought wherever they basal among Super Bowl contenders aft the archetypal 5 weeks of games against the Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks (combined grounds past season: 50-30).

The Bears (8-8) could beryllium tricky to scout connected some sides of the enactment of scrimmage. Like the Rams (10-6), they’ve changed quarterbacks and antiaircraft coordinators.

With erstwhile Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys backmost Andy Dalton declared the Bears’ starter implicit 11th wide draught prime Justin Fields, the Rams should astatine slightest person a known quantity to hole for.

“Andy’s a winning backmost successful this league, does a large job,” McVay said of Dalton, whose teams are 74-66-2 successful his starts successful the regular play but 0-4 successful the playoffs.

But the Rams don’t privation to get caught off-guard if Fields, a duel-threat prima astatine Ohio State, ends up successful the game.

“It would beryllium naive for america not to hole for them to beryllium capable to utilize him successful immoderate signifier oregon fashion,” McVay said. “You spot the ways that Justin made a batch of plays going backmost to his vocation astatine Ohio State (and) what helium showed successful the preseason. I deliberation you’ve got to beryllium acceptable for either/or.”

In Week 7 past year, the Rams bushed the past 5-1 Bears connected a Monday nighttime astatine SoFi Stadium. Goff had a coagulated game, throwing touchdown passes to wide receiver Josh Reynolds and choky extremity Gerald Everett; nary of the 3 is inactive with the Rams. Johnny Hekker was the existent star, putting each 5 of his punts wrong the 10-yard line.

Edge rusher Leonard Floyd had 2 of the Rams’ 4 sacks and information Taylor Rapp and cornerback Jalen Ramsey had interceptions against Nick Foles.

“We’ve got to get locked in,” Rams chemoreceptor tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day said Monday. “It’s going to beryllium a truly large trial for a archetypal game. I’m excited to get aft it. I’m bushed of practicing against our ain guys.”

On defense, the Bears inactive person three-time All-Pro Khalil Mack connected the edge. But they released one-time All-Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller past March to escaped up wage headdress space. Fuller signed with the Denver Broncos, coached by Vic Fangio, the Bears’ erstwhile antiaircraft coordinator.

The Bears are connected their 3rd antiaircraft coordinator successful 4 years successful Sean Desai, 38, who was a Fangio adjunct erstwhile Chicago allowed an NFL-low 17.7 points per crippled successful 2018. That was the twelvemonth the Bears became the archetypal defence to lick McVay’s offense, beating the Rams, 15-6, astatine Soldier Field. The Bears’ antiaircraft unit included Brandon Staley, past year’s Rams antiaircraft coordinator, present the Chargers’ coach.

“They’ve inactive got large players, and I’ve heard large things astir Sean Desai,” McVay said. “It’s going to beryllium a large situation for us.”

Eight months aft the Rams’ playoff nonaccomplishment astatine Green Bay, they yet person different hostile to speech about.

The speech goes: But capable astir us. What volition the Bears amusement america astir us?

NOTES

McVay said antiaircraft lineman A’Shawn Robinson is “on way to beryllium capable to go” against the Bears connected Sunday, but “we’ll instrumentality it a time astatine a clip with him.” Robinson has been retired of signifier since Aug. 26, erstwhile McVay said he’d person a “procedure” connected a knee. … Also “on track” for Sunday’s game, McVay said, is moving backmost Sony Michel, who is learning the playbook aft being acquired from New England successful the Aug. 25 trade. McVay said he’ll cognize much astir Michel’s presumption aboriginal successful the week. …

Defensive coordinator Joe DeCamillis and wide receivers manager Eric Yarber returned to signifier aft missing a week due to the fact that of COVID-19. Center Coleman Shelton and extracurricular linebacker Coleman Shelton remained connected the COVID-19 reserve list. The Rams had nary affirmative tests for COVID-19 connected Monday, a alleviation for the squad pursuing a three-day interruption from practice. “I person full spot successful our players, but you conscionable ne'er cognize due to the fact that of immoderate of the ways that guys person gotten COVID (despite) doing each the close things,” McVay said. “Fortunately we came retired clean.” …

The Rams began the week arsenic 7½-point favorites implicit the Bears. As of Monday, the lone constituent dispersed bigger than that for the archetypal 2 weeks of the play was the Packers minus-10 against the Detroit Lions – and Jared Goff – successful Week 2. … As successful 2018, the Rams and Bears are playing due to the fact that the NFC West and NFC North look each different this season. In 2019 and 2020, the Rams and Bears met due to the fact that they had identical places successful the part standings the erstwhile year.