MAKING THE RAM-GO LEAP

Bears doing great job of following L.A.’s 2017 template

As the Bears wallowed through the muck of another disappointing season under John Fox in 2017, the idea of quickly becoming a playoff contender seemed far-fetched.

Rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky showed little discernible growth with a nondescript receiving corps. The Bears had no Pro Bowl players. General manager Ryan Pace had a poor record in free agency, and his draft successes were trumped by a dubious first-round history — Kevin White, Leonard Floyd and Trubisky.

But as the Bears careened toward a 5-11 finish, with seven losses in their last nine games, the Rams were providing a template of hope. In 2016, the Rams were in similar dire straits — 4-12 for their 12th consecutive playoff-less season. Rookie quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in the draft, wasn’t very good — 0-7 as a starter with a 63.6 passer rating.

And they turned it around quickly. The Rams replaced their stale, defensive-minded veteran coach (Jeff Fisher, who had been fired with three games to go in 2016) with a young, offensive-minded rookie coach in Sean McVay. They upgraded Goff’s receiving corps. They hired a veteran defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips. And off they went — finishing 11-5 and winning the NFC West as Goff blossomed into a Pro Bowl quarterback and the offense jumped from last in scoring to first.

Without a Todd Gurley in the backfield, the Bears probably were not in position to make that kind of quantum leap. But in every other facet, the Rams were a legitimate template to follow.

So eight games into this season, how are the Bears doing? At 5-3, they’re one game behind the Rams’ 6-2 pace of 2017, which actually is a fair overall measurement. The Bears have not matched the Rams’ turnaround pace, but they’re not so far away that they can’t catch up with a strong second half.

Here’s a closer look at how the 2018 Bears are faring in matching the Rams’ template: