The Los Angeles Rams are heading to Seattle for the NFC Championship after they defeated the Chicago Bears 20-17 in overtime of the NFC Divisional Round, in yet another classic game from these playoffs. It was a game that could have ended in regulation, had Caleb Williams not made one of the best throws of the season to send the game to overtime. But it wasn’t to be for Chicago this time round. Following a Williams interception in overtime, the Rams kicked a game winning field goal to send them to Seattle. It will be a second NFC Championship in five years in the Sean McVay/Matthew Stafford era, while the Bears miracle season, which saw seven fourth quarter comebacks, comes to a heart-breaking end.
In a matchup between two head coaches who have revolutionised their respective teams with their offensive play-calling, neither Sean McVay nor Ben Johnson had a great night.
For Johnson, he will feel he made bad decisions in big spots. The Bears failed twice on 4th down in field goal range, on a night where points were always going to be at a premium given the conditions of the game. In fairness to Johnson, his team did score their first touchdown on a 4th and goal, but on the night they were disappointing in short down situations, with the Rams having a few big run stops on 3rd down to go along with Chicago’s 4th down failures.
Johnson’s play-calling as a whole seemed limited. Williams, one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league, did not use his legs much, although, credit to the Bears, he often didn’t need to given the lack of Rams pass rush. However, the Rams had a huge goal line stand with three minutes remaining in the game and the score at 17-10 to the visitors, stopping three straight D’Andre Swift runs, before breaking up a pass on 4th and goal. That situation was of course four down territory, but to not use Williams’ mobility on any of the first three downs was an astounding move by Johnson.
For McVay and his offense, they started red hot, with a 14 play, 85 yard touchdown drive to start their night with the ball. From then on, however, Stafford and the group struggled massively. The Rams did kick a field goal before the half, having to adopt a quick passing game after Dennis Allen, Chicago’s defensive coordinator, had caused them issues with pressure off the edge from LA’s second drive onwards. What was fascinating was the Rams’ reluctance to run the ball, as they had just 25 rushing yards the entire first half. While the team’s star is no doubt their quarterback and potential MVP, Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ running game has been one of the most efficient in the NFL this season.
After three straight punts in the third quarter, the Rams finally put together another great drive. Kyren Williams was given the ball seven times as LA drove 91 yards on 14 plays to take a 17-10 lead. On their opening touchdown drive, the Rams had six first downs, but on the seven following drives, they only had six first downs in total. This series to take the ball back into the endzone was vital, and was led by a strong run game.
However, after their big goal line stand that has already been discussed, McVay got conservative with the play-calling. Two minutes and seven seconds on the clock, facing a 3rd and 10, with the potential MVP of the league at quarterback, and knowing a first down would win the game, the Rams ran the ball. Overall, McVay didn’t allow a proper run game to develop throughout the night but ironically, this was a situation where his team should have thrown the ball, particularly because of the clock, given that if the pass was incomplete, the two minute warning would come right after the punt anyway. Nonetheless, the Bears got the ball back with 1:50 left and one timeout.
McVay trusted his defense, but they couldn’t hold up. However, halfway through the 4th and 4 play to decide the game, it looked as if they would. For one of the only times all night, Williams faced pressure from LA’s pass rush, but he somehow managed to turn and fire a pass that travelled over 50 yards in the air for, technically, a 14 yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet to tie the game with one of the most incredible plays in NFL history.
However, Williams’ sensational throw was soon overshadowed by an interception to Kam Curl, when Chicago just needed a field goal to win the game, after they forced the Rams to punt. While DJ Moore almost certainly got his depth wrong on the route, the throw by Chicago’s quarterback was ill advised given his team was so close to field goal range.
From that, the Rams took the ball into field goal range, partly thanks to one of the throws of the season by Matthew Stafford, who overall had a tough night, to Davante Adams, who somehow dragged two feet in bounds on the left sideline, to take the Rams into Chicago territory. But the visitors still needed another play to be in proper field goal range, especially given the conditions. Unsurprisingly, that play came courtesy of Puka Nacua on a 3rd and 6. A questionable blitz and soft coverage call by Allen allowed Nacua to get open on a quick hitch route, and his run after catch set up an eventual 42-yard game winning kick.
On a night where the Bears had more plays, yards, passing yards, rushing yards, yards per play, time of possession, and a better 3rd down conversion rate, it’s hard to see how they lost this one. But, while it wasn’t pretty, the Rams played as clean a game as you will see in those conditions. On the road, in tough conditions, particularly for an indoor team, LA had just one penalty for five yards, had zero dropped catches, didn’t have a single fumble or turnover, and were one for one on 4th down. Compare that with three interceptions from Williams, three failed fourth downs by Chicago (one of which resulted in an interception), a dropped touchdown by Rome Odunze, and it becomes clearer as to how LA won this game. Along with that, credit to the Rams’ defense in short yardage situations, stopping the Bears on a few 3rd and shorts, as well as stopping three out of four 4th down attempts with two yards to go or less.
The Bearas had their best season since they hosted the NFC Championship in 2010/11, and many of their fans would argue this was better than that season, and maybe even better than the year Chicago last made the Super Bowl (2006/07). However, the NFL is not linear, and while they certainly have their quarterback and head coach, there is no guarantee they will be back in this situation. They need to be aggressive all offseason, particularly because the NFC North is going to be the hardest division in the league next season, and an offseason of being satisfied with how this year went will result in failure in 2026. If the right moves are made to improve the defense in particular, Chicago can contend for a Super Bowl again next season. If not, Bears fans are in for a rude awakening.
For the Rams, they will travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks for the third time this season. This game was all about getting the win no matter what and setting up that trilogy. As Matthew Stafford said in his postgame press conference, ‘Playoff football is about winning the football game’, referencing how he played great last year in this round in Philadelphia, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, but his team lost. That night they had two turnovers to the Eagles’ zero. This time round the Rams didn’t lose the ball once, and took it from the Bears three times.
This win for the Rams was about getting the job done no matter what, and doing so playing a clean game. Next week against the Seahawks, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a much more aggressive gameplan from McVay, conditions permitting, against a team they scored 37 points against in Week 16. The Bears were a fun team to watch all season, but with the Rams’ victory, the NFC Champonship will see two division rivals face off to conclude an epic trilogy of the two best teams in the NFL.