The Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears are locked into an NFC Divisional Round matchup in the NFL playoffs next week.
Both teams were tested in the Wild Card Round — the Rams were nearly upset by the Carolina Panthers while the Bears had to rally from an 18-point deficit against the Green Bay Packers.
Here are the opening Rams vs Bears odds for the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs next weekend.
Rams vs Bears Odds
| Rams Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -105 | 50.5 -115o / -105u | -190 |
| Bears Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -118 | 50.5 -115o / -105u | +160 |
Los Angeles Rams Preview
The Rams sputtered to the finish line and fell short in their quests to win the division, claim the 1-seed, and likely the MVP race, but Los Angeles still boasts the metrics of the best team in the league.
The offense has lapped the field. The Rams lead the league in both rushing and passing DVOA, and rank as one of the finest offenses in DVOA history. Additionally, they should got Davante Adams and a couple key offensive linemen back for the playoffs, alongside Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua.
LA’s offense has the lowest variance in the league and is just consistently awesome across every down, every quarter, and in almost every game.
The Rams are also battle-tested. They played 13 of their 17 games this season against teams that won at least eight games and still dominated that much, and Stafford has by far the best EPA per play among quarterbacks against playoff teams.
The Rams were so dominant that they would be 12-4, even if you flipped their one-score results, best in the league. Los Angeles’ only four losses each came by three points or less, with a couple of wonky bounces and plays late in each.
Those losses count, though, and they mean LA will be on the road throughout the playoffs. And they’ve come in part because the defense has fallen off badly down the stretch, allowing over 29 PPG in Weeks 13–17.
That defense will need to prove its mettle for the Rams to go on a Super Bowl run. It'll have to improve upon a shockingly poor outing against the Panthers.
Chicago Bears Preview
What a season for the Bears, who rebounded from a 0–2 start to win the division and finish tied for the most franchise wins in two decades! Not only that, they got to eliminate the rival Packers in the Wild Card Round in epic fashion!
Everything has changed under new head coach Ben Johnson. Sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams is progressing nicely, and the run game has exploded with Johnson’s scheme and a big investment in the offensive line that’s paid off.
Chicago’s big push came down the stretch, starting with a Black Friday win in Philadelphia, then an overtime December win over the rival Packers to clinch the division.
But while the offense has been reliable, the defense remains quite shaky. The unit ranks bottom 10 by DVOA on the season and has been especially poor against the run, and injuries to that side certainly haven’t helped.
These are certainly not your typical Midway Monsters – Chicago will probably have to win shootouts to advance in the playoffs – but Williams and Johnson have given plenty of reasons to believe.
