The Rams’ 2021 campaign gets underway at home on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, a team that went 8-8 a season ago but still managed to make the playoffs. Los Angeles is a heavy favorite, entering this game -7.5 over Chicago, indicating the Rams will earn their fifth straight 1-0 start.

To preview the game, we asked Bears Wire’s Alyssa Barbieri five questions about Chicago, including the quarterback situation.

Are the Bears right to go with Andy Dalton over Justin Fields?

Short answer: No. Forget the Fields hype for a second. When you look at this Bears offense, the offensive line remains one of the biggest question marks on this team. We’ve already seen what having someone like Fields in the game can do for a struggling offensive line compared to Dalton, who isn’t necessarily a mobile quarterback. That should be an argument for why Fields should play, not a reason to sit him. While Dalton is certainly an upgrade at the quarterback position, it’s difficult to make the argument that he should start over Fields after what Fields showed in the preseason. But for whatever reason, Matt Nagy feels like he needs to make good on his promise to start Dalton in Week 1. If things get ugly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nagy turn to Fields even sooner than he believes. After all, Nagy has a short trigger when it comes to pulling struggling quarterbacks.

Who’s an offensive player besides Allen Robinson that the Rams must be aware of?

David Montgomery was one of the most dominant running backs in the final six games of last season, which helped him eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his second season, and the Bears offense needs him if they hope to find any sort of rhythm this season. Unlike Fields, Dalton isn’t a particularly mobile quarterback, so Chicago needs to find a way to get Montgomery going. Luckily for the Bears, their strength on the offensive line is the interior, and they’re going to need to open lanes for Montgomery. Nagy isn’t the biggest fan of running the ball, but I think even he understands the importance of doing just that, especially after it helped open up the offense over the final six weeks in 2020. Whether Nagy actually commits to the run remains to be seen.

Where did the Bears improve this offseason?

The biggest improvement this offseason came at the most important position: Quarterback. Despite the lack of confidence in Dalton heading into this matchup, he’s a clear upgrade at quarterback over Mitch Trubisky. But the biggest offseason addition was rookie QB Justin Fields, who could rewrite the poor quarterback narrative that’s defined the Bears for decades. Chicago also added some valuable depth at positions that lacked it last season, including running back and linebacker. Even with Tarik Cohen on the PUP list, the Bears have some fun weapons behind Montgomery in Damien Williams and rookie Khalil Herbert. As for linebacker, call it luck (or fate) that Alec Ogletree landed in Chicago. Ogletree was visiting his friend, and now teammate, Robert Quinn when he was offered a job by the Bears. Now, Ogletree will be starting opposite Roquan Smith at least for the next three weeks with Danny Trevathan on injured reserve.

What is one area of the Bears defense that the Rams can exploit?

While there’s optimism surrounding the Bears defense heading into 2021, the biggest concern remains in the unknown – cornerback. Following CB Kyle Fuller’s release, second-year pro Jaylon Johnson steps in as the new CB1, where he’s expected to take the next step in his development. But the concern relies in the starting spot opposite him, where it’s draft classmate Kindle Vildor who will get the start. He’s shown promise, but he’s wholly inexperienced, and it would surprise me if Matthew Stafford didn’t exploit that as often as possible. The same could be said for CB Duke Shelley, who’s expected to get the start in the slot, where WR Cooper Kupp should feast. If the Bears front seven can’t generate a pass rush, they could be in for a long night.

Who wins on Sunday?

As much as I’d love to embrace some Week 1 optimism and pick the Bears, I can’t do that in good conscience. Aaron Donald and the Rams pass rush should have their way with Chicago’s offensive line, and Matthew Stafford will pick plenty on Vildor. Rams 24-13