- WHERE: Soldier Field (Chicago)
- WHEN: 6:30 p.m. ET
- HOW TO WATCH: NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo, NFL+
The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams will meet in the postseason on Sunday for the first time since the 1985 NFC Championship in which Mike Ditka's team rolled, 24-0, en route to their Super Bowl XX victory.
Fun fact: Neither Sean McVay nor Ben Johnson was alive to see that playoff romp.
It's an entirely different NFL this time around, with McVay and Johnson epitomizing the offensive evolution. McVay and Johnson are two of three head coaches all-time to take over a team ranked last in total offense and lead them to the playoffs in their first season as head coach (Giants' Jim Fassel in 1997).
The 2025 Bears and Rams are led by offenses that can get hot in a hiccup. Each club ranked inside the top 10 in scoring and total offense during the regular season.
- L.A.: 30.5 PPG (1st), 394.7 total YPG (1st).
- Chicago: 25.9 PPG (9th), 369.5 total YPG (6th).
The two teams also ranked top three in big plays in 2025 (10-plus rush, 20-plus completion), with the Bears generating 127 and Rams earning 125 (behind only Buffalo's 129).
The Bears have scored 30-plus points in six games this season, including playoffs. The only two seasons in which Chicago generated more since 1967, they went to the Super Bowl: 1985 (7) and 2006 (8).
The Rams had four of their five losses come on the road in 2025 (at PHI, CAR, SEA, ATL). Only two wild-card teams have ever won the Super Bowl with a road win percent below .600 in that season (2010 GB with Aaron Rodgers and 1997 DEN with John Elway).
Three must-know storylines
1) Can Caleb Williams, Bears offense sustain excellence for four quarters?
At this stage, no one questions Chicago's ability to furiously fight back. The epic 18-point wild card comeback against the Green Bay Packers marked the Bears' seventh win in 2025 when trailing in the final two minutes of regulation. That's two more such wins than any other team in a season, including playoffs, since 1983. Tied for No. 2 on that list is Matthew Stafford's 2016 Detroit Lions (5) -- the Tim Tebow-led Broncos in 2011 also earned five. To hang with the Rams, however, Williams and the offense must avoid the lulls that have led to the deficits. Williams has been money late in games on pivotal downs, generating seven passing TDs and a 128.5 passer rating on third down when trailing in 2025, including playoffs (both best in the NFL). The Rams defense enters Sunday's tilt vulnerable. L.A. has allowed 28.3 points per game since Week 13 (had the No. 1 scoring D from Weeks 1-12, 16.3 PPG). The Rams have allowed 27-plus points in five of their past seven games. The only two times they held opponents below that figure were matchups against the Arizona Cardinals (Weeks 14 and 18). I can picture Ben Johnson watching film of Bryce Young dice up the Rams secondary last week, seething with excitement about what his pass-game weapons could do Sunday at Soldier Field.
2) Will Stafford put up an MVP performance?
Matthew Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 passing TDs (career high). With weapons in Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and a trove of tight ends, to go along with a stellar RB combo in Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, the Rams' offense is a multi-threat beast. It all feeds off Stafford, who can use his vast array of arm angles and intelligence to puncture defenses. The MVP candidate has been money in the postseason, generating 200-plus passing yards and two-plus passing TDs in each of his last eight playoff games. The only player with a longer such streak since 1970 is Aaron Rodgers (nine games). The key Sunday will be turnovers. In four of the Rams' five losses this season, Stafford has turned the ball over at least once -- six INTs, two fumbles. The Bears' defense has lived off takeaways, leading the NFL with 33. During the regular season, Chicago went 2-6 with one or fewer forced turnovers (9-0 with 2-plus). If L.A. protects the ball, it can expose a Bears' D that ranked 29th in yards allowed (361.8) and yards per play (6.0), 27th in opposing rush yards (134.5) and 22nd in passing yards allowed (227.2).
3) Weather in the Windy City
Sunday evening's weather in Chicago is expected to dip between 10-15 degrees with wind gusts of 20-30 miles per hour, plummeting the wind chill below zero. The midwest cold has been a talking point this week, with the hometown club holding an advantage over the Southern California crew. Much has been made of Stafford's 1-9 record when playing in cold, rainy, or snowy conditions since joining the Rams. However, it's notable that while L.A. has gone 1-2 in games below 40 degrees with Stafford under center, he’s also thrown for 300-plus yards in the two losses. On paper, if conditions were perfect, this matchup would profile as a shootout. Games aren't played on paper, and the conditions will be far from perfect. Cold has a tendency to slow things to a crawl, but the wind could play a more important factor, making it harder for passing attacks. Just as significant will be how the cold and wind affect special teams. The Rams' special teams unit has already been a bugaboo for McVay's squad, and cost them even in ideal circumstances. Add in potential bad weather, and it could be a nightmare. Bears kicker Cairo Santos has been money at Soldier Field down the stretch. In the past four home games, he's made 7 of 8 field goal attempts, including both of his 50-plus yard tries, and connected on all seven of his PATs. He was perfect in the wild-card win last weekend. Meanwhile, Harrison Mevis has steadied the Rams' field goal unit, making 14 of 15 field goal attempts and all 43 of his PATs since taking over in Week 10. L.A. hasn't asked Mevis to hit from long range, attempting just one field goal of 50-plus yards. If the games come down to a long boot in windy conditions, will McVay trust the greenhorn? Fielding kickoffs and punts could also be an issue with the wind whipping. A special teams flub could turn the tide of a potential tight scuffle at Soldier Field.
Rams' Divisional Round injury report
| Player | Wed. practice | Thurs. practice | Fri. practice | Game status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darious Williams, CB (NIR-personal) | DNP | FP | ||
| Kevin Dotson, OL (ankle) | LP | LP | ||
| Poona Ford, NT (elbow) | LP | FP | ||
| Matthew Stafford, QB (right finger) | FP | FP | ||
| Xavier Smith, WR (wrist) | FP | FP | ||
| Josh Wallace, CB (ankle) | FP | FP | ||
| Terrance Ferguson, TE (hamstring) | FP | FP | ||
| Quentin Lake, S (foot) | FP | FP | ||
| Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (back) | --- | DNP |
Bears' Divisional Round injury report
| Player | Game status | Wed. practice | Thurs. practice | Fri. practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DB (concussion) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Braxton Jones, OL (knee) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Nick McCloud, DB (groin) | OUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| DJ Moore, WR (knee) | --- | LP | LP | FP |
| Rome Odunze, WR (foot) | QUESTIONABLE | LP | LP | FP |
| Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB (concussion) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
| Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB (back) | QUESTIONABLE | LP | FP | LP |
| Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, DL (concussion) | --- | FP | FP | FP |
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