Watch Monday Night Football - Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Rams - live on Sky Sports NFL from 12.20am
Tuesday 27 October 2020 06:00, UK
The Chicago Bears are 5-1 on the season, currently in joint first place of the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers, but with the chance to edge into an outright lead with victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
Despite their impressive record, however, the Bears are yet to completely convince this season, with only one of their wins coming against a team with a winning record (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and the 4-2 Rams from the loaded NFC West are set to pose a stern test.
Bears quarterback Nick Foles has history with the team, having played for them in 2015, while he has since won on his two return trips when with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager says he expects Foles to find a way again in Chicago's Monday night trip to Los Angeles, saying: "I'm into the Foles storyline.
"Foles was discarded; they [the Rams] moved on, and since then he went to the Eagles and filled in for Carson Wentz in a 2017 game in L.A. when Wentz tears up his knee - and he finds a way to win.
"The following year, on Sunday night, takes the Eagles into L.A. in a must-win game and beats the Rams again. Foles has the Rams' number.
"I'm very curious to see how this whole Foles things with the Bears goes. As we have learned, year after year, Foles is not going to lead in any statistical category, he is not going to win you games by 30 points but, at the end of the day, he is more likely going to get you a W more than an L - he is one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL.
"Monday Night Football, Foles is a rollercoaster ride; I don't know what you're going to get the first 45 minutes of the game but, for whatever reason, those last 15 minutes when he has the ball, he is finding a way to make it happen.
"What can Foles do this time, to a Rams team that needs to win to stay relevant in the NFC West?
"This could be a real statement game for Foles, again going against his former team - can he lead them to a third win in Los Angeles since he moved on from the Rams?"
As for Foles himself, he has addressed the criticism levelled at the Bears' offence which, despite their impressive 5-1 record, is ranked 27th in the league, averaging just 21.3 points per game.
"Would you rather lose pretty or win ugly? We'd rather win ugly," Foles told reporters this week. "It tells you a lot about our team. We want to improve, we want to get better, have rhythm, but ultimately in the NFL it is about winning games.
"It doesn't matter how you do it, it just matters that you get it done.
"If you put up 50 points and you lose the game, those 50 points don't mean anything. Right now, we're winning games and we can improve - I think that's exciting.
"Now we're not going to get complacent and say, 'we're 5-1 and this is it'. No, we're sitting there in the locker room saying, 'we've got to be better'. We know that.
"That's what is exciting. We know we're going to improve, because we believe in one another.
"And that's what great teams do: great teams find a way to win a game. No matter what it takes."
Baker Mayfield threw five touchdown passes to inspire the Cleveland Browns to victory, Todd Gurley imitated Penn State's Devyn Ford for the Atlanta Falcons, Jeff Wilson ran riot in Foxborough and the Dallas Cowboys collapse continued; here's a look at what we learned in Week Seven...
Click here for out NFL Sunday roundup in full.
As far as commitment goes, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf defined a head coach's dream with a phenomenal effort to thwart the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday's defeat.
After seeing quarterback Russell Wilson intercepted by Budda Baker at the Cardinals' two-yard line in the second quarter, the second-year wideout proceeded to chase down the safety before making a tackle at Seattle's own eight-yard line to prevent the pick six.
The Seahawks defense were then on hand to reward his persistence and incredible speed by forcing a turnover on downs on the ensuing drive.
"It was one of the most remarkable plays I've ever seen," said Wilson. "He just kept going, man. It was just unbelievable play by him, just the effort. I really respect him for that. That's what it takes, just a winning effort.
Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in his left knee during Cleveland Browns' 37-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The wide receiver was involved in an awkward first-quarter collision while attempting to chase down Darius Phillips after he had intercepted Baker Mayfield.
Beckham received treatment on the field and was taken straight to the locker room. An MRI Monday confirmed Beckham tore the ACL in his left knee.
Watch the Chicago Bears at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL from 12.20am, Tuesday.
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