CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears would not let the Los Angeles Rams pull off another comeback on Sunday. They shut the door on the Rams, beating them 24-18.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was far from his best, completing 20-of-29 passes for 224 yards and zero touchdowns. He also threw an interception and fumbled the ball.
Stafford’s interception came on the Rams’ final drive.
“One I wish I had back,” said Stafford about the throw. “Could step through a little bit more or something just to even sail out of bounds and us alive. But now I gotta go look at it.”
Brandon Sloter / Sporting Tribune
Matthew Stafford (L) #9 of the Los Angeles Rams congratulates Caleb Williams (R) #18 of the Chicago Bears after the Bears 24-18 victory at Soldier Field on September 29, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
In Week 3, the Rams prevailed over the San Francisco 49ers behind a three-touchdown effort from running back Kyren Williams and heroics from Stafford. While the Bears never led by double digits, they never let the Rams catch second-half fire.
The Rams moved the ball, but their drives often stalled in field goal range, forcing them to settle for three points.
“We moved the ball really well, and that's a really tough defense, so that's part of that effort, but we gotta come away with more points,” Stafford said. “It is not enough to just drive the ball all day and settle for three [points].”
Rookie kicker Joshua Karty nailed four of five attempts (including a 52-yard kick). His one miss came from 43 yards out. Karty is nine-of-ten on the season.
Karty’s kicking success (90%) is a stark contrast from 2023, where they were third to last in the NFL in field goal percentage, making just 74.4% of their kicks.
But he could only do so much to help the Rams offense that only found the end zone once. Running back Kyren Williams was their scorer on a three-yard run.
Williams finished with 94 yards on 19 carries.
“There's little things in the game that, even for myself, we could have been better to allow the execution to be better on the offense side of the ball and to put more points on the board,” Williams said.
7th straight game with a TD for @Kyrenwilliams23!
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The Rams led 6-0 early as their defense put together consecutive stops. But, late in the second quarter, Stafford fumbled after Bears defensive lineman Montez Sweat knocked the ball free, opening the door for the Bears.
"[Sweat is] a really talented player off the edge, and those things happen," Stafford said. "I wish I could have held onto the ball."
The Bears took advantage quickly as running back Roschon Johnson scored on a one-yard run. They carried that momentum into the second half when they put together a 6:13 drive that took them 74 yards down the field in 12 plays.
Quarterback Caleb Williams' 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver D.J. Moore finished the drive, giving them a 17-9 lead.
When Williams got the Rams back to 17-15, Swift responded with a 36-yard touchdown run minutes later to extend the Bears lead to nine points.
That touchdown put the game out of reach for the Rams, whose offense failed to produce in the Bears half of the field.
The Rams are now 1-3. Next, they play the Green Bay Packers as they open a two-game home stand.
“When you look at this game today, there were things that can be improved upon,” said head coach Sean McVay. “The reasons that we didn't execute were very correctable.”