Chicago Bears: Why Jalen Ramsey will not follow Allen Robinson

Do not expect a heavyweight battle when the Chicago Bears wide receivers take on Jalen Ramsey

One of the bigger questions heading into Monday Night Football is how the Los Angelas Rams will try to defend Allen Robinson. Robinson is the clear center of the Chicago Bears offense and is typically the prime focus.

In recent weeks we have seen James Bradberry, Carlton Davis, and Rasul Douglas take the liberty of following Allen Robinson, with each having a varying degree of success. The common component between all three is that they are tall, long, and physical at the catch point to break up passes.

That is a style that fits Jalen Ramsey, who is a candidate to take on Robinson on Monday. When the Bears played the Rams last season, Ramsey did follow Robinson around. It resulted in four catches for 15 yards and a poor day for Robinson. It is worth noting that Mitch Trubisky was benched in that game due to his struggling performance. Still, this fits the narrative that physically imposing corners can have success against Robinson.

Will Jalen Ramsey follow Allen Robinson?

The good news for the Chicago Bears is that they may not see the same matchup that they did last year. In the first three weeks of the season, the Rams had been getting torched in the slot. Players such as CeeDee Lamb and Cole Beasley exposed the slot.

After struggling in the slot against the Eagles tight end, the Rams made a shift and turned Ramsey into a slot cornerback. The results have worked so far.

To be fair, this occurred against the Eagles, who use multiple tight ends, and he also played the slot against the 49ers. This meant watching George Kittle and Kyle Juscyzk, which is smart considering how the 49ers operate.

So, with Robinson being the focus of the offense, Ramsey will surely follow him, right? Wrong.

When the Rams took on Washington, and Terry McLaurin, Ramsey manned the slot. That meant a snap here and there on McLaurin, but it ultimately meant Ramsey shutting down Isaiah Wright, Logan Thomas, and the Washington running backs.

McLaurin spent most of his time against Darious Williams and Troy Hill. Considering Chicago has more threats than Washington, the Bears should expect similar looks on Sunday. The Rams have been keeping each player on their specific side as well, showing the Rams want all three to be comfortable and locked into their spots. This is similar to the Bears keeping their corners on each side. So, it would be surprising to see them switch things up at this point.

Ramsey is going to spend a lot of his time on Anthony Miller and Jimmy Graham. This should equal a poor day for both.

Still, Allen Robinson runs 33% of his routes in the slot, with a split of 36% on the right side, and 30% on the left, per PFF. If the Bears were smart, they would not run Robinson into the slot at all and give him every rep against Williams and Hill. Robinson can take advantage of both cornerbacks.

It may not mean a good day for Graham or Miller, but it will put Robinson in a much better spot than games against the Bucs, Panthers, or Giants.