Bears vs. Rams predictions: Who most experts pick to play in divisional round originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams will wrap up the divisional round weekend with a two-team showdown at Soldier Field on Sunday night.
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The Bears have been one of the better teams this season, with Chicago going 11-6 in its first year under head coach Ben Johnson. That moved the Bears into first place in the competitive NFC North and the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Chicago set up this showdown with the Rams with a ridiculous comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round.
Los Angeles is better than the Bears with a 12-5 record, but that’s just enough for second place in the NFC West and the No. 5 seed in the conference.
The Rams faced the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round last week, narrowly defeating the NFC South champions 34-31.
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The most notable injury before kickoff was to wide receiver Roman Odunze, who was ruled out with a foot injury. However, the expectation is that the Bears’ perimeter players will be available.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the weather, which is expected to be rough.
Now, see which team most experts pick to win this game.
Bears vs. Rams Predictions
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Bears 24, Rams 21
Iyer: “The Rams defense was somewhat sloppy and undisciplined in Carolina and will need Matthew Stafford to be ruthless in the passing game. The Bears defense will likely struggle against the Rams running game and also give up some big passes downfield. Chicago will try to keep this game controllable until the fourth quarter, when Caleb Williams And with Ben Johnson saving their best quarterback for last, they’ll also be aggressive and eager to get key takeaways from Stafford. There are also real concerns about how Stafford will perform with the snow, wind and other weather elements, and the Bears will win the game with their running game and Williams’ turnover battle.”
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Bill Bender, Sporting News: Rams 28, Bears 24
Bend: “The Bears extended their dream season with a 31-27 victory over the Packers. Can first-year coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams push Chicago into the NFC Championship Game? Chicago went 4-2 S/U and 4-2 ATS as 3.5-point underdogs or less, losing to Philadelphia and Baltimore. Williams had a 97.6 quarterback rating at home during the regular season, with 15 With three touchdowns and two interceptions, he held the Bears to a quarterback rating of 94.3 in the fourth quarter, a game in which Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a broken finger against Carolina and receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams The combination has been great, and they’re averaging one turnover per game against the Panthers, who have given up 30-plus points in three of their last four games, which is a concern for a road team that’s 5-2 S/U and 4-3 ATS this season.”
ESPN
MMQB
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cbs sports
Experts select number of people rams:20
Number of experts picking bears: 5
