Chicago Bears (4-5 SU, 3-6 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Rams (5-4 SU, 6-3 ATS)
Week 11 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday Night Football, November 17, 2019 at 8:20PM EST
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
TV: NBC
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: CHI +6.5/LAR -6.5
Over/Under Total: 40
The Chicago Bears come to the Coliseum to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. This NFC battle has some high stakes, with the both teams operating with much smaller margin for error than last season when they cruised into the postseason. Chicago was finally able to put an end to their 4-game skid, beating Detroit at home on Sunday, 20-13. It was their first win or cover since week four. They now look to build up some more momentum against a Rams team that needs a good development after falling to 5-4 with a 17-12 loss to the Steelers. Back at home, can they put a hurting on the Bears or will the Chicago "D" make life hard on a Rams' offense that seems to be in knots?
It's been a rough season for the Bears, who saw the wheels come off in a four-game losing streak—a rough development for a team that lost all of four games all last season. The offense has been dismal on all fronts. The defense has still been good, but with the offense sputtering so badly, it hasn't been good enough and is a shadow from the signature unit of last season. But on Sunday, it was good enough, holding a Stafford-less Lions bunch to 13 points, while getting just enough from the offense to get to the wire a nose ahead.
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On Sunday, Mitchell Trubisky had one of his better games of the season—quite a statement when he threw for only 173 yards. But on 16-for-23 completions and three TD passes, it was actually a good showing for the derided starting quarterback, who hasn't been good this season. He connected well with Allen Robinson, with Taylor Gabriel and Tarik Cohen among those who hauled in TD grabs. They're trying to get production out of David Montgomery and it hasn't been easy for the rookie back, who had just 60 yards on 17 carries on Sunday. Still, with no turnovers and a well-managed game from Trubisky, it's as good as the Bears' offense has looked since coming off the bye several weeks ago.
Perhaps it's wrong to call out a Chicago defense that hasn't gotten a lot of support. For all the times they're being left out on a limb, they've performed well. They're still robust and can still make game-changing plays, even if they didn't on Sunday. They were simply robust and while that came against a heavily-compromised Detroit offense, they've been doing it all season. As usual, the run-defense was in fine form, not letting the Lions get anything done on the ground. For a Rams' offense that has seen their formula for success on offense sour dramatically this season so far, this is a tough spot for their engine to turn over—even at home. The prospects for their dwindling run-game is bleak in this game. Can the Rams feast on a Chicago secondary that has struggled at times this season?
The Rams are a curious case. On one hand, falling to a surging Steelers' team out of conference and on the road is forgivable. But coming off the bye, it's clear that whatever recipe from last season that led to them becoming conference champs is missing something this season. The reasons are hard to identify, but something is definitely not right. By the same token, they had righted the ship with two straight wins before the bye and are always a threat to get their act together and explode. Still, the whole thing is a bit perplexing.
At least Todd Gurley got rolling a little bit on Sunday. But just the fact that Gurley running for 73 yards qualifies as news speaks volumes. Jared Goff was off-key, going 22-for-41 with no TD throws and a pair of picks. He also had a fumble taken back for a TD. More mistake-prone and connecting less-effectively with his main targets, Goff is looking more like the 2016 rookie version of himself than what we've seen the past few seasons. Sure, there have been some high point-totals this season, but hardly the bankable high-flying offense of before. The Bears may be a bit in the dumps—a defending division champ sitting at 4-5. But that "D" can still bring the noise and we'll see if this is the week for this Rams' offense to be on-point.
With the offense not always delivering this season, the Rams' defense has started stringing together some good quarters of football. It's not just the addition of Jalen Ramsey that has helped, though the pass-defense is getting better. A lot of players are contributing and a defense that was getting manhandled on occasion is now showing a lot of resistance. In their last three games, they've allowed a total of 37 points. With Aaron Donald, we see Clay Matthews adding a big dose of pass-rush. Opposing running backs are having a hard time getting on a roll against this group. This is a road-spot where this group can build on that momentum and make some things happen.
You could say the Bears are in a more-urgent spot, but both teams have to feeling the squeeze. It's a tough road-spot for the Bears, in the 80's in November in SoCal, pitting that struggling offense against a LA defense that can thrive in spots like this. Even as the Bears' defense is the better unit, this could be a spot where they can't make up for the issues on the other side of the ball. I see enough big plays from the Rams, as they get the big win and cover at home.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Los Angeles Rams minus 6.5 points. Did you know... that you could be wagering on the Bears vs. Rams game at discounted odds? There's a better than good chance that you're laying -110 odds (or more) with your book. Stop overpaying TODAY by making the switch to 5Dimes Sportsbook! You will be so glad that you did!
