The Los Angeles Rams walked into Soldier Field with everything on the line. All that chicken broth and hot chocolate to keep the players warm in frigid Chicago weather did the magic. The game was forced into overtime with a fantabulous touchdown pass from quarterback Caleb Williams with less than 27 seconds on the clock to tie the score 17-17. Despite the result going in the Rams’ favor, head coach Sean McVay didn’t seem happy about his decision-making.

While facing the media, McVay owned his mistakes and called it “bad coaching.” In that same breath, he hinted at losing trust in Matthew Stafford’s offense.

“It was tough, but I thought what was great was, hey, we can’t do anything about it,” he said at the press conference on Sunday night. “Go on to the next play. Here we are in overtime. That happened then and is done with. And we always talk about being in the moment, being totally and completely present.”

After that, McVay went even deeper and turned the blame fully inward.

“I was really kicking myself because I felt like when we possessed the ball first and I had mentioned it, I thought that possession was going to really cost us. And there’s no excuse for that. I have to be better for our group. I will be better for our group.”

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Finally, when you break it all down, the mistake is clear. McVay chose to run the ball on third down late in the fourth quarter. In that moment, he took the ball out of Stafford’s hands, and that decision nearly cost the Rams everything.

“I make a terrible third down in one call. No excuse for that; should have used the timeout,” he added. 

The Rams offense apparently never found rhythm against the Bears defense. After a touchdown in the opening possession that saw 14 plays, the offense could only rack up 174 yards by the end of the third quarter. Despite that, McVay kept leaning on Matthew Stafford’s arm. The veteran completed 20 of 42 passes for 258 yards and absorbed four sacks.

These numbers were quick to grab the attention of experts and football fans.

Warren Sharp Football did not hold back, posting on X, “This is insane playcalling from McVay in the first half. 27 Stafford dropbacks. 7 RB runs. In a game the Rams led or were tied for 29 of 30 minutes in the 1st half. McVay is shook. Blake Corum has 1 rush attempt? This is crazy.”

That critique echoed loudly back in the City of Angels. Here’s a quick breakdown of what happened in the game.

Sean McVay’s Rams survived close overtime

Things were quite intense in the fourth quarter as both sides stared at a season-defining moment. Sean McVay’s Rams briefly looked in control when Kyren Williams punched in a five-yard score to the right, and Harrison Mevis added the extra point to make it 17-10 with 8:50 left. Late in regulation, Caleb Williams found Cole Kmet on a short throw for 14 yards, and Cairo Santos calmly knocked in the extra point. With that, the game was tied at 17-17.

Then, overtime flipped the mood fast. On the Bears’ first possession, Kam Curl stepped in front of a deep throw and ripped the air out of the stadium. From there, Matthew Stafford went to work, hitting Puka Nacua on a 16-yard completion to push the Rams into range. Soon after, Mevis drilled a 42-yard field goal to end it.

After that, the numbers told a messy but honest story. Wide receiver Puka Nacua settled for 56 receiving yards after his big night against Carolina, while Kyren Williams carried the load with 87 rushing yards and two scores. Meanwhile, Stafford failed to throw a touchdown for the second time in his career and the first time in the playoffs for the Rams.

“I definitely didn’t get into a great rhythm today,” Stafford said after the game. “There’s no question about that. I had some opportunities in the pass game, just some things that made it tough. Obviously, I could be better.”

He added that last year’s defeat in freezing cold was quite painful but a playoff game win at Soldier Field definitely feels like an achievement.

On the other side, Caleb Williams threw for two touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions, finishing 23 of 42 for 257 yards as the Bears came up short under Ben Johnson.

All in all, there is no time to cling back to the past. The Rams now head north to face their NFC West rivals in Seattle next Sunday, chasing their first conference title game appearance since the 2021 Super Bowl run. Rams Nation knows survival was just step one.