St. Louis Rams Get To Know Your Foe: Chicago Bears

Some have already deemed the Bears-Rams game the “Backup Bowl,” with Josh McCown set to lead Chicago against a Kellen Clemens-led St. Louis squad on Sunday. Both teams are having to plug their fair share of injury holes this season, leaving us wondering: Who are the Chicago Bears. So, in order to get some more information on this week’s opponent, Ramblin’ Fan went behind enemy lines and spoke with Michael Praser, editor of at BearsGogglesOn.com, the Chicago Bears site within the Fansided Network. Here is our five question Q&A! Make sure to head over and check out some of our answers as well…

1) With Jay Cutler out, it will backup vs. backup. Who do you think will perform better: Josh McCown or Kellen Clemens?

So far Josh McCown has been performing beyond expectations as the Bears backup quarterback. Even though there is no real quarterback controversy in Chicago, a lot of fans are trying to create one. Marc Trestman has not needed to change the Bears offense at all with McCown, unlike the Rams with Kellen Clemens. I think Jeff Fisher is more than happy to lean on his run game more limiting turnovers and controlling the clock. So to answer the question, I think Josh McCown will perform better on Sunday.

2) The St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears have both struggled on defense to stop the run. With that in mind, who will have a better day running the football: Matt Forte or Zac Stacy?

The Bears run defense is absolutely awful. The Rams may have had some problems, but they don’t stink as much as the Bears at stopping the run. There will be a heavy dose of Matt Forte, but Zac Stacy is going to have a career day against the Bears. Look for missed tackles and lots of runs into the second level.

3) What is the Bears most favorable matchup against the Rams?

I would say that the Trio of Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett against the Rams secondary would be the Bears most favorable matchup against the Rams. It is extremely difficult to guard against such large receivers and Tight ends, and when you double cover one of them, the other two are going to make the defense pay. Then, there is Matt Forte to watch out for. There are too many playmakers to account for and this is another reason Josh McCown has been playing so well.

4) What is the Bear most unfavorable matchup against the Rams?

The Bears run defense against Zac Stacy has to be the Bears most unfavorable matchup. Like I said before, the bears run defense is awful. They would probably allow you and me to both have 100 yard rushing games if we suited up on Sunday. It’s such a shame because nobody was able to run on the Bears for the last couple of years, and it probably has everything to do with losing key defensive lineman to season ending injuries.

5) What is your prediction for the game, including a final score?

I really hate to pick against the Bears, but I give the home field advantage to the Rams and I think that they will pull off a win. Defense may travel well, but the Bears defense has been terrible stopping the run. Did I mention that already? The Rams will control the clock and score enough to outlast the Bears by a field goal.

Rams 24 Bears 21