NFL

Rams-Bears NFL divisional playoff preview: Will Caleb Williams need another comeback against Matthew Stafford?

ballervisions 2026年1月16日

The Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears are both coming off exciting finishes in the NFL’s wild card round. Now, they’re building one of the most intriguing playoff matchups, between a Bears team riding high on their first playoff win since the 2010 season and the perennially competitive Rams.

The Bears are the home team, but it was the Rams who posted the better record during the regular season. They just had the misfortune of playing in the snake pit that is the NFC West, where three different teams finished at least 12-5.

This season’s Rams feature an MVP favorite in Matthew Stafford, the NFL’s receiving leader in Puka Nacua and a defense with two Pro Bowl rushers in Byron Young and Jared Verse. They’ll face a Bears team riding the Caleb Williams breakout streak and enjoying the quick success of first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

What happened last week?

The Bears won with a cathartic comeback against the Green Bay Packers, while the Rams survived a bad bid from the Carolina Panthers.

Chicago entered the fourth quarter of its wild card game trailing 21-6. It sounds like a classic fan base script, with months of promise erased by a Packers team that just gets better. After that Williams left the book.

Chicago scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to beat Green Bay, with Williams leading three long touchdown drives to end the game. It is clear that it means a lot to the team.

As for the Rams, they’re going toe-to-toe with an overachieving Panthers team that plays with the kind of house money you get when you make the playoffs with an 8-9 regular season record. Los Angeles was clearly the better team early, but the Panthers got two big punches in the second quarter to open the upset.

The Rams finally held on, thanks to a clutch run from Stafford. However, they probably won’t be able to struggle like they did last weekend against a team like the Bears.

Chicago Rams-Bears weather forecast

The Bears and Rams are expected to see a maximum of 19 on Sunday at Soldier Field, which could be significant if either team plays in Los Angeles. The Rams haven’t played under conditions close to that this season.

Does that matter? You never want to overstate the impact of the weather on professional football players, but we’ll see how the cold weather affects the NFL’s greatest passing offense, the Rams. However, Stafford also posted 324 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in last year’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which was also played in cold conditions.

Health update

Stafford sprained his right index finger in the win over the Panthers, but stayed in the game and later said he was “good to go” in the Bears game. That fueled the practice report this week, with Stafford playing a full part in Wednesday’s practice.

The only LA players not on the full roster Wednesday were forward Poona Ford (elbow injury), right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle injury) and linebacker Darious Williams (DNP for personal reasons). All three of those players are starters, and Dotson is trying to bounce back after missing a month.

The Bears had two of their most productive wide receivers, DJ Moore (knee) and Rome Odunze (foot), both limited Wednesday. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin was also limited with a back injury and cornerback Nick McCloud was sidelined with a groin injury.

Cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson was active after sitting out last weekend’s Packers game with a concussion.

Great coaches

Following John Harbaugh’s exit from the Baltimore Ravens and Mike Tomlin’s exit from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rams’ Sean McVay was suddenly tied for the second longest tenured coach in the NFL. It’s been a great time so far.

McVay has a 9-5 career record in the postseason and a Super Bowl ring for the 2021 season. As long as he has a quarterback like Stafford and enough talent, he knows he’s going to have a dangerous offense. He is backed by defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who has done a good enough job this season that he has received offers to interview for four NFL head coaching jobs.

On the other side is Ben Johnson, who enjoyed victory in his first finals game as a head coach last weekend. Prior to his hire with the Bears, Johnson spent three seasons as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, scoring at least 24 points in four of his playoff games.

A key player for the Rams

The Rams’ defensive front will have their hands full with Williams, and no player will have more of a burden than Verse.

Getting to Williams is one thing, and it’s possible when you consider that he’s second in the NFL in throwing time at 3.24 seconds, per Pro Football Focus. The other side of the coin is the same. He ranks fifth in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 382, per PFF. Verse is the key seven for the Rams, and will be the key to limiting Williams’ damage.

The main player for the Bears

As of Dec. 1, Nacua averages 15.4 targets and 134.5 receiving yards per game. Other than starting running back Kyren Williams, no other Ram comes within 1,000 yards of his offense. So the Bears’ top cornerback will be very important.

Enter Jaylon Johnson. The Bears’ cornerback had an up-and-down night against the Packers and suddenly has what could be the toughest assignment in the league this weekend. If Stafford and Nacua aren’t spooked by the cold, how Johnson does against Nacua could decide the game.

Betting market watch

The Rams have been the top power-weighted team for most of the season, which is reflected in this lineup. Los Angeles opened as a 4- or 4.5-point favorite over the Bears, but the respectable money dropped that to -3.5. Weather will be a factor, with possible snow and wind, causing the total to drop from 51.5 to 48.5. The Rams didn’t particularly impress in their win over the Panthers last weekend, while we’re not sure if we’ll get a first- or second-half version of the Bears. If it’s a second half version, Chicago can win this game; if it’s a 21-3 loss in Green Bay, it could be a long, cold night at Soldier Field for Bears fans. – Ben Fawkes

Check out other options at Ben Yahoo Sports betting hub.

Prediction

Bears are domestic and you would think they are better equipped to navigate the temperature. However, the Rams have been the better team all season, with a defensive front that can contain Caleb Williams. The Bears have had an exciting back-to-back winning season, but the Rams have more experience in these situations and should be able to hold their own, assuming Stafford is healthy and not frozen out.

Rams 17, Bears 10