LOS ANGELES — It was the same old story for Roquan Smith and the Bears’ defense. They made plays. They took the ball away. They played well enough to win. And it wasn’t good enough.
The Bears had takeaways on their first two series — safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with a fumble recovery and Smith with an interception. They held the Rams to 283 total yards, 5.4 yards per play and 3.2 yards per rush. They held Jared Goff to 173 passing yards and a 69.9 rating. And it all went for naught in a 17-7 loss Sunday night at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.