Rams overcome frigid temperatures to beat Bears 20-17 in overtime thriller, punch ticket to NFC Title Game

Obscured by the swirling white and the wayward breath of Lake Michigan, Soldier Field looked less like an NFL stadium Sunday night and more like a shaken snow globe left in the hands of the football gods. 

The wind howled in tight circles at 20 miles per hour. The cold bit through pads and bones alike. Helmets glistened with frost. And by the end of it all, the Los Angeles Rams were still standing — survivors of an instant classic, victors of the 2026 NFC Divisional Round, and one win away from the Super Bowl.

The Rams outlasted the Chicago Bears, 20–17, in overtime, punching their ticket to the NFC Championship Game in Seattle next Sunday. It was brutal. It was beautiful. It was unforgettable.

They came prepared, or at least as prepared as anyone can be for a night like this. The Rams’ equipment staff hauled nearly 2,000 pounds of cold-weather gear into Chicago — bone broth, cayenne pepper, heaters, hand warmers, even wetsuits. Anything to keep circulation alive. Anything to fend off the elements.

But nothing could prepare them for what unfolded once the ball was kicked into the frozen night.

On Chicago’s opening possession, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams tested the wind and the Rams’ resolve. He never got the chance to settle in. Cornerback Cobie Durant — “The Land Shark” — undercut a throw and intercepted Williams at the goal line, stealing points and immediately setting the tone. In a game this cold, every inch mattered. Every mistake lingered longer.

Matthew Stafford responded by doing what he has done his entire career — controlling chaos. The Rams’ first drive was a masterpiece of patience: 14 plays, 85 yards, nearly seven minutes evaporated from the clock. Kyren Williams finished it with a four-yard touchdown run, churning through snow and bodies alike, giving Los Angeles an early 7–0 lead and a sense of rhythm in conditions designed to erase it.

Chicago answered with resolve. Williams, the former USC star playing on the biggest stage of his young career, engineered a 12-play, 80-yard march. Facing fourth-and-goal, season trembling in the balance even that early, he zipped a three-yard touchdown to DJ Moore to tie the game. Soldier Field exhaled. The Bears weren’t going anywhere.

By halftime, the game sat deadlocked at 10–10 — fitting for a night where neither team could fully escape the other or the elements. The wind knocked down throws. The ball slipped loose. Footing vanished without warning. It was football stripped to its rawest form.

The third quarter passed like a held breath, both defenses digging in, both offenses searching for answers. Then early in the fourth, the Rams finally found theirs.

Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse knifed through on third-and-one to stonewall Chicago and force a punt.

Sean McVay sensed the moment. What followed was a drive that felt like defiance — 14 plays, 91 yards, a balanced blend of grit and guile. Stafford picked his spots. Kyren Williams punished the interior. And once again, Williams finished the job, plunging in for his second touchdown to give the Rams a 17–10 lead.

“The weather was a factor for both teams in terms of just being able to throw and catch,” said McVay after the game. “I love our resilience and resolve. I’m excited to be able to get a chance to work again.”

It should have been enough.

But the Bears had lived here all season. Seven comeback wins within two minutes or less. An 18-point resurrection against Green Bay just a week earlier. Chicago didn’t blink.

Facing fourth-and-four with their season slipping into the frozen turf, Caleb Williams delivered a moment that will live in franchise lore regardless of the outcome. Pressured immediately, he retreated — 10 yards, then 15, then 20 — before somehow planting, spinning, and floating a pass while falling backward into the snow. Cole Kmet cradled it in the back of the end zone. Touchdown. Pandemonium. Tie game.

It was the play of the night. Maybe the play of the season.

“That was crazy,” Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford said of Caleb Williams touchdown pass at the end of the fourth quarter. It was unbelievable to watch. What a play by Caleb to get it to overtime.”

Overtime arrived with breath visible and nerves frayed. The Rams went three-and-out, the door creaking open once more for Chicago. Williams converted two fourth downs, inching the Bears into field-goal range. Soldier Field was alive again.

Then Kam Curl said “it’s not over yet!”

Curl jumped the route on Williams’ deep throw to Moore that would have put the Bears in easy field goal range. The interception flipped the game on its head and sent the Rams’ sideline spilling onto the icy turf in disbelief. Another chance. One more breath.

“We played together and trusted each other,” said Curl of the play of the Rams’ secondary after the game. “We heard a little noise about our secondary. They were hating on us, but we came to prove what we can do. We can make plays and win games for this team.”

Stafford, calm as ever, delivered the throw that mattered most — a laser on third-and-six to Puka Nacua, slicing through the wind and the moment.

The Rams moved into range. Harrison Mevis lined it up. The kick cut through the frozen air and ended it.

Ballgame.

“That’s why we play this game. Preferably [Stafford] gets in the end zone, but if it has to come down to me, i’ll be ready for my moment,” said Mevis of his game-winning field goal.

Cobie Durant finished with two interceptions. Curl had the one that sealed it. Kyren Williams carried the offense with 87 yards and two scores. Stafford delivered when precision felt impossible, throwing for 258 yards and no interceptions. The defense forced three turnovers. Together, they turned Soldier Field into a proving ground.

Last year, in similar cold and snow, the Rams came up short in Philadelphia. This time, they refused to let winter have the final word.

As the snow settled and the wind kept circling, Los Angeles walked off into the night — battered, breathless, and bound for Seattle. One game from the Super Bowl. One game closer to something timeless.

“This is playoff football. It was a hell of a home field advantage. We stuck together as a team and found a way to win a game as a team on the road in really tough conditions,” said Stafford after the victory. “We made the plays when we needed to make them. That’s what it’s all about. I would have loved to throw for 450 yards and four touchdowns, but we found a way to win a game. We survived and advanced, and we’ll be ready for next week.”

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