The Los Angeles Rams are finally back where they were last season. LA was defeated by Philadelphia during the Divisional Round last season, snuffing out their hopes of making the NFC Championship game. Now the Rams are just one game away from the NFC title game and all that stands in their way is the Bears.
Chicago may be one of the few teams in the NFL that LA does not want to meet in the playoffs.
Rams head coach Sean McVay admitted that defending against Bears QB Caleb Williams will be a “nightmare” this weekend.
“Just playmaking ability,” McVay said when asked about defending Williams on Monday. “His ability to be able to make plays within the pocket, drive the ball to all parts of the field, but then be able to extend plays [and] keep his eyes down the field and be able to make unbelievable throws off platform or create with his legs.”
If the Rams have one vulnerability, it could be teams that can fight from behind like the Bears. of LA's five losses this season, two of them featured the Rams blowing a lead in the second half.
Does that suggest that LA is vulnerable to teams coming from behind and beating them?
Below we will explain why the Rams need to blow out the Bears to prevent themselves from being eliminated from the playoffs.
Bears have been the comeback kings of the 2025 season
It is no secret that Chicago has thrived on their come from behind victories in 2025.
Look no further than last week's playoff win against Green Bay for a prime example. In that contest, the Bears entered halftime down 21-3 against the Packers. The table was set for the Bears to be immediately sent home.
Instead, they outscored the Packers 28-6 during the final two quarters, with 25 of those points in the fourth quarter.
That kind of explosion of points has to worry the Rams. And it wasn't just one isolated incident.
Chicago also authored several comeback wins during the regular season. The Bears pulled off some impressive heroics against the Bengals, Giants, Vikings, and Packers. That is a big enough sample size for me to conclude that this is part of the DNA of Ben Johnson's regime in Chicago.
LA should also be concerned because they've blown a few games where they ended up losing control.
The Rams allowed 26 second-half points against the Eagles back in Week 3. They also collapsed in the second half during an epic duel with the Seahawks back in Week 16.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Rams learned from those crushing defeats.
How Rams can blow out the Bears, advance to NFC Championship game
So how do the Rams prevent themselves from becoming the next victim of a Bears' fourth-quarter comeback?
The best way to guarantee that it doesn't happen is to beat Chicago so thoroughly during the first three quarters that a comeback is impossible.
Simply put, blow them out.
I know, that is much easier said than done. But I can see a few ways that the Rams could set themselves up for success.
First, I think the Rams should dare the Bears to run the football as much as they want. LA could sit back in a two-high coverage shell and try to prevent Chicago from going over the top. That would force Williams and the Bears to dink and dunk their way down the field.
What I like about this approach is that it forces Williams and the Bears to succeed many times in a row before scoring points. If both teams end up playing that same style, LA is much better equipped to win.
One additional priority will be keeping Williams contained in the pocket. The Rams have the players to make this happen. It may not work on every play, but it will still be effective if it prevents Williams from playing too much hero ball.
So what about LA's offense? After all, blow outs tend to require a lot of points.
Not to be too simplistic about it, but just let Stafford win the game. The Rams are at a huge advantage if they let Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams take a ton of intermediate and deep shots down the field. If the Bears back off to take those shots away, punish them with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
It may be tempting to attempt a run-heavy offense that controls the clock and sucks the air out of the ball. That's not a bad strategy, and the Rams need to lean into that if it starts working.
But if the Rams really want to prevent a fourth-quarter comeback, they should pour on the points and never look back.
