Following their 34-31 wild-card win over the Panthers, the Rams will travel to Chicago for the divisional round to take on the Bears. Kickoff on Sunday from Soldier Field is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. pacific time on NBC and Peacock.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Bears.
Notable Bears additions
- Selected former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland 10th overall in the first round of this year's draft. Loveland has been deployed similarly to the way Chicago head coach Ben Johnson used Sam LaPorta in Detroit, and his emergence over the second half of the season has played a big role in what the Bears' offense has become.
- Selected former Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai 233rd overall in the seventh round of this year's draft. A strong complement to D'Andre Swift, Monangai got the rest of the league's attention when he rushed for 176 yards against the Bengals in Week 9 and 130 against the Eagles in Week 13.
Top performers in the Wild Card round
Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 24 of 48 pass attempts for 361 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions in the Bears' 31-27 home win over the Packers. Williams' second touchdown, a 25-yarder to wide receiver D.J. Moore, became the game-winner.
Swift led Chicago's backfield with 13 carries for 54 yards and one touchdown.
Loveland led all Bears receivers with eight catches for 137 yards.
Defensive end Austin Booker paced Chicago's defense with six total tackles, one sack and two QB hits.
On special teams, kicker Cairos Santos made all three field goal attempts and both extra point attempts. The Bears did not punt against the Packers.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
If anyone has an appreciation for the relationship between a team's play-calling head coach and its quarterback, it's certainly been the Rams since the pairing of Sean McVay with Matthew Stafford in 2021.
Similarly, that rapport between Johnson and Williams has been a big part of the Bears' success this season. Look no further than how emotional Williams got before tossing a game ball to Johnson in the locker room postgame at Soldier Field last week.
Two of the game's most innovative offensive minds, plus two of the league's most exciting quarterbacks this season, makes for a fun matchup.
Meanwhile, if McVay's optimism about offensive lineman Kevin Dotson playing on Sunday holds, it would be a big boost to the run game. Dotson's 89.3 run blocking grade for the 2025 season ranked third-highest among qualifying guards, but the eye test also tells you just how much of a difference-maker he's been in both phases when he's out there.
