Despite facing a plethora of critical injuries on offense, the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) found a way to win their first game of the 2024-25 NFL regular season last weekend at home against San Francisco. Their opponent here in Week 4 wasn’t so lucky, as the Chicago Bears (1-2) dropped a second straight decision after falling behind early in Indianapolis. Both teams will be hungry to find a way to get back to .500 overall to finish the month. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST on September 29th at Soldier Field.
Nobody expected much of the Rams offense in a tough matchup against the 49ers in Week 3, especially without the services of both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. However, Kyren Williams was unstoppable on the ground, finding the end zone three times en route to a dramatic second half comeback win.
Chicago finally found a way to consistently move the ball through the air last weekend against a porous Colts secondary after struggling to start the season. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had by far his best outing as a professional, racking up well over 350 passing yards despite the Bears second straight loss.
Matchup Details, Betting Market Information and Where to Watch
Oddsmakers opened this game up with the Rams listed as 3-point road underdogs. The spread has come down by half a point after early betting, as Los Angeles is currently available at +2.5 on most sportsbooks. The total for this matchup is 41 points. Viewers hoping to watch the game should note that it will be televised on FOX. In Canada, the game will also be available on DAZN.
Los Angeles Rams Stun San Francisco In Second Half
As expected, not a lot went right for Los Angeles during the opening two quarters of their Week 3 matchup with NFC West rival San Francisco. After giving up two quick touchdowns in the opening quarter, it looked like a blowout victory for the Niners was imminent. However, the Rams absolutely shocked the visiting 49ers in the second half, dominating both sides of the ball down the stretch en route to a dramatic 27-24 victory.
QB Matthew Stafford clearly struggled without his top two wideouts, completing 16 out of 25 total passing attempts for 221 yards and a single touchdown through the air. Kyren Williams was the standout performer of the game, torching the Niners run defense for three total touchdowns and well over 100 total yards. WR Tutu Atwell stepped up for the depleted receiving corps, hauling in four catches for a team-high 93 yards.
The Rams defense had a long afternoon at home, as the secondary had absolutely no answer for Juan Jennings despite successfully containing Brandon Aiyuk. Jennings immediately filled the huge void left by Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, exploding for a ridiculous 175 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 11 receptions.
Chicago Bears Pass For Almost 400 Yards Against Colts
Despite losing their second straight outing, there were definitely a lot of positives for the Bears on offense in Week 3. Chicago repeatedly exposed the Colts through the air, torching Indianapolis for nearly 400 passing yards. Caleb Williams finally managed to build some chemistry with fellow rookie Rome Odunze, as the pair connected for 112 yards and a touchdown.
The Chicago backfield continued to be a total disaster, as D’Andre Swift only managed to average 1.5 yards per carry on 13 total rushing attempts. It sounds as though there might be a bit of a change in the backfield pecking order moving forward, as Roschon Johnson was the only rusher who looked even somewhat serviceable in Week 3. Some local beat reporters are already suggesting that Johnson will be given an “extended look” on Sunday, so it will certainly be interesting to see how touches are distributed.
On the other side of the ball, the Bears defense continued their strong start to the season defending against the pass. Chicago only surrendered 167 total passing yards to Anthony Richardson all afternoon, while also recording two interceptions. However, they really struggled to contain Jonathan Taylor on the ground, as the bruising running back rumbled for 110 yards and multiple rushing touchdowns.
Our Rams vs Bears Week 4 NFL Betting Prediction and Pick
I’m not overly excited to back either one of these teams against the spread in this particular spot, as the line looks fairly efficient overall. It’s hard to trust the Bears at all at this point in the season, while Los Angeles is still dealing with significant injury issues on offense.
However, this does appear to be a decent matchup for both offenses on paper, as the strength of each unit corresponds with a clear defensive weakness on the other side. The Rams clearly found success rushing the ball in Week 3 without Nacua or Kupp, while Chicago got lit up on the ground against Indianapolis. Conversely, the Bears finally had a breakout game through the air, while Los Angeles had no answer for the 49ers passing attack last Sunday.
Game Total Betting Market Tip: Over 41
With what looks to be a pretty accurate spread not opening up a lot of value for bettors, the best way to attack this matchup appears to be through the game total. Los Angeles has been well below average defensively to start the season, surrendering an average of over 30 points per game to opposing offenses.
Even though Chicago has performed pretty well defensively over their first three games of the year, they are still likely to struggle against a red-hot Kyren Williams. As long as the Rams manage to successfully establish the run early in this matchup, they should put up enough points to push this game total over the current number of 41. Take the Over and avoid flipping a coin against a tough spread!
