There was joy in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Dodgers crushed their little brother, The Padres with an 8-0 shutout, and on the season debut of Sunday Night Football the Rams set the table for the season delivering a 34-14 win against the Chicago Bears. Disclaimer: Do not get too excited. This is still just the Bears we’re talking about. Last night’s game made one thing clear: this is Matthew Stafford’s team.
Kurt Warner is the greatest undrafted NFL player of all time. In his first season on an NFL roster in 1998, he led the “The Greatest Show on Turf,” an offense envied by every team. When Stafford dominated the field on Sunday, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns, he executed it effortlessly. It brought back nostalgic images of Kurt Warner’s “Greatest Show on Turf,” putting up huge points on the scoreboard and playing with excitement. Stafford looked utterly confident on the field. Of course, he looked utterly confident in Detroit too, but he was lacking a powerful supporting cast. It’s clear that is no longer an issue in LA. This offense looks potent.
The Rams moved the ball effortlessly down the field. The pesky Bears and their persistent defense stuck around just long enough to make the game interesting and to keep the fans on their feet. The revitalized offense of the Rams was just too much for the Bears to keep up with. Bears Quarterback Andy “Red Rifle” Dalton was playing more like a Red Ryder BB gun.
With Stafford at the Wheel and offensive genius Sean Mcvay at the helm it is clear that this will be a scoring intensive season for the Rams. The Bears didn’t have too much at stake. Even after a loss, they’re tied for first place in the NFC North after the 20 point defeat. This says more about the NFC North than it does the Bears.
Fans were finally treated to witnessing just a sneak peek of Stafford’s potential. This was the first game with fans in the brand-new 5.5 billion dollar SOFI Stadium since its construction. The stadium was filled to the brim. Even Justin Turner and Corey Seager of the Dodgers were in attendance just an hour after their win against the Padres, and why not? Who wouldn’t want to witness the second coming of the Greatest Show on Turf?
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