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 for 13 yards. Two plays later, wide receiver Davante Adams caught a 12-yard pass. The Bears stripped the ball, but Adams’ knee was down.
The Rams then handed off twice to get to third-and-one at the Bears’ 7. After throwing incomplete, coach Sean McVay decided to go for it on fourth-and-one. A fly-sweep handoff to Nacua got two yards, and Williams’ five-yard run on the next play gave the Rams the lead.
The Bears drove to the Rams’ 5 on their next possession, aided by a 17-yard pass to wide receiver Rome Odunze on third-and-10 after which defensive end Jared Verse was called for roughing the passer.
Williams handed off to Swift for two yards, then one. On third-and-goal at the 2, Swift took a handoff right and tried to hurdle two Rams defenders to land in the end zone, only to get knocked down in midair. On fourth-and-goal at the 2, Williams looked for Burden on a short slant route to his left, but linebacker Omar Speights swatted the ball away.
‘‘We went out swinging,’’ Byard said. “So many times this year, Caleb makes a special play, and you’re just thinking it’s destiny that we’re going to win the game.
‘‘It just didn’t work out this time.’’
