Welcome to the 2021 regular season. Gameday is finally upon us and the Chicago Bears will be playing in the Sunday night primetime game versus the Los Angeles Rams. Matt Nagy will look to even the score vs Sean McVay as the Rams hold a 2-1 record over the Bears during these coaches’ tenure. This will be the fourth consecutive time these teams have met since 2018. The Bears won the first matchup in a close, defensive-style game. The Rams have won the last two though.
On paper, this does not look good for the Chicago Bears. The Rams have a better depth chart, a more talented quarterback starting and a better coach. Honestly, I do think that this matchup is closer than many believe it is. Chicago has some solid weapons on offense, but a shaky offensive line and Andy Dalton throwing the football is not as good of a combination as Matthew Stafford with the likes of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp.
If the Chicago Bears want any chance at beating the Rams, then they will need some players who are a bit under-the-radar to step up and do something on Sunday. These five come to mind rather quickly.
Chicago Bears Under the Radar Player No. 1: Bilal Nichols
This might seem a little obvious after what we saw Bilal Nichols do last season, but if he does not step up enough in this game versus the Rams, then the Rams will continue to push the defensive front backward. Eddie Goldman will not be able to play in the game as he was ruled out today with a knee injury. Goldman apparently hurt the knee on Monday. With Goldman out versus the Rams, players like Bilal Nichols will need to step up in his absence.