Bears, Rams Back in Preseason Action

Chicago Bears

John Fox refused to announce his plans for Thursday's preseason finale, but expect Fox to rest many of the starters. The Browns game is an opportunity for coaches to finalize the bottom of the roster, where backup spots on the 53 remain up for grabs at tight end, safety, cornerback and along the entire offensive line.

Keep an eye on guard Vladimir Ducasse, who is the obvious choice to play right guard if Kyle Long moves outside to tackle. The Bears need some assurance that Ducasse can handle the promotion before Long bumps over to right tackle. A strong effort by Ducasse against Cleveland can alleviate those concerns.

St. Louis Rams

Rams coach Jeff Fisher played his starters a lot in the fourth preseason game two years ago but hardly at all last season. This time around, he's expected to lean more toward the latter.

Quarterback Nick Foles will probably play a series or two with the starting offense, but most of the Rams starters will make only cameo appearances against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. The exception will be the team's young starting offensive linemen, who Fisher said will play a bit more than you'd expect from starters in the exhibition finale.

Thursday, September 3 Schedule (All Times Central)

Tampa Bay at Miami, 6 p.m.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 6 p.m.

Baltimore at Atlanta, 6 p.m.

New Orleans at Green Bay, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York, 6 p.m.

Jacksonville at Washington, 6:30 p.m.

Carolina at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m.

Buffalo at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.

New York at New England, 6:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m.

Houston at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Kansas City at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Arizona at Denver, 8 p.m.

San Diego at San Francisco, 9 p.m.

Oakland at Seattle, 9 p.m.