Game Matchup
It was an absolute no-brainer for NBC to flex out the Steelers-Raiders matchup in Week 14 out of the primetime game, in favor of the Los Angeles Rams visiting Chicago Bears. It’s not only an encounter between two NFC division leaders and Super Bowl contenders, but the second and third-biggest markets in the country. So, lets get straight to the Rams vs Bears odds.
When these teams last played in 2015, the Rams were coached by Jeff Fisher and current starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jared Goff was playing college ball at Cal. That boring team finished 7-9 in its last season in St. Louis. Now, the Rams are perhaps the most entertaining club in the NFL. Indeed, they have an offensive-minded head coach any team would envy in Sean McVay.
The Bears were a 6-10 last-place team in 2015, the first year of the miserable John Fox era. Current starting QB Mitchell Trubisky was also sitting on the bench at North Carolina. Now, the Bears are having a resurgence and have their own rising star in offensive-minded coach Matt Nagy. In fact, the Bears’ front office purposefully modeled this team from the Rams’ 2017 blueprint.
The Rams vs Bears odds make Los Angeles a 3-point favorite on the NFL gambling lines, and our against the spread pick. The total is 52.5.
The Rams’ coaches and players surely are thrilled this was flexed because it was scheduled for a 10 AM PT kickoff. Los Angeles was rather sluggish in that early window this past Sunday. They led a bad Lions team in Detroit by just 16-13 entering the fourth before pulling away for a 30-16 win behind two Todd Gurley fourth-quarter TD runs. He leads the NFL in rushing (1,175 yards) and total touchdowns (19).
Goff wasn’t great in completing 17 of 33 for 207 yards with a touchdown, interception and lost fumble. Brandin Cooks made history in the game by becoming the first player with 1,000-yard receiving seasons with three different teams in three straight seasons. The victory made the Rams the first team to clinch a division title this year. Furthermore, they have now won back-to-back division crowns for the first time since the 1978-79 season. Los Angeles actually won twice in Week 13 because the Saints lost. This now means the Rams control their destiny to be the NFC’s top seed.
One could almost see a bit of a trap game coming for the Bears on Sunday off three straight division games and victories and ahead of this huge matchup. They were indeed upset at the New York Giants 30-27 in overtime. It was a minor miracle that the Bears, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, even got it to overtime down 10 with just over a minute left.
Running back Tarik Cohen had 12 catches for 156 yards and threw the game-tying TD pass as regulation time expired. He became the first non-quarterback with a tying or go-ahead touchdown pass on the final play of regulation in the Super Bowl era. Trubisky missed his second game in a row with a shoulder injury and backup. Meanwhile, Chase Daniel had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Most expect Trubisky to play in this game. The line likely will rise a bit if he doesn’t.
The NFL odds opened with Chicago as a 4-point underdog, and the total has dropped nearly two points in these Rams vs Bears odds.
| ATS Winner | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | -3 |
December 5, 2018
