Sean McVay calls Bears matchup 'a very difficult opener'

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Sean McVay calls Bears matchup 'a very difficult opener'

Cameron DaSilva
September 8, 2021 5:38 am PT

The Los Angeles Rams have started 1-0 in each of Sean McVay’s four seasons as head coach, beating the Colts, Raiders, Panthers and Cowboys. He’ll try to make it 5-0 in Week 1 matchups on Sunday night when the Rams host the Bears at SoFi Stadium.


Expectations are high for Los Angeles this season with Matthew Stafford under center, and while the Rams should beat the Bears as 7.5-point favorites, McVay isn’t taking Chicago lightly. Having faced the Bears in each of the last three seasons, he knows what comes with facing Matt Nagy’s squad.

“Well, I think every team is a great measuring stick,” he said this week. “This is a playoff team. They’ve got great players in all three phases, really well coached. Really, every single week in this league is so difficult and this definitely represents a very difficult opener. One we’re excited about.”

The Rams won the last two games against Chicago after getting completely shut down in 2018, a difficult 15-6 loss on the road. This is a different Bears team than the one the Rams played last season, most notably with Andy Dalton taking over at quarterback.

McVay said his familiarity with the Bears doesn’t change much in the way of preparation, but it does remind him that Chicago can be a difficult team to beat.

“It doesn’t change much. I think if anything, it gives you greater appreciation for what you’re going against,” he said. “They’ve obviously got a couple of things different where some key personnel at some key spots. They’ve got a change at the defensive coordinator position, but they still got great players. And I’ve heard great things about (Bears Defensive Coordinator) Sean Desai and it’s going to be a great challenge for us. But, you know that they’ll do some good stuff offensively with Coach Nagy and Coach (Bill) Lazor and Coach (Chris) Tabor does a great job special teams wise. So, it’ll be a good challenge.”

No team is favored by more than the Rams in Week 1, entering the season as 7.5-point favorites over the Bears.