Bears to open 2021 season at Rams on Sunday Night Football

The Bears will open the upcoming season on Sunday Night Football at the Rams, NBC announced Wednesday.

It will be the Bears’ second visit to SoFi Stadium and their fourth consecutive season facing the Rams. After beating the Rams 15-6 at Soldier Field in 2018, the Bears lost on the road 17-7 in 2019 and 24-10 last season.

“That’s exciting …. That’ll be fun,” defensive coordinator Sean Desai said Wednesday morning. “I think we’ll be prepared and ready for that challenge. It’s a good team to face because they’ve always been great games.”

Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will be making his Rams debut.

“He’s obviously a special player,” Desai said. “That will present another unique challenge.”

While the Bears await the release of their full 2021 schedule, they already know their opponents.

As they do every season, they will play home-and-home series against the Packers, Vikings and Lions.

Outside the division, they will host the Bengals, Cardinals, Ravens, Giants and 49ers. They will visit the defending champion Buccaneers, Browns, Raiders, Seahawks and Steelers in addition to their opener at the Rams.

In the first season of the NFL’s 17-game schedule, every NFC team will play an extra road game against an AFC team (the Bears drew a trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders), and it will flip in 2022.