Matthew Stafford, Rams Cruise Previous Andy Dalton, Bears; Justin Fields Scores TD | Bleacher Report

Notable player stats

• Matthew Stafford, QB, LA: 20 of 26 for 321 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
• Darrell Henderson Jr., RB, LA: 16 carries for 70 yards, 1 TD
• Cooper Kupp, WR, LA: 7 catches for 108 yards, 1 TD
• Andy Dalton, QB, CHI: 27 of 38 for 206 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
• David Montgomery, RB, CHI: 16 carries for 108 yards, 1 TD
• Justin Fields, QB, CHI: passed 2 of 2; 1 stretcher for 1 TD

Matthew Stafford, Rams seems ready to compete in NFC

The Rams had a dominant defense last season but had a clear cover with Jared Goff under the middle. This cap turned out to be two touchdown losses in the second round against the Green Bay Packers, so the team decided to act for Stafford.

First there was a showdown with a well-known Chicago defense that he faced many times while serving as the leader of the Detroit Lions in NFC North. He looked more than comfortable from the start as he sent Van Jefferson a perfectly placed deep ball for a touchdown to open the gate.

While the offensive stalled for a long time after the early explosive game, Stafford looked brilliant again as he started the second half. He uncorked another vintage deep ball to a wide-open dome for a 56-yard touchdown to open a two-point lead.

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Stafford gets his first TD as Ram

67 yard TD.

Stafford lets it fly

The deep balls were the kind of throws the Rams sometimes lacked at Goff last season.

Stafford and the Rams Offensive had an answer every time Chicago threatened. He had all day to throw several times, thanks to the offensive line. Kupp continued to find openings in secondary school, and Tyler Higbee got away with several key catches to keep the drives alive.

Throw in Darrell Henderson Jr. in the fourth quarter with the yards and clock churned and the offense was in full control throughout the win.

To be honest, the offensive just has to be above average to keep up with all the talents of the Rams defense. It looked a lot better than the average Sunday.

Quarterback questions linger as the Bears Drop Season Opener

The quarterback position will be in the spotlight in Chicago year-round after the team swapped Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Chicago has been starving for a franchise quarterback for decades, and Fields looked like this at times in the preseason. Head coach Matt Nagy, however, decided to play it safe and start Dalton against an intimidating Rams defense. It backfired immediately when the veteran wasted a promising opening move by throwing an interception to David Long Jr. in the end zone.

It had surely been noticed by the Bears fans that Fields came into play for a game and threw a perfect stroke just before interception.

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David Montgomery puts the bears on the board 🐻

JUSTIN FIELDS GETS HIS FIRST CAREER TD

Justin Fields gets locked up in his first game 🎯

Justin Fields’ first regular season NFL snap came from LA’s 12th on the 2nd and 10th. He completed a 9-yard pass to WR Marquise Goodwin. What happened next for the bears? False start, timeout and then Andy Dalton is picked up in the end zone.

Just play the kid or not, right?

I mean, everyone except Matt Nagy (I think) was thinking EXACTLY how this whole Andy Dalton thing was going to go in Week 1

The game looked good on the way to a blowout, but Montgomery turned the team on their backs and helped them get to 13-7 in the half. Montgomery was impressive performing armtackles and scoring the visitors’ only touchdown before the break.

Unfortunately for the Bears, the running back went into the locker room for a while in the third quarter. So they improvised and played fields within the 5-yard line, and the rookie rewarded them with his first touchdown of his career to keep the guests within striking distance.

Montgomery eventually returned, but the fact that he played so well and the offensive was still struggling to build consistent momentum further underscored the obvious limit with Dalton. He rarely looked down and didn’t even have the arm strength to squeeze the ball through holes when he tried.

Never was that clearer than a 4th-and-15 in the fourth quarter when he ran it short and nearly ended the bears’ chances of a comeback. Chicago’s vaunted defense was also nowhere to be found when it needed a stop, and this team doesn’t seem ready anywhere to compete in the NFC as it is currently set up.

What’s next?

The Rams are with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, while the Bears are home to the Cincinnati Bengals.