LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Back in December of 2018 on a frigid night at Soldier Field, the Bears seemed to stamp their place as a championship-caliber team. They battered the Rams' potent offense in a 15-6 victory and set course toward the promise ahead.
Since that night, the Bears haven't fulfilled what hope appeared to be present. They lost in the wild-card round to cap a thrilling 2018 campaign with disappointment and went 8-8 in the regular season in each of the past two years. In each of coach Matt Nagy's first three seasons leading the Bears, games against the Rams proved to be a litmus test.
In 2019, the Bears were exposed as a pretender during a 17-7 loss to the Rams at the Los Angeles Coliseum. They suffered the same fate last October, arriving to an empty SoFi Stadium at 5-1 before losing 24-10 to start a six-game losing streak.
Once again, here the Bears are believing they're a contender as a matchup against the Rams looms as a measuring stick. The teams will meet in their regular-season opener at SoFi Stadium this Sunday night.
The Bears feel they made necessary improvements this offseason by signing veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to replace Mitchell Trubisky, adding depth on offense and promoting Sean Desai to defensive coordinator to reignite the once-vaunted unit. Though the Bears seem to be a team in transition while rookie quarterback Justin Fields awaits his opportunity, Nagy and his players are embracing their own expectations of pushing for the playoffs.
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The Bears will get a sense of how they stack up when they face the Rams, who acquired veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford in the offseason. With that move, Los Angeles has the potential to have a top-five offense alongside the NFL's top-rated defense from 2020.
Desai's defense must slow down a quarterback in Stafford who threw for a combined 699 yards and four touchdowns in a pair of games against the Bears last season -- and now has a strong supporting cast around him with the Rams. Dalton must evade the relentless rush of dominant defensive lineman Aaron Donald and take note of where star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is in coverage.
In their opener, the Bears will face arguably the league's most complete team in primetime.
Ultimately, this 2021 season for the Bears might be remembered more for what Fields does as a rookie rather than what the final record shows after 17 games. But the Bears believe their defense can be elite once again and that Dalton is the ideal quarterback to elevate their offense. They're a team playing for the present while recognizing their opportunity in the future with Fields.
Now, here come the Bears still seeking to stake their claim as a contender while the Rams stand in their way.
Extra points
The Bears officially signed veteran receiver Breshad Perriman to the active roster Monday morning after he cleared the league's COVID-19 onboarding protocols. Inside linebacker Josh Woods was waived from the roster.
The Bears didn't offer updates to the injury report Monday morning. The team isn't required to do so until Wednesday.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.