Bears, Rams both looking for respect
It's not often we get this: A late- October matchup of NFL teams with only three losses between them, each possessing one of the league's most impactful defenders — yet both clubs aching for respect.
The 5-1 Chicago Bears visit the 4-2 Los Angeles Rams tonight in this week's Monday Night Football showdown.
The Bears could as easily be 1-5, but a combination of airtight defensive play late in games, coupled with clutch quarterbacking from either Mitchell Trubisky (in Weeks 1 and 2) or Nick Foles (since) has proved a mostly winning formula. If barely.
The Rams' only victories have come against the NFC East. The entire NFC East, that is: Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington and the New York Giants.
L.A. coach Sean McVay said the Bears have earned their record and first-place perch in the NFC North.
“They're best in crunch time,” McVay said. “They're delivering on those (opportunities). You look at the way they've won those five games — they've all been one-possession games at the end and they've found a way to come through, whether it be a turnover, getting a stop. It's been impressive, and it's why they're winning.”
Bears rush linebacker Khalil Mack was the NFL's defensive player of the year in 2016 while in Oakland. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald snagged that honour the next two seasons. Both are off to fabulous starts in 2020.
Donald leads the league with 7.5 sacks, and leads all interior defensive linemen with nine tackles-for-loss.
Mack is tied for ninth with 4.5 sacks. He's been battled nagging ailments, including a back injury this week that has him listed as questionable for this game.
“The back deal is, more than anything, just soreness,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “I'm not really concerned right now.”
McVay raved about, not just the abilities, but work ethic of Donald and Mack.
“You've got to appreciate the greatness,” he said. “I think what you see consistent with both is there's a relentless motor they play with. They don't take plays off. You see a lot of these flash players (whose game tape makes you wonder), `Are you really just digging deep when you've got a chance to accumulate some stats? Are you playing dirty on some of the early downs as well?' Both of these guys do that.”
Donald, in particular, continues to play at such a high level as to compel assessments he's among the best interior defensive linemen ever.