Chicago Bears updates: Playoff run ends in heartbreaking OT loss against Rams

Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles 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 completed a 16-yard pass to Puka Nacua to get the Rams into field-goal range and set up Mevis, known as the "Thiccer Kicker," for the game-ending kick. He was mobbed by teammates while a crowd that was rocking earlier watched in near silence.

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.

Los Angeles led 17-10 in the final minute 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.

Williams threw for two touchdowns but was intercepted three times for the Bears (12-7), who pulled off a series of improbable wins under first-year coach Ben Johnson but came up short this time.

The game was heartbreaking for devoted Bears fans who braved frigid temperatures at Soldier Field.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson challenged Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to a friendly wager on Sunday.

Both mayor agreed to, when the Bears win tonight, Chicago's very own Eli's Cheesecake will send a super-sized "Bear Down"-themed cheesecake to Los Angeles and Mayor Bass.

Should the Rams win in the subfreezing weather, Los Angeles's Cielito Lindo will send some of their famous taquitos to Chicago.

Chicago is a city full of excitement as the Bears-Rams matchup is just a few hours away.

Winter weather made for a chilly welcome at O'Hare Airport as Los Angeles Rams fans converged on Chicago.

"Super excited about it, Rams all the way," Rams fan David Miller said. "I don't think the weather is much of a problem as people are making it out to be. We got this."

Temperatures at kickoff are promising to be in the teens for the divisional clash between the 12-6 Bears and the 13-5 Rams, leading some to say the weather could be a big factor.

California native Jon Nussbaum says both he and his beloved team can handle the cold.

"Well I went to REI yesterday and found out most of the stuff is returnable, so hopefully that'll work, and I think I have everything I need for returning on Monday," Nussbaum said. "I'll follow this team anywhere."

Chicago is all about the Bears and their chance of victory as they march toward a Super Bowl. The last Bears team to bring home the trophy was the '85 Bears.

From Soldier Field lighting up orange and blue, to people snapping up Bears merchandizes at the Grandstand Sportswear Store, the city is all in.

While Bears fans look forward to Sunday night's game, they aren't the only ones anxious about the outcome. Diehards say when Chicago hands the Rams a loss, they'll take on the winner of the San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks contest.

"Oh I'm confident, I'm confident. We're not worried about the Seahawks," Jeff Cherukara, a 49ers fan in Chicago, said earlier in the day Saturday before their game. "I'm rooting for the Bears too, so next week we'll be at the game, Niners-Bears."

"We beat them two weeks ago we could beat them again we're excited we had a good season," Yonas Bogale, a Seahawks fan in Chicago, said earlier in the day Saturday before their game.

While some are already celebrating the storied season the Bears team has had, superfans like Greg Johnson say the Monsters of the Midway are going all the way.

"It doesn't matter if it's the Niners, it doesn't matter if it's the Seahawks," Johnson said. "Bear down. We're going to the Super Bowl."

Bears-Rams kickoff at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The Chicago Bears' playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams is now less than 24 hours away from starting.