Studs and duds from Rams loss to Bears...

Studs and duds from Rams' forgettable loss to the Bears

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

For just the second time this season, the Los Angeles Rams aren’t celebrating a win. They lost to the Chicago Bears 15-6 on Sunday night at chilly Soldier Field, dropping their record to 11-2 and giving the New Orleans Saints back the No. 1 seed.

It was the fewest points and lowest yardage total the Rams have had under Sean McVay in the past two seasons with everyone on offense struggling mightily. The defense played relatively well, with the exception of giving up 194 yards rushing, but there were far more duds than studs in this one.

Studs

Nickell Robey-Coleman

Robey-Coleman was one of the few bright spots on Sunday night. Playing more snaps than usual – 75 percent against Chicago – the Rams’ slot corner had arguably his best game of the year. He made a diving deflection in the end zone against Allen Robinson, picked off Mitchell Trubisky and had one other pass deflection.

He also made three tackles and locked down just about every receiver that lined up across from him, allowing very little separation down the field. If not for him, the score could’ve been even more lopsided than it already was.

John Johnson

Johnson has really had a superb sophomore season, continuing that trend against the Bears. He made five tackles, had one interception and pass defensed and recorded a tackle for loss. On a day where the Rams allowed 194 yards rushing, Johnson was excused from those struggles. He regularly made wrap-up tackles to prevent even bigger plays, while also shutting down Trey Burton when asked to cover the elusive tight end.

Marcus Peters

Peters came down with an interception on the Bears’ first drive of the game and while he didn’t make any other standout plays, he was outstanding in coverage yet again this week. Trubisky hardly targeted his side of the field, throwing to the left just nine times with only four of those being completed. He played extremely well for the second game in a row and appears to have turned a corner with Aqib Talib back.

Duds

Jared Goff

To say Goff struggled would be an understatement. He was terrible in this one, posting the worst stat line of his career. He completed 20 of 44 passes for 180 yards and four interceptions, which equated to a passer rating of 19.1 – Goff’s lowest in the NFL thus far. He also coughed up a fumble and took a sack for a safety as he was unable to get anything going in the right direction from start to finish. He’ll look to put this game behind him and move on to the Eagles in Week 15.

Offensive line

There’s no denying the fact that the Bears’ defensive front is phenomenal. Khalil Mack is, well, Khalil Mack, while Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman don’t get enough credit for the jobs they do. They absolutely whipped the Rams’ offensive line with three sacks, five tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and a boatload of pressures. Goff never looked comfortable in the pocket and the offensive line’s struggles were the primary reason for that.

Todd Gurley

Just as Goff looked like his 2016 self, so did Gurley. His 28 yards rushing were the fewest in a game where he had at least 10 carries, averaging a measly 2.6 yards per carry. It wasn’t all his fault, but he was hardly productive when he did touch the ball – albeit, only 14 times in 60 minutes. The Rams strangely went away from him early after the Bears shut down the run right out of the gate, so clearly Sean McVay didn’t like that matchup for L.A.

It’s not often Gurley is listed among the “duds,” but he did very little with his limited touches on Sunday night.

Mark Barron

It’s time for the Rams to consider benching Barron for either Ramik Wilson or Micah Kiser. The run defense was better early in the season with Wilson starting next to Cory Littleton and the Rams’ latest stretch of games shows that Barron simply hasn’t played well enough to warrant as many snaps as he’s playing. Los Angeles’ biggest weakness is stopping the run, which is where Barron has struggled most this season.

Josh Reynolds

Reynolds stepped up nicely when Cooper Kupp initially went down, but he had a night to forget on Sunday. It’s not as if he cost the Rams a win, but his awareness and hands were not up to par. He dropped a fairly routine pass along the sideline on a drive that ended in a punt, while also giving up a sure first down by running laterally instead of turning upfield. There wasn’t much good to take away from this game and Reynolds was no exception.