One week after their thrilling 31-27 wild card win over the Packers, the Bears (12-6) will return to Soldier Field Sunday night to host the Rams (13-5) in an NFC Divisional Playoff game.
The Bears recorded their first postseason victory since 2010 by rallying from deficits of 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 entering the fourth quarter to stun Green Bay. It was their biggest comeback in franchise postseason history and their fourth largest in any contest. It was also their seventh victory of the season in a game they trailed in the final 2:00.
The Rams also came back to win their wild card game last weekend, edging the Panthers 34-31 in Charlotte on Matthew Stafford's 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson with :38 remaining. It was the fourth and final lead change in the fourth quarter.
"The more tape you watch, the more respect you have for them," said coach Ben Johnson. "They've had an incredible season so far, and they're really sound, they're really talented, really well-coached across the board. We'll have our work cut out for us but a challenge we'll look forward to."
The Bears are 7-2 at home this season, while four of the Rams' five losses have come on the road—in Philadelphia, Carolina, Seattle and Atlanta.
The two teams have split two previous postseason meetings, with the Rams winning a 1950 Divisional Playoff game 24-14 in Los Angeles and the Bears winning the 1985 NFC Championship Game 24-0 at Soldier Field.
When the Bears have the ball
The Bears will look to pick up where they left off against the Packers, when they scored touchdowns on their final three drives as part of a 25-point fourth quarter, the third most points in the last period in NFL postseason history.
Caleb Williams threw two TD passes in the final 4:18—including a game-winning 25-yarder to DJ Moore with 1:43 to play—and his 184 yards in the fourth quarter were the most in the final period of a postseason game since Tom Brady's 196 yards in the Patriots' 34-28 comeback win over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Williams' favorite target has become tight end Colston Loveland, who caught eight passes for 137 yards in the wild card win, including seven passes for 115 yards in the second half, in addition to a key two-point conversion. In the process, he became the first rookie tight end in NFL history with at least eight receptions and 100 yards in a postseason game.
Prior to that, Loveland had compiled at least 90 yards and one TD in each of the last two regular-season games versus the 49ers and Lions.
The Bears ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game (144.5) during the regular season but have been held to 65 and 93 yards on the ground in their last two contests, respectively, against the Lions and Packers.
Chicago's ground game is powered by running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, the only NFL teammates that both rushed for at least 750 yards this season. Swift set career highs with 1,087 rushing yards, nine rushing TDs and 1,386 yards from scrimmage, while Monangai added 783 yards and five TDs. The Rams defense permitted just eight rushing touchdowns this season, the fewest in the NFL.
The Bears will look to get off to a quicker start Sunday night. In their last three home games—two against the Packers and one versus the Lions—they totaled three points in the first half and 60 points in the second half, including 54 in the fourth quarter.
"We don't want to put ourselves in a hole against a team like this like we've done a number of times this year," Johnson said. "We talked about playing a complete game on offense. This is the week that that needs to happen for us to be able to beat this team."
Chicago's offensive line will feature a new starter at left tackle after rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo sustained a patellar injury late in the wild card win over Green Bay. Trapilo was replaced by Theo Benedet, who made seven straight starts at left tackle during the middle of the season.
The Rams' 3-4 defense is able to generate a consistent pass rush without blitzing. Los Angeles is one of two NFL teams to have three players with at least 50 quarterback pressures this season: edge rushers Jared Verse (67) and Byron Young (64) and lineman Kobie Turner (52). Young leads the Rams with 12.5 sacks, followed by Verse's 7.5 and Turner's 7.0.
"They've been phenomenal all year," Swift said. "I feel like that's the strength of their defense. The guys up front really get after it. They're relentless, so we've got our work cut out for us. We know that. We have to be on our Ps and Qs offensively. We have to execute the right way. We have to be detailed every single play. It's a great group up there."
"Verse is one of the more violent edge rushers I've seen on tape so far this year," Johnson said. "He does a great job turning speed into power. He'll take a tackle and go right down the middle of him and take him right into the lap of the quarterback. The interior, they are relentless. They're not only talented, but the fact that they do it play-in and play-out and don't take any plays off, that makes it very difficult because you've got to bring it every single snap. You can't have any lapses up front, otherwise they'll make you pay."
The Rams led the NFL in fewest points allowed per game (16.3) through Week 12. But they have permitted an average of 28.3 points since Week 13, including their wild card win, and have yielded at least 27 points in four of their last five outings.
Key matchup: Bears right tackle Darnell Wright vs. Rams edge rusher Byron Young
The former college teammates at Tennessee in 2021-22 will reunite in the trenches, where they've both become among the NFL's top players at their respective positions. This season Darnell Wright was named Associated Press second-team All-Pro, while Byron Young was voted to his first career Pro Bowl.
When the Rams have the ball
Veteran Matthew Stafford quarterbacks an offense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL in points (30.5) and total yards (394.7). The 17th-year pro is the favorite to win the league's MVP award after leading all passers with 4,707 yards and a career-high and Rams record 46 TDs, 12 more than anyone else. His 46-to-8 TD-to-interception ratio was also the best in the NFL.
"He's fundamentally sound, and so when you talk about the footwork, it starts there with him," Johnson said. "But then as you talk about an experienced player that sees the field really well, he understands defenses. He knows how to manipulate defenses. He's got a great feel for the game and that translates to everything he does every single week."
Stafford has excelled while working with coach Sean McVay. The Rams won the Super Bowl in their first year together in 2021 and have reached the playoffs for the third straight season. Stafford has passed for at least 200 yards and two TDs in all eight career postseason games he's started with Los Angeles.
"They get into really good football plays against whatever defense that you're into," Johnson said. "That's a credit to the head coach and play-caller, but also Matthew has a lot to do with that because he's got complete control of everything that's going on, and so it's no wonder that they're scoring so many points."
The Rams feature a potent receiving tandem in Puka Nacua, who led the league with 129 receptions; and Davante Adams, who topped NFL receivers with 14 TDs. The two combined for 15 catches for 183 yards and one TD in their wild card win at Carolina.
Nacua has averaged 108.3 yards in four career playoff games and his 95.3-yard average in the regular season is the best in NFL history.
"He does everything," said safety Kevin Byard III. "They throw him screens, intermediate routes, deeper routes. His hands are incredible. He's also a willing blocker. They send him out there to dig out the safeties, which most No. 1 receivers aren't really doing. It's just the toughness that I see from him, and he's one of those guys that like a running back, they get better and better the more touches they get."
The Rams ranked seventh in the NFL in rushing, averaging 126.6 yards per game. Kyren Williams ran for 1,252 yards and 10 TDs on 259 carries, while Blake Corum added 746 yards and six TDs on 145 attempts.
The Bears defense led the league with 33 takeaways and 23 interceptions this season but ranked 23rd in points allowed per game (24.4) and 29th in total yards (361.8). The unit produced at least one takeaway in its final 10 regular season contests but didn't force any turnovers last Saturday night versus Green Bay.
The Bears are 9-0 when generating multiple takeaways and 3-6 with one or none, while the Rams are 0-3 when they commit at least two turnovers and 13-2 with one or none.
Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions and cornerback Nahshon Wright topped the league with eight takeaways, tying for first with three fumble recoveries and tying for second with five interceptions.
Key matchup: Bears defensive end Montez Sweat vs. Rams right tackle Warren McClendon Jr.
Sweat led the Bears this season with 10.0 sacks and was credited with three of the defense's eight quarterback hits last weekend versus Green Bay. On Sunday night, he'll be opposed by McClendon, who has excelled in place of injured veteran Rob Havenstein after opening the season as the Rams' swing tackle. McClendon made 10 regular-season starts and was named his team's most improved player by Pro Football Focus.
Fun facts
- Both head coaches in Sunday night's game—Johnson (5/11/86) and McVay (1/12/86)—were born shortly after the Bears and Rams last met in the playoffs in the 1985 NFC Championship Game.
- This season, the Bears (127) and Rams (125) finished second and third in the NFL, respectively, in explosive plays, which consist of 20+-yard passes and 10+-yard runs.
- Sunday night's game will feature the largest age difference in a head-to-head postseason matchup between quarterbacks both selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Stafford is 37 years old and Williams is 24.
- Williams is 3-3 when trailing by 10-plus points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter this season; all other NFL quarterbacks are a combined 3-151 in those situations.
