Give me the headlines: 'Bear down, Ram up'
Chris Simms and Connor Rogers dive into the Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears game in the Divisional Round, analyzing Caleb Williams' performance in an overtime thriller.
Video Transcript
It's time for Give Me the Headlines, presented by Hyundai.
The Rams beat the Bears 20 to 17 in OT.
Chris, what's the headline for this?
You had boots on the ground.
Bear down, Ram up!
Ram up, all right?
I, we couldn't think of a really, really awesome creative one.
I mean, we thought about, you know, Kobe, 'cause Coach Kobe Durant had two Interceptions, right?
Did think about Curls for the Girls.
As in Cam Curl having the, you know, the interception late in the football game.
But "Bear Down, Ram Up" felt like it fit a little bit better with the overall theme.
So, after going to the printing press, that's the one we decided on.
Hell of a game.
I mean, hell of a game.
Hell of a look on TV.
Yep.
I definitely did not think it was gonna be.
Like, low-scoring, a defensive struggle as it was, right?
Uh, I mean, some of the theatrics and what we saw late in the football game.
They were incredible.
It, it, it really was.
It was a great game to be a part of.
It was really cool to be there in person.
You could feel the energy in the stadium.
I love the Bears' stadium, Soldier Field.
It's one of my favorites.
I feel for the Bears fans, but I also sit there and go, Man, the Bears, they're...
They look like they're set up to be a "a powerhouse here for a long time."
You and I both know how awesome Ben Johnson is.
Caleb Williams is...
I'm not gonna say budding anymore.
He's a superstar.
He's a superstar.
Now, it's just about, does he inject himself as one of the four or five best QBs?
Football, or, you know, is he going to be beneath that group a little bit here?
And this offseason will be huge, another one under Ben Johnson.
He's got some experience in the offense, and now they can add to that.
And he can grow as a quarterback.
Incredible year by the Bears!
But we know this Rams football team: They're tough, they're battle-tested.
They've got some leaders who have been there, done that.
That was a big win for them last night.
Despite the loss, The play of the game, of course, that game-tying 14.
It's funny to read: 14-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet.
Because listen to this from Next Gen Stats: "Caleb Williams threw his game-tying TD Pass to Cole Kmet from 26.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
No quarterback since 2016 had completed a pass from a depth of more than 22 yards.
Traveled 51.2 yards in the air, the longest completed pass by air distance in the red zone.
In the Next Gen Stats era since 2016, of course.
So, the crI mean, this play, I've seen every angle of it.
What?
Uh, yeah, I mean, it's...
Number one, it's like when people in Madden just run backward.
And you can't do that in real life, 'cause NFL pass rushers run.
Like, a 4.6 or a 4.55.
He does it.
The throw, the fact that Kmet was open, I mean, What was it like?
Walk me through every part of your reaction.
When you saw him scrambling backward, you were like, "Oh, God, it's over."
Well, I, I honestly...
When the play happened, I mean, before the play, I was literally like, "What's this crazy guy going to do?"
What's gonna happen, right?
Because you just, You know, in those scenarios, very few times does a play happen in rhythm.
Right?
It's so hard to throw a touchdown.
Yeah.
Pass down in that area, because, like we always talk about, The defense doesn't have to worry about anything behind them.
So the field gets really small.
It's hard to jam it in there.
We'd seen them on the drive before, get down there on a fourth down and try to jam a ball in right on the little slant route to the left that, that didn't get in, and nothing happened there.
So, you know, it's not all that easy.
When he went backwards, At first, I went, "All right."
He went backwards, and I go, I know what he's going to do.
He doesn't.
He did a move he always does.
He kind of starts to run to the left, right?
He runs to the left to almost draw, Draw in the defenders.
He knew there was somebody behind him, So he was going to run to the left, and that guy took a sharp turn to chase him.
Right?
And then he was gonna re-wheel around him the right side and start to attack the line of scrimmage.
But the Rams were very conscious of it.
The Rams did a pretty good job of trying to Stay in their pass rush lanes through the majority of the night.
And they didn't overcommit there, to where when he came out of that, He was like, "Uh-oh, I'm not going to be able to get around them."
The guy didn't fall for it.
He didn't take the cheese.
He didn't follow me."
So he had to go backwards, and when he got way back there, It was just like, "Oh, gosh.
All right, throw it up into the end zone, Jump ball, incomplete.
Game will be over.
It's all over."
And then he throws it, And you... You know, as it gets close, you're just like, Wait!
Cole Kmet looks like he's the only guy on the screen there... Maybe with one other Ram defender."
And then All of a sudden, he just catches it, and he catches it easily.
I mean, it just was incredible.
It's amazing, some of the plays Caleb Williams has pulled it off.
You know, and it's a little bit like Mahomes.
Where Mahomes, in his first year as a starter, I used to go, Man, this guy's got a shamrock up his ass.
Like, he's got a shamrock.
He's throwing balls like this and hook routes and people on him.
But once you in a row.
It's not luck anymore... And it's like, Wow, it works every time, exactly.
And that's kind of where we're getting.
With Caleb Williams.
It's like we see two or three of these Crazy plays every week.
It's not luck anymore.
He's that damn good.
I mean, two weeks in a row, he's got an all-time playoff throw.
The fourth and eighth last week; that one yesterday, incredible.
And again, that's why I say he's a superstar already.
He's already one of the best QBs in the game.
Yeah, I mean, Some of the throws, he obviously has a lot of work to do with the rest of his game.
This comparison, Chris, but just the arm and the throws he's made.
Yeah...
I can't recall feeling that way as a fan watching the game since peak Aaron Rodgers Green Bay.
Like, I don't have anyone... Obviously, Mahomes.
Yeah... Mahomes has made.
Right... Insane throws, but the way he throws the ball, I just feel like from pure physics Human nature, you're just not supposed to be able to do what he does.
Yeah, the pure power in the ball.
I think that's why you say Aaron Rodgers.
Yeah.
That's why you're probably saying it.
'Cause Aaron Rodgers used to make throws, and you'd be like, How could he get that much power on the ball in that position with his body?
Like, how could that happen?
And that's where Caleb, it's an all-time arm.
As I've tried to say to you, you know it.
I mean, It's a Brett Favre, it's a John Elway, it's an Aaron Rodgers.
It's a Josh Allen type of arm.
It's that good.
And then you saw with his running.
I mean, his running is not bad as a quarterback.
He's in that category right now, in this part of his career.
To go, he might be the best running quarterback in football.
I mean, I don't think that's a crazy, bold statement.
And Lamar Jackson, I know, is still around, but he's getting up there.
Caleb Williams, I think, is challenging that title right now.
As far as the most elusive guy in the game.
But having said that, The story of this game was the defenses, right?
The defense.
That's...
I would've never thought we would've had a defensive struggle football game.
And within that, being a defensive game, is where I feel the Bears misread.
The game or misplayed it a little bit, especially early on with some of the 4th down and going for it, all right?
And again, I know it's easy to sit here, But you know me, and anybody that knows me, I'm in favor of Especially early in the game, kick a FG, get some good vibes going.
Get the stadium feeling good.
Just get momentum going.
Right?
And it's a cold, windy night, so when you get out there, you go, "Oh, maybe this is going to be a little bit more of a defensive football game."
I thought they blew an opportunity to start the game to kick a field goal.
Right?
That, certainly.
And then even a little later on, the fourth and one, that, I think, it was the next drive, or maybe it was two drives later.
With the Kyle Monangai run up the middle, getting nothing there.
Where I just want to go, "Wait, I mean, it's not looking like a shootout.
Your defense looks like it actually is a good game plan to slow down the Rams.
Why are we playing this game like, "Whoa, our defense can never stop them"?
And this is gonna be 38-35?'"
That was just my, really my only complaint.
On the whole night about the Bears and their approach to the football game.
So, the high point, obviously, that crazy game-tying touchdown.
The low point: the overtime interception.
Blame Pi here.
Chris: Caleb Williams' throw, D.J.
Moore's route, Or Cam Carroll just made a hell of a play?
Right, so we got three interceptions on the night.
The first was a fourth down that Caleb threw.
It wasn't open, and he threw it high.
Hard, and it was an easy interception.
The second interception was a little out route, Right?
And Caleb made a bad throw and a bad decision.
Yep... period.
Kobe, Kobe, uh, Kobe Bryant got that one.
Right?
Then there's this, and Blame Pie.
I put most of the blame on D.J.
Moore here.
Mm.
Right?
And not that I'm in the meeting room.
Here, but I know this play.
I know how deep crosses are run.
And all of that.
Now, so I'm gonna put the majority on D.J.
Moore, but I'm gonna put a little on Caleb Williams, too.
To just go, "Hey, you're methodically, surgically moving the ball downfield" here."
And, you know, this is where when people talk about, You gotta learn how to win playing playoff football.
You know, that...
When you hear those types of things, This is an example of that, right?
To balance that risk and reward.
We know we want him to stay aggressive, be the man, and do all that.
But I also think, and I used this example with Florio earlier today, Like, if Tom Brady was back there in his prime, Peyton Manning.
Right, Aaron Rodgers in their prime, they would've gone.
Uh, yeah, I might be able to hit that, but it's a little iffy.
I don't know if it's worth it now.
I'll check it out.
Or I'll throw it away," whatever.
And Caleb's still young, And he just thinks he can make anything happen.
"I'm gonna make a big play here."
We're gonna do it, right?
Now, why I blame D.J.
Moore: One, it looked like D.J.
Moore wasn't expecting the ball and almost geared down to a degree, like, didn't run aggressively all the way through.
No, he didn't.
The second thing is...
Right?
Right.
And, and, and maybe you're pulling it up.
You're always a master at pulling it up as we talk about it.
I'm watching the All-22 right now.
The second thing is, yeah, And it's, he Right... You're right, he randomly gears down.
So when he crossed that, yes.
Right, he crosses that right hash mark, and he, He gears down one degree.
And then, on top of that, He fades to the end zone.
He fades away, and, And a golden rule when you get to that part of the field is, you gotta flatten.
The route out.
And this is one where Caleb, I think, thinks he's going to flatten it out.
"I'm gonna throw it short."
I'll throw you away from the defender and toward the sideline.
And you'll cut in front of Cam Carroll.
You should be running in front of him.
He shouldn't be in front of you."
So, between the angle in which D- uh, M. Moore took, D.J.
Moore took, and the fact he geared down.
Yeah, watching that playback a bunch of times, I'd certainly put more blame on D.J.
Moore than I would Caleb Williams.
Yeah, it's not a pretty route.
They also...
Uh, to your point about it's second & 8, you have a methodical drive going.
You know, and this isn't Monday morning quarterbacking.
Exactly, right.
This is, this is valid here, of of Caleb trying to have the splash play.
They motion Kyle Monangai from the slot, Almost put him in this, like, yeah.
H-back, off the line of scrimmage role.
Right... Chip, a stand-up rusher.
It looks like Verse.
It's either Verse or B...
It's Verse.
He chips the... Yeah.
Pass rusher, does a great job.
We know how physical Munoz is.
When he gets lost in the 'chip' after his release, the checkdown gets you 3rd & 2.
And you know, Munongai could break any tackle.
Right.
But if he just catches the ball and gets tackled, it's third and two.
Exactly right.
Third and three.
It's not a good route by D.J.
Moore.
It's a nice read by Cam Carroll, who the ball.
But you're absolutely right, he does not flatten the route.
Unfortunately, that was the end for the Bears on a really Really tough play.
Yeah, tough play.
It really was an incredible year.
I know, you know.
The other aspect is, people are gonna look at it and go, Should they have gone for two?
Right?
After they scored the touchdown that, You know, tied the football game.
Well, uh, you know, I, I, I was wondering, too.
I was sitting there going, Man, you know, Ben, he goes for it.
He's from Detroit.
He usually has some really cool plays.
Yep, that he can run in those situations.
But it was a night where, in gotta-have-it moments, it wasn't working all the time.
And on the last gotta-have-it moment on a fourth down, The quarterback ran back 30 yards and threw a freaking prayer into the end zone.
Right?
So it wasn't like, "Oh, yeah, I really know what they're doing.
I can get people open wherever I want," right?
So, I understand that, and I think he's thinking, "Hey, we've got the momentum."
Our defense has played pretty well in the second half here.
Let's ride that momentum into overtime.
And really, it was working out.
Their defense came out, made a stop, right?
And now they're... Like you just said, they were moving the ball, and then he takes one.
An unwarranted chance there and gets screwed over by, Uh, the receiver running a, running a bad route.
But, you know, all of that, yeah, it was there still to be had.
Whether you question that two-point call... And I, Of course, I have no problem with them not going for two.
I wouldn't.
I mean, again, the drive before, They went down there and got to the 3-yard line and couldn't score a TD.
Right.
So, yeah, it was tough sledding.
Right?
And I think that's what you look at.
They had their chances to do it.
They just didn't.
Um, didn't make the plays in the clutch times, like they needed to and the Rams did.
Wild night for Kobe Durant.
He had two picks.
He also broke up 3 passes, but he, of course, gave up the game-tying TD.
Where he got a little lost, and they were shoving a little back and forth between him and Cole Kmet.
Yeah.
Cam Carroll had the OT interception.
Team-high 13 tackles.
That safety duo, Cam Carroll, Quinton Lake, they have just blossomed under Kris Shula.
Per Next Gen Stats, Cam Carroll allowed just 2 receptions for 11 yards.
Yards on 4 targets in coverage, recording 2 passes broken up.
Including the eventual game-sealing interception.
Carroll recorded two run stuffs among a team-high 13 tackles.
Missing just one tackle.
Chris, I think this Rams secondary plays so far above their actual talent level in the biggest moments.
I, I think so, too.
Their, their, their safeties, Like you said, they are amazing.
Cam Carroll's a specimen when you see him.
Person.
Mm.
Right?
You know, Quinton Lake, like you said, same thing.
They're bigger human beings than you realize.
So not only can they cover and make plays in the back end, when they come down to help the run out.
They're like small linebackers, and I think that's the, That's the other thing, too.
McCullough, the nickelback.
He's a safety, too.
He does a good job and is physical way.
Our big, you know, the big thing and Interested to see, because the Bears' defense was all over the Rams' stuff.
Certainly.
And we saw the Rams play a little bit more of The approach of "bend, don't break" throughout the night.
Right?
We saw the Bears make a lot of plays.
About every drive and kind of move the ball, and either it would fizzle out maybe around field goal position or midfield, or they'd go for it and didn't get it.
Right?
It was a little of that all night long.
You know, they did move the ball.
I still worry about the Rams and... And wishing they played a hair more man-to-man.
And I don't know, Maybe you can look it up.
Yeah.
I feel like they might have played more.
Man-to-man, uh, last night.
But I think more than anything, I was surprised that the Bears' defense really gave Stafford and the offense issues.
Right?
The first half, they went the approach of, Like, "We're going to blitz them, and we're going to make them uncomfortable."
And we got a pretty good idea of what they do in the pass game when you pressure blitz them."
And they played that way, and really stymied them.
The Rams for a while.
And in the second half, They didn't blitz as much.
They kind of acted like they would blitz.
And then dropped out.
You felt like McVay and Stafford could never get in a rhythm.
But regardless, yeah, defensive struggle, and the Rams made the plays when they needed to.
Listen to this one, Chris: 81 snaps for the Rams against the Bears, five Cover Zeros, three Cover One, No, two, man.
So, 81.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
Zone, zone, zone.
So, 73 of the 81 defensive snaps, They essentially either played Cover 2, Cover 3, or Quarters.
A little Cover 6.
All zones.
Wow!
Yeah, that...
It's incredible, and it's amazing they keep doing that.
And I keep saying, "They're gonna run into one of these offenses that it's gonna be too hard to play that way," but maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe they're just gonna Shut the hell up... And they know what they're doing.
So, we'll see where it goes.
Either way, they're in the NFC Championship.
Game, an NFC West showdown, and that's going to be a good one.
Yeah, and on offense, they were really able to lean on the run late in this game.
The first three quarters, they only had 11 carries, 48 yards.
So, 4.4.
But you always point at being stubborn.
Run game, Chris.
That's what they were able to do in 4th.
Quarter and overtime.
The efficiency wasn't great, Just 3.1 yards per carry, but 20 attempts for 63 yards.
And they did punch one in.
That's a perfect example of being stubborn with the run game.
Definitely.
I...
There's a part of me that thinks they need to be more stubborn with the run.
As of late, whether it was, you know, last week against Carolina and some of that, I think there are some games where I look at it, they get a little pass-happy.
They get frustrated and go, "We're gonna make a play right now."
And, Hey, they've got a good offensive line.
They've got a good run scheme.
Those running backs are good, definitely.
And I think last night they got into like, "Hey, our defense has been on the field a little bit a lot here.
We, uh, we, uh...
They're doing a lot of crazy stuff.
We're not exactly sure what we're going to get in the pass game.
So, let's try to control the line of scrimmage, eat up some clock a little.
And play it that way."
And that's what makes the Rams so good.
Is they can play because they've got a veteran coach, QB, and other players.
In key positions where they can play any style of football needed to win.
Football game, and that's what makes them, you know, damn good.
For Sean McVay, franchise-record 10th career playoff win.
Tied for the most by a head coach under 45.
That other coach: Don Shula.
Sean McVay, by the way, 39 years old, doesn't turn 40 until the end of this week.
We're going to take one more break.
When we're back, Of course, that was Give Me the Headlines, presented by Hyundai.
Talking about the Patriots and Seahawks defenses dominating on Divisional Weekend.
