Bears vs. Rams: Causes for concern in Week 4 matchup

The Chicago Bears (1-2) will look to snap their two-game skid in Week 4 as they host the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Soldier Field. The Rams are coming in to Chicago after getting their first win of the season in a miraculous comeback over their NFC West rival, San Francisco 49ers.

Doing so without top wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nauca, Sean McVay has his team continuing to put up a fight with new names stepping up to shine. This is the team's first year without future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, but they have used the last two years of drafting to bolster their defense, and possibly find their replacement for Donald in Kobie Turner.

With both teams sharing identical records and looking to get some stability early in the season, there are causes for concerns for the Bears in Week 4. A memorable foe, an intelligently-used weapon, and the Bears' own problems are three of the biggest areas of concern against the Rams.

1. Matthew Stafford's success against the Bears

In his career, quarterback Matthew Stafford, who saw plenty of Chicago during his time with the Detroit Lions, has a 12-9 record against them but his stats weren't jaw-dropping. Overall, Stafford completed just over 64% of his passes, averaged 274.3 passing yards per game against Chicago, and has 35 touchdowns to 23 interceptions in his meetings with the franchise.

There would be a much bigger concern for the Bears if either Kupp or Nacua were in the game, but both, luckily for Chicago, will be out for this matchup. Kupp and Stafford have been one of the most productive duos in the NFL, and Nacua set rookie records for most catches and receiving yards by a rookie in NFL history.

Even without Nacua and Kupp in the lineup, Stafford engineered the Week 3 comeback against the 49ers, and as long as McVay is his coach, the two will continue to find ways to win ball games. Last week, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was atrocious, and the Bears still lost. If Stafford is just his normal self, the defense, which has been on the field plenty to start the year, could be in a tough position all game.

2. The versatility and production of Kyren Williams

In just three games, Rams running back Kyren Williams has rushed the ball 54 times for 164 yards and four touchdowns. The amount of carries has already amounted to over 20% of the rushes that Williams had in 2023 (228), but it's not just his rushing ability.

Williams has also added nine receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown, giving him five total touchdowns on the season. Whether it be through the air or on the ground, Williams has been an absolute Swiss-army knife for the Rams' offense, and the most productive player on the field for them. After the Colts leaned on running back Jonathan Taylor to defeat the Bears in Week 3, the Rams could copy their formula for success.

3. Will the Bears offense get it together?

It was tempting to put out there that this could be the game the running attack gets going, but last week it was once again completely non-existent. There was also several highly-questionable decisions with the offensive play calling, and Caleb Williams' inability to take care of the football.

The offensive line continues to struggle and was quite embarrassing in the loss to the Colts, but there were a few signs of life. Between rookie Rome Odunze and veteran tight end Cole Kmet, the Bears showed they had playmakers who can make things happen when given opportunities, but with those opportunities needs to come production. There was more to be excited in terms of the passing game, but still struggling with the offensive line, running back production, and play calling is a recipe for disaster.

Los Angeles' defense will give the Bears opportunities. As a team, they rank at the bottom of the league in passing and rushing yards allowed per game, they are 28th in the league in sacks, 22nd in interceptions, and allow 30.3 points per game, the second-worst in the league. Unfortunately, numbers don't always tell the story as the Bears went to Indianapolis to face what was a very bad rushing defense, and the Colts held them to a total of 63 yards on the ground.

IF the Bears want any chance of beating the Rams, they're going to have to do so at a time when they are vulnerable due to injuries. It won't be easy by any means, but on paper, it should be, less challenging without Kupp and Nacua available for Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Rams: Causes for concern in Week 4 matchup