Sunday night’s National Football Conference Divisional playoff game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams will have a definite St. Louis flavor to it.
Both teams feature former St. Louis area prep stars who have been very instrumental in each team’s success this season.
Former Vianney High star Kyren Williams is a standout running back for the Rams while wide receiver Luther Burden III has enjoyed an excellent rookie season for the Bears. Burden was a former prep star at Cardinal Ritter and East St. Louis and a collegiate standout at Missouri.
How both of these athletes perform on Sunday will go a long way to deciding who will win the game advance to the NFC championship game.
In his fourth season out of Notre Dame, Williams enjoyed his third consecutive season of rushing for more than 1,000 yards. In the regular season, he rushed for 1,252 yards on 259 carries, which was good for nearly five yards per carry. He also had 36 receptions for 281 yards. He scored 10 rushing touchdowns and added three more receiving for a total of 13 TDs.
In the Rams’ 34-31 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the wild card game, Williams had 13 carries for 57 yards and he caught two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Burden had an excellent rookie season in helping the Bears to the NFC North Division championship. He finished the regular season with 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns. He had his best game of the season on December 28 when he caught nine passes for 138 yards and a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in a nationally televised game on Sunday night.
Kickoff for Sunday night’s game is set for 5:30 p.m. (St. Louis time).