Chicago Bears vs St Louis Rams Preview: Inside the Numbers

Sep 19, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) reacts after sacking Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (not pictured) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

In what has seemed to be a weekly occurrence, the Bears will once again face an elite pair of pass rushers. The aforementioned Long, primarily the left defensive end, boasts a (10.3) pass rush productivity grade, 10th best. His colleague, right end Robert Quinn, owns the league’s top PRP grade at (15.6). The pass rush productivity grade is calculated by (Sacks + .75xHits + .75xHurries) / Total Number of Pass Rush Attempts. By comparison, the Bears’ Julius Peppers owns a (7.1) grade while Shea McClellin has posted a (6.8) mark. Thus, the Rams get nearly twice the amount of production from their defensive bookends. Further, the Rams boast two members in the top 25 defensive tackle PRP ratings in Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers. 

Despite their impressive front four, the Rams have a poor collection of linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus. The perpetually overrated James Laurinitis “anchors” the Rams middle, but he has amassed a paltry (-5.4) overall grade. Worse still is his rush defense grade (-7.3), which indicates that if the Bears can command an early lead, they should be able to batter the Rams into submission with Matt Forte and Michael Bush. Rookie linebacker, and a guy many thought the Bears would draft this past offseason, Alec Ogletree has struggled to consistently wrap up ballcarriers, as his seventh worst combined tackle efficiency grade indicates. Once viewed as a lockdown corner, Cortland Finnegan has fallen off the production wagon, seemingly for good. With a (-19.7) mark, Finnegan remains the single worst cornerback in the NFL. When targeting the receiver working against Finnegan, QB’s own an astounding 136.0 rating.  His cohort on the other side, Janoris Jenkins, has allowed opposing quarterbacks to earn a 118.5 QB Rating when throwing his way. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery will feast on the Rams’ secondary. Of course, the Bear offensive line must neutralize the fierce Ram rush, but Josh McCown is heady and mobile enough to buy extra time in the pocket.