CHICAGO (AP) — Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay shot knowing glances at each other, then went to work on the drive that got the Los Angeles Rams one step away from the Super Bowl.
Stafford and the Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 on Sunday night to advance to the NFC championship game.
Harrison Mevis kicked a 42-yard field goal in OT after Kam Curl intercepted a deep pass by Williams on the Bears’ first possession of the extra period. Stafford glanced at his coach prior to the winning drive, then completed three passes for first downs — including a 16-yarder to Puka Nacua to get the Rams into field-goal range.
“I looked right at Sean, he looked right at me,” Stafford said. “And I’m like, ‘Here we go.’ That’s what it’s all about. What an unbelievable job by our defense today, getting us the ball over and over again. Whether it be fourth-down stops or turnovers, they were clutch and timely.”
So was Mevis.
The “Thiccer Kicker,” as he’s known, ended the Bears’ season. Teammates mobbed him while a crowd that was rocking earlier watched in near silence at the conclusion of a cold, snowy night.
The Rams (14-5) will visit NFC West rival Seattle next Sunday in their first trip to the conference championship game since the 2021 team won the Super Bowl. The Seahawks beat San Francisco 41-6 on Saturday.
“It was like, all right, the football gods are smiling on us,” McVay said. “The weather had calmed down. There wasn’t a lot of wind right there. … I was really happy for him, and I was very confident that he would make that.”
Los Angeles led 17-10 in the final minute of regulation and the Bears faced fourth-and-4 from the 14-yard line when Williams backpedaled to avoid the pass rush and heaved the ball to Cole Kmet for the tying touchdown with 18 seconds left. Although officially a 14-yard pass, the ball traveled 51.2 yards in the air, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Bears coach Ben Johnson thought about trying for a go-ahead 2-point conversion but decided to send out Cairo Santos for the extra point.
Williams threw for two touchdowns but was intercepted three times as the Bears (12-7) — who pulled off seven fourth-quarter comeback wins in Johnson’s first season — came up short this time. They won the NFC North after finishing last in the division a year ago.
“Our guys are feeling it right now,” Johnson said. “They all believed, man. They all believed that we could find a way to win each and every week. And so it’s disappointing like that. I’m proud of the group. It’s a special group.”
Fireworks in the fourth
Stafford led a 91-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, with Kyren Williams scoring from the 5 to give the Rams a 17-10 lead with 8:50 remaining. Nacua kept the possession going on the previous play with a 2-yard run on fourth-and-5.
The Bears then drove to the 2, but Omar Speights broke up Williams’ fourth-down pass to Luther Burden just inside the goal line.
Chicago got the ball back at midfield with just under two minutes remaining after Ethan Evans shanked a 33-yard punt, setting up Williams’ heroics.
Overtime gets off to slow start
In overtime, the Bears won the toss and deferred. They quickly got the ball back when the Rams went three-and-out. Los Angeles was forced to punt after Blake Corum got stopped for a 1-yard loss on third-and-1 at the 36.
Chicago took over at the 16. Williams kept the drive going with a 3-yard keeper on fourth-and-1 near midfield. But Curl picked off Williams’ pass intended for DJ Moore two plays later.
Stafford was 20 of 42 for 258 yards and took four sacks. Nacua had 56 yards receiving after going for 111 in a wild-card win over Carolina, and Kyren Williams ran for 87 yards and two scores.
“I definitely didn’t get into a great rhythm today, there’s no question about that,” said Stafford, who sprained the index finger on his throwing hand against the Panthers. “I had some opportunities in the pass game, just some things that made it tough. Obviously, I can be better. But playoff football is about winning the football game.”
Caleb Williams completed 23 of 42 passes for 257 yards. Moore had a touchdown catch, and D’Andre Swift ran for 76 yards.
“In these moments you feel that you let your team down, you feel this and that,” Williams said. “It’s a good lesson learned for us, first time being in this situation for me and for us as a team. I’m excited for what’s to come, but obviously going to go back and watch this and see how I can be better.”
Injuries
Rams: CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (shoulder) was hurt in the first half.
Bears: TE Colston Loveland (concussion) exited late in regulation.
Up next
Rams: Los Angeles and Seattle split two close games in the regular season, with the home team winning each time.
