The Chicago Bears season will begin on Sunday night as the team will face a familiar foe in starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Since being drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions in 2009, Stafford has started against Chicago 19 times, compiling an 11-8 record. For Chicago’s defense playing against the former Lions quarterback, there is a key element in containing the Rams’ current explosive passer.

Stafford Has Either Succeeded or Struggled Against the Bears During His Career.

At the beginning of his Pro Bowl career, Stafford had terrible luck when playing against the Bears, as he suffered significant injuries in his first two starts against Chicago. In week four of 2009, the Lions quarterback suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss nearly three weeks of action. During week one of the 2010 season, Bears’ defensive end Julius Peppers sacked Stafford leading to a dislocated shoulder for the Lions’ quarterback.

Stafford would begin his stellar play against Chicago in 2011 when he led the Lions to a 24-13 victory on Monday night. The quarterback would pass for two touchdowns, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson. From 2013 to 2016, Stafford would compile a 7-1 record against the Bears while recording 14 touchdown passes.

Matthew Stafford hits Calvin Johnson for the #Lions #touchdown!#DETvsCHI pic.twitter.com/c9d6dLI8Ih

— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) January 3, 2016

From 2017 to 2020, Stafford would only start six games, compiling a 3-3 record as several games would come down to the wire. In week 11 of the 2017 season, the Bears would jump out to a 10-0 lead before the Detroit quarterback led the Lions to a 27-24 victory decided by a last-second missed field goal by the Bears. Last season both games against the Lions were decided by four points. In week one, Chicago would score 21 points in the fourth quarter to win 27-23, while Detroit would win 34-30 on a last-minute comeback led by Stafford in week 13.

There has been a trend in the difference between the Bears’ victories and losses against Stafford during his Lions’ tenure. In the Bears’ wins against Stafford, they have been able to generate significant pressure resulting in multiple sacks and interceptions. In the losses against the Lions’ quarterback, Chicago’s defense has failed to record more than two sacks and two interceptions. Furthermore, Stafford has extended plays to make crucial +30-yard passes to set up scoring plays.

Matthew Stafford taking the #Lions on a 96-yard TD drive against the #Bears in Week 13. He was 6-of-7 for all 96 yards including a 25-yard TD to Marvin Jones. pic.twitter.com/BU2d54ktqD

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) January 24, 2021

Bears’ Defense Need to Force Stafford To Make Mistakes

On Sunday Night, Stafford will make his debut with the Los Angeles Rams with a lot to be expected working with head coach Sean McVay. McVay is regarded as one of the best offensive play-callers in the NFL as he mixes in screen-passes and deep-passes into his offense. Stafford’s deep ball accuracy makes him a perfect fit for a Rams offense that features wide receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The Bears’ secondary will have a tough opening test against the Rams due to the Rams’ offensive capabilities.

The Bears’ defensive front-seven will need to create pressure against Stafford to keep the Rams’ offense in check. A prime example of the Pro Bowl quarterback’s struggles against an aggressive Chicago defense would be what happened in 2018. In the Bears’ two wins against the Lions in 2018, the defense sacked Stafford eight times and intercepted him four times.

If the #Bears are going to beat the Rams Week 1, they'll need to consistently pressure Matthew Stafford to the point there isn't time for routes to develop.

I have concerns about this CB group going up against guys like Kupp, Woods and Van Jefferson. Could get beat quite a bit.

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) September 5, 2021

In the Bears’ week one victory last season against Stafford and the Lions, despite only record one sack and one interception, the interception set up the game-winning touchdown by Chicago’s offense. The win was the only time that Stafford lost to the Bears when being sacked and intercepted once. There have been games where the Bears’ defense has picked off the quarterback multiple times but have lost due to an inability to stop deep-ball completions.

With the Bears’ defense featuring two inexperienced cornerbacks in Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor, Chicago’s pass-rush will need to excel against the Rams. Both Vildor and Johson have yet to record an interception during their short NFL careers. Without a pass-rush from the defense, the Bears’ cornerbacks could be in for a long night having to defend against Woods and Kupp.

One slight/small/tiny edge the #Bears will have early in Sunday night's game is the fact that Matthew Stafford hasn't thrown an in-game pass to any Rams receivers yet. Maybe some timing issues? Definitely some rust. Bears DBs need to capitalize early.

— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) September 10, 2021

Sunday’s game could be the last time the Bears face Stafford, as the next time the two teams will play one another for certain will be 2024. The former Lions’ quarterback has had a Hall of Fame career with several memorable highlights coming against the Bears. Now with the Rams, Stafford has a chance to add more highlights to his career unless Chicago’s defense can force multiple sacks and interceptions.