Sean McVay seeks an edge against Chicago. Did his friend LaFleur, who struggled with the Bears, offer winning advice?
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has apparently been in contact with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
LaFleur is 1-2 against the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson this season. In the final meeting, the Packers had a monumental meltdown in the second half.
Green Bay entered the fourth quarter up 21-6 but scored just six more points, as Chicago stormed back and put up 25 to win 31-27.
The Rams advanced to the next round after beating the Carolina Panthers 31-27. Los Angeles was down 24-20 entering the final quarter, with both teams retaking the lead multiple times before the dust settled.
Matthew Stafford's two touchdown passes helped the Rams win the game.
Now, the focus is on the Divisional Round for both teams. However, it sounds like McVay is getting some help from a close friend. The Rams head coach teased that he's been talking to LaFleur ahead of Sunday's game at a recent press conference.
"What would you guess?" McVay said. "No. You know what? We watch the tape, we do our work, and, you know, Matt is a very close friend of mine."
If McVay is looking for help on taking down Johnson and the Bears, maybe he should look elsewhere instead of the person who has blown two fourth-quarter leads. In the previous two meetings, the Packers were up by multiple scores in the final quarter and lost both times.
Even if McVay has gone to LaFleur for tips, there is a personal aspect of the game for one of the Rams' assistant coaches.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is the brother of the Packers' head coach. NFL media also seems to be on the Rams' side. Adam Schefter, Dan Orlovsky, Alex Smith and Rex Ryan all predicted a massive Los Angeles win.
Even the line for the game is against the Bears. Chicago is a 3.5-point underdog at home on DraftKings Sportsbook. After the most recent win against the Packers, the Bears are 7-2 at home this season.
The Bears have been doubted before and defied the odds many times this season. This is nothing new for Johnson and his team.
Sunday is the only thing standing between Chicago and reaching its first NFC Championship Game since the 2010 season. The Bears lost to the Packers 21-14 in that game, but this feels like a different team.
Kickoff from Soldier Field is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC.