The Los Angeles Rams will travel to Chicago to take on the Bears on Sunday in the final game of the NFL’s divisional round. The Rams boast the most complete roster and coaching staff in football, yet they underperformed this season, finishing 12–5 and failing to win their own division. They let games slip away in all five losses and realistically could have gone undefeated when examining how each loss unfolded.
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Meanwhile, the Bears went 11–6 and captured their division, a surprising outcome for a team many expected to finish last before the season began. Chicago won eight one-score games and pulled off several highly improbable late-game comebacks. That trend continued in their wild card matchup against Green Bay, as the Bears rallied from a 21–3 halftime deficit and a 21–6 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Despite their late-game magic, the Bears were not an eye-popping statistical team during the regular season. Chicago ranked 10th offensively and 17th defensively, while the Rams finished first in offense and sixth in defense. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford posted the best statistical season of his career at age 37, a performance that coincided with the strongest supporting cast he has ever had.
Even with Los Angeles holding clear advantages on paper, both in roster talent and team statistics, the Rams have consistently played down to their competition throughout the year. A blocked field goal, an ill-timed interception, a fumble, or a defensive breakdown has repeatedly cost them in losses. That pattern nearly resurfaced in the wild card round, when LA barely escaped with a 34–31 win over a Carolina Panthers team that finished the regular season with a losing record. If the Rams are not careful, this tendency could finally catch up to them against a Bears team that has seen everything go right in the biggest moments and thrives late in close games.
