Le Journal

The Bears’ defense, a group battered by injuries and unsteady play, delivered arguably its best performance of the season Sunday against the Rams in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.It wasn’t enough, however, as quarterback Matthew Stafford led a drive for a field goal in overtime to lift the Rams to a 20-17 victory and end the Bears’ season.The defense had struggled to get a consistent pass rush or to stop the run, but it did reasonably well at both against the NFL’s No. 1 offense. The Bears held the Rams below their league-leading averages of 30 points and 394 yards per game in the regular season.“That’s part of the shame of it: Our defense played their tails off,” coach Ben Johnson said. “They really did. [The Rams] have weapons all over the place ... and our guys played hard throughout that game and had us in it the whole time.” Related Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, an unrestricted free agent, ‘for sure’ wants to re-sign The defense was all over Stafford, the favorite to win NFL MVP, from the start. He finished with one of his worst lines of the season at 20-for-42 for 258 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and a 67.4 passer rating.Defensive end Montez Sweat sacked Stafford and knocked the ball loose in the middle of the second quarter, and safety Jaquan Brisker sacked him on a blitz two plays later. Nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon got Stafford later in the quarter, and defensive end Dominique Robinson sacked him in the third.The four sacks were the second-most by the Bears this season, trailing only their five against the Browns last month.The defense also held its own against Rams running back Kyren Williams, who carried 19 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns but averaged only 4.1 yards per carry. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry, which was eighth in the NFL, during the regular season.The Bears forced a punt on eight of the Rams’ 12 full possessions. Brisker led the team with 14 tackles, followed by linebackers D’Marco Jackson and Tremaine Edmunds with seven each. Latest on the Bears Bears Bears will have 25th pick in this year's draft Their season-ending loss to the Rams on Sunday night locked in their draft position. [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Patrick Finley read Bears Bears coach Ben Johnson: 'Shame' to waste great defensive performance in 20-17 playoff loss to Rams The Bears held the Rams below their season averages for points and yards and shut down stars Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Jason Lieser read Bears Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, an unrestricted free agent, 'for sure' wants to re-sign Brisker said that’s not entirely up to him, though, and when asked if he’ll be back, he said, “We will see.” [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Jason Lieser read

A man was fatally shot in West Pullman on Sunday, police said.The man, 37, was in his vehicle in the 100 block of East 118th Place about 9:30 p.m. when someone fired shots, striking him multiple times in the body, according to Chicago police.He was pronounced dead at the scene.No one is in custody, and detectives are investigating.

Now that the Bears' season is over after losing to the Rams 20-17 in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday, they have big free-agent decisions ahead. One of the most notable names heading to free agency is safety Jaquan Brisker, a 2022 second-round draft pick who has been a starter all four seasons.Brisker was down after the game, regretting the missed opportunity, and said, "The team will look different, and it’s sad because this was a special group. I really care about my teammates and my coaches and this city, and who knows what’s next?” Related Bears coach Ben Johnson: ‘Shame’ to waste great defensive performance in 20-17 playoff loss to Rams That prompted the question of whether he'd be back, to which he replied, "We will see. Hopefully I am, but if not and the grass is greener [elsewhere], God has my back.”Brisker said he "for sure" wants to be a Bear, but that is not totally in his hands.He missed 12 games last season, mostly because of a concussion, but other than that started 15 games each of his first two seasons and all 17 this season. He had 93 tackles, an interception and a sack this season. Latest on the Bears Bears Bears will have 25th pick in this year's draft Their season-ending loss to the Rams on Sunday night locked in their draft position. [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Patrick Finley read Bears Bears coach Ben Johnson: 'Shame' to waste great defensive performance in 20-17 playoff loss to Rams The Bears held the Rams below their season averages for points and yards and shut down stars Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Jason Lieser read Bears Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, an unrestricted free agent, 'for sure' wants to re-sign Brisker said that’s not entirely up to him, though, and when asked if he’ll be back, he said, “We will see.” [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Jason Lieser read

It’s ludicrous to suggest it didn’t even matter what happened after the play of the year in this remarkable, inimitable Bears season — in all the NFL, really — but in a way, it didn’t.The play, the moment, the damn-near-a-miracle was that special. That promising. That perfect.You all saw it. Hell, you all probably heard it. Who didn’t? On fourth-and-heartbreak for the Bears, needing four yards from the Rams’ 14 with 27 seconds to go or it was season over, quarterback Caleb Williams collected a shotgun snap at the 19, dropped back, back some more, glimpsed a pair of pass rushers steaming in, spun to his right, saw even more danger coming fast, spun out again, backpedaled all the way to the 40 — the 40! — let fly to the end zone and …Goodness, this Bears journey, the gift that wouldn’t stop giving.Until it finally did. The Bears lost to the Rams — a more complete team, more cut out for winning a Super Bowl, but not a damn bit more exciting to behold — 20-17 in overtime in a divisional playoff game at Soldier Field.It’s over. Maybe wildness like this was the only way it could end.But back to that play. Of course a heave so desperate, so unlikely to end well, found a home in tight end Cole Kmet’s hands for the biggest Bears touchdown since Devin Hester ran back a kickoff in the Super Bowl. Of course the Bears somehow tied it up. Of course they didn’t go quietly. Of course they smacked on their comeback hat until the last dust of magic came out.“Our guys fought the entire way,” coach Ben Johnson said, “just like they have all season long.” CALEB WILLIAMS YOU ARE RIDICULOUS📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/2zphVCnNbd— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 19, 2026 The Bears went further this season than most anyone had clear reasons to believe they would. Improbably, they won the NFC North. Deliciously, they beat the Packers in a playoff game. Undeniably, they flashed such gathering strength — at coach, at quarterback, at hanging in there, at finishing strong — that it feels more like the start of something than a conclusion.It could have gone so much worse after wide receiver Rome Odunze dropped what should have been a touchdown catch on the opening possession of the game, leading to no points and a Williams interception. Especially because the Rams took over and, led by future Hall of Fame QB Matthew Stafford, drove 85 yards for a touchdown.But the Bears answered with 12 plays, 80 yards and seven points of their own and it was game on.In the third quarter, the score 10-10, the Rams picked off Williams for a second time and took possession at the 50, the best starting field position all night for either team. Trouble? Only if you’d consider the Rams not gaining a single inch trouble. End Montez Sweat pressured Stafford on first down, cornerback Kyler Gordon stuck to star receiver Puka Nacua like glue on third down, and in between Stafford airmailed an incompletion. Three-and-out? At this point, getting to the NFC Championship Game seemed ever so possible.And in the fourth quarter, after the Bears, trailing 17-10, were stopped on downs at the Rams’ 2, they got the stop they had to have with two minutes left on the clock. Then Williams threw an 18-yard dart to tight end Colston Loveland, and running back D’Andre Swift rumbled for 13, and wideout Luther Burden III caught a ball. Sure, the clock was melting. Isn’t that when things go best for this team?It all set up Williams to make that play, and we’ll remember it for longer than we’ll remember any of the details of a disappointing loss that came after it.The Rams can worry about going to Seattle and facing the Seahawks, who might be close to unbeatable. The Bears will lick their wounds and look forward to what’s coming for themselves.Once upon a time — 40 years ago — the Bears shuffled to their only Super Bowl win. You’ve probably heard about that by now. But the season before it, their trajectory changed dramatically. They dominated the division, set an all-time record for sacks and made it…

They call Bears quarterback Caleb Williams ‘‘Iceman.’’ Rearrange the letters, however, and you find a more apt description for the Bears’ 20-17 playoff loss Sunday to the Rams in a Soldier Field snow globe: ‘‘Cinema.’’’It was out of a movie, a thriller that turned from a feel-good hit into a heartbreaker in overtime. Williams, who had done the improbable all season, did it again Sunday. But it wasn’t enough.Blame his interception in overtime. The Bears had gotten to the Rams’ 48 when Williams’ deep shot to wide receiver DJ Moore was picked off by safety Kam Curl at the 22. Williams chalked it up to ‘‘just a miscommunication’’ between him and Moore. He thought Moore, who was running a crosser from left to right, would flatten his route more toward the sideline.Six plays later, on third-and-six from the Bears’ 43, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford found wide receiver Puka Nacua for a 16-yard gain. Four plays later, after Bears coach Ben Johnson declined to take a timeout in an effort to ice him, Rams kicker Harrison Mevis made a 42-yard field goal to win the game.‘‘I thought he was going to miss the field goal and someway, somehow we’d win the game,’’ safety Jaquan Brisker said. ‘‘But it didn’t go like that.’’That the Bears even made it to overtime was a miracle. Trailing 17-10 and facing fourth-and-four at the Rams’ 14 with 27 seconds left in regulation, Williams was chased backward by a phalanx of defenders. When he ran out of options — and time — Williams planted his right foot and heaved the ball from the 40-yard line. Tight end Cole Kmet was the only Bears’ player on the left flank of the north end zone, with cornerback Cobie Durant, who had two interceptions, standing in front of him.‘‘I just wanted to give him my best ball and give him a shot,’’ Williams said.Williams’ throw sailed over Durant’s head and into Kmet’s arms.‘‘Just felt like a pop fly to center field,’’ said Kmet, a former Notre Dame baseball player.Soldier Field erupted in disbelief. A season full of improbable moments had produced the most unbelievable one of all.‘‘It was the most special throw I’ve ever seen,’’ said safety Kevin Byard, who just finished his 10th season. ‘‘That was insane. Left us speechless on the sideline.’’Johnson thought about going for two but settled for the extra point by Cairo Santos.‘‘Our goal-to-go situations hadn’t been very clean,’’ he said. ‘‘Our inside-the-five plan hadn’t worked out like we hoped. I just felt better about taking our chances in overtime.’’The Bears were 4-for-6 on third-and-one and 1-for-2 on fourth-and-one in the game.The Rams went three-and-out to start the extra period before Williams got the Bears past midfield, then threw his third interception. Taking over at their 22, the Rams went 54 yards on 10 plays to set up the winning kick.The Bears tying the score in regulation took a shanked 33-yard punt to give them the ball at midfield with 1:50 left and the Rams leading 17-10. The Bears were out of timeouts.An 18-yard pass to tight end Colston Loveland and a 12-yard run by running back D’Andre Swift got the Bears to the Rams’ 20. A six-yard pass to wide receiver Luther Burden made it second-and-four at the 14. After two incomplete passes, the Bears faced fourth down with 27 seconds left. That’s when Williams took the snap and began running backward.Williams went 23-for-42 for 257 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and a 59.3 passer rating.Entering the game, Williams had led the Bears to seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season, one off the all-time NFL record held by, among others, Stafford.The Bears’ defense harassed Stafford, the presumptive MVP favorite, most of the night. He finished 20-for-42 for 258 yards and a 67.4 passer rating and was sacked him four times.With the score tied 10-10 after the third quarter, tight end Colby Parkinson’s 35-yard catch-and-run moved the Rams from their 20 to the Bears’ 45. Three plays later, on third-and-six, Stafford threw a slant to Nacua on a blitz…