Bears and Rams facing off in an absolutely freezing NFL playoff matchup

The Rams prepare to take the field before Sunday's game in Chicago.

What if it was 19 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of just seven. Single-digit degrees. Not nearly enough degrees, if you ask me.

The Los Angeles Rams have been practicing all week back home where it was in the 80s. So to steel themselves for the game in the Cold And Windy City, Rams players are adopting a range of warming tactics: scuba suits, hand warmers, and… cayenne pepper in the socks.

That’s according to the NBC broadcast’s sideline reporter Melissa Stark, who said seasoning your toes “keeps the blood flowing,” while brandishing a bottle of the store-bought spice.

There are a range of reasons I wouldn’t make it as an NFL player, and now you can add to the list an unwillingness to treat my feet like a dry-rubbed pork shoulder.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is pressured by D'Marco Jackson during the first quarter.

The Rams right here put on an absolute clinic on how to drive down the field and score in frigid conditions.

Matthew Stafford and Co. went on a methodical 14-play, 85-yard drive that culminated in a Kyren Williams four-yard score to take an early lead.

After a shaky first drive, can Caleb Williams and the Bears offense shake off the cold temps, possible finger injury and a pesky LA defense?

Score: Rams 7, Bears 0

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams reacts after throwing an interception on the opening drive of the game.

If there’s one thing Bears coach Ben Johnson is going to do, it’s go for it on fourth down.

So it’s no surprise that Caleb Williams was throwing downfield on fourth-and-two. We would never say it’s a bad strategy because we did that last weekend and look how that turned out.

But it did backfire on this particular instance, intercepted by Rams’ cornerback Cobie Durant.

As he jogged off the field, Bears QB Caleb Williams was holding his finger gingerly.

Scores: Bears 0, Rams 0

In weather conditions that look nearly identical to the wintery mix we saw at Foxborough earlier today, the Sunday nightcap is underway at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The Los Angeles Rams kicked off to the Chicago Bears to start the game, and Caleb Williams is trotting onto the field to lead his offense.

Score: Rams 0, Bears 0

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams drops back to pass during the win against Green Bay.

The Chicago Bears win games late. Quarterback Caleb Williams had an NFL-leading six fourth-quarter comebacks in the regular season.

The Bears start slow in games against their division rival Green Bay Packers. In two regular season matchups, the Bears finished the first half with just 3 and 0 points, respectively.

On Saturday night, the two teams clashed for the third time in five weeks. The game followed that same narrative arc – an almost self-defeating start for Chicago followed by fourth-quarter heroics from Williams. But watching it play out felt anything but predictable.

The first three quarters were defined for the Bears by aggressive but ultimately futile fourth down attempts, with the occasional field goal.

The Packers meanwhile scored three touchdowns in the first half to jump out to a 21-3 lead. But Green Bay’s offense fell apart in the second half, not only failing to reach the end zone again for the rest of the game but also, crucially, missing kicks that would come back to haunt them.

Packers kicker Brandon McManus reacts after missing a late field goal against the Bears.

Kicker Brandon McManus missed an extra point and a 44-yard field goal that, together, ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.

While the Packers offense was falling apart, the Bears came alive. In the final quarter of the game, they scored three touchdowns. Williams set a Bears postseason record with his 361 passing yards and set an NFL record with his seventh comeback in the final two minutes of the season.

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, but the Packers’ season ends to their longtime rival. Coming off three-straight last-place finishes in the division, the Bears are now poised to host a division round playoff game in head coach Ben Johnson’s first season in Chicago.

New England's K'lavon Chaisson hits C.J. Stroud on a first-half pass. The pass was intercepted by Marcus Jones and brought back for a touchdown.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the New England Patriots have found a way to get past the Houston Texans to set up an AFC conference championship matchup against the Denver Broncos.

With rain and then snow falling heavily in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Patriots beat the Texans 28-16 in front of a vociferous home crowd at Gillette Stadium.

While much has been said about New England’s offense, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, it was the defense that really sealed the deal for the Patriots in this divisional round win.

Stroud reacts after being tackled during the first half.

New England’s defense hurried and harried Houston’s C.J. Stroud as the quarterback struggled throughout the entire game.

The 24-year-old threw four interceptions, was sacked three times and completed just 20-47 passes on a disappointing night on the road.

And with the defense doing their job, Maye stepped up when it mattered.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye tries to elude a Texans defender.

Despite being sacked five times by an incredible Houston defense, Maye still managed to throw three touchdown passes to guide New England back to the conference championship.

With a Bo Nix-less Denver Broncos up next, Patriots fans might just be thinking that this year could be their year.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

Rams tight end Colby Parkinson celebrates after catching a late touchdown pass against the Panthers.

What a difference about a month and change make.

The Los Angeles Rams suffered a heartbreaking loss in Charlotte at the end of November but after Saturday’s 34-31 win over the Panthers, it’s safe to say that loss has been avenged.

It was truly a tale of two halves.

The Rams dominated much of the first but the Panthers fought back, scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter to cut it to a three-point game heading to halftime.

With Matthew Stafford appearing to be hampered by a hand injury, Carolina’s defense was able to shut him down for most of the second half.

And with that, came the Bryce Young show.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs for a touchdown late in the first half of the playoff game against the Rams.

The third-year quarterback was throwing all over the Rams typically stout defense and led the Panthers to a touchdown that gave them the lead early in the fourth quarter.

Both teams battled back-and-forth before Young found wide receiver Jalen Coker for a seven-yard touchdown to give Carolina a four-point lead with just under three minutes left.

He marched the offense down the field and capped it off with an incredible 19-yard throw to tight end Colby Parkinson, who made an acrobatic catch for the game-winning touchdown with seconds remaining.

But Stafford did what Stafford does – lead game-winning drives.

Young and the Panthers got the ball back with a little over 30 seconds left but it was too little, too late and the Rams will have a date with division rivals, the Seahawks in Seattle next week.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass in the second half against Carolina.

Matthew Stafford started the game against the Panthers on fire. The veteran quarterback marched the LA Rams down the field on their opening drive before finding Puka Nacua for the early touchdown.

The same duo then connected again for a second touchdown in the second quarter, but things dried up on offense for the Rams for a period and it seemed to all boil down to one incident.

Late in the first half, Stafford collided with Carolina’s D.J. Wonnum and appeared to injure his throwing hand.

And this incident hampered the 37-year-old. He was in pain through the rest of the game, though he said this week that it would be fine.

Something to certainly keep an eye on in the cold Chicago evening.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams celebrates after the wild playoff win against the Packers.

Last week, we wrote that if the Rams advanced, they could be the Super Bowl favorites. Advance, they did. Although the odds still give the edge to Seattle, the Rams are a very close second. Maybe they’re destined to duke it out officially against Seattle in the conference championship.

But first, they’ll serve as the proving ground for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears to demonstrate that their high-drama overperformance is a trick that they can turn to even against formidable foes.

Against their rival Green Bay Packers, the Bears won in increasingly classic-for-them fashion. Which is to say, Ben Johnson repeatedly went for it on fourth down, which often failed in maddening fashion but worked just often enough.

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore catches what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown pass against the Packers.

On top of that, Chicago fell behind early, trailing 21-6 through three quarters, only to rally for their seventh fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Williams held on the ball for what felt like too long at times, only to rattle off the kind of under-pressure passes that showcased the rare physical tools that made him the top overall draft pick in 2024.

After last weekend, the Bears are 3-3 when trailing by 10 points or more in the final five minutes of the game. The rest of the NFL combined is 3-158. That shouldn’t be a replicable skill.

But if it is? Watch out.

Patriots defenders celebrate after a fourth-quarter sack.

The game is all but over here in Foxborough as Stroud takes to the field for most likely the final time this season.

After a series of completions, the Texans are stopped as Stroud looks for Xavier Hutchinson on a deep ball.

The ball bounces out of Hutchinson’s hands and that’s that. Stroud leaves the field for the final time this season.

Maye comes on and kneels it out, and the Patriots are one game away from the Super Bowl!

Final Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

They couldn’t, could they?

Drake Maye fails to connect with tight end Austin Hooper and the Patriots punt the ball back to the Texans.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

Rhamondre Stevenson is rushing New England to the AFC conference championship.

The veteran running back has played his part to perfection in the fourth quarter against a tiring Texans defense and Houston is starting to run out of time.

With the snow tumbling down, the Patriots turned to Stevenson on four consecutive plays to take the game to the two-minute warning.

This must be game over.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga celebrates a second-half sack.

The Texans defense has again give their offense a shot to get back into this one, albeit a slim one.

CJ Stroud is opting to go no-huddle as it’s under the six-minute mark. And after he moves the chains on third-and-one, they are forced into another third down, but Stroud is sacked.

The Texans will… punt? With little time left, you’d expect them to go for it on fourth down, but maybe this Houston D is really that good.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson carries the ball in the fourth quarter.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be seeing a lot of this ball as time runs out in the fourth.

He’s not had the easiest of nights against a stubborn Houston defense, but it looks like the 27-year-old has come to play in the clutch.

The Patriots went to Stevenson on four-straight plays to start the drive as he powered his way through the Texans defense to two first downs.

With Stevenson off the field, New England went to his running back partner TreVeyon Henderson on the next two plays before Drake Maye found Stefon Diggs on a big third-down play.

But Houston’s defense wrestled back some momentum to force another punt from Bryce Baringer.

The Patriots, however, will be pleased with how that drive went with valuable minutes eaten up. The snow is truly coming down now.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

We’re approaching must-score territory for the Texans here, after that New England touchdown.

They begin the drive with a four-yard Woody Marks rush before CJ Stroud looks for Jayden Higgins on a deep shot, but the coverage is water tight from New England.

And on third-down, Stroud rolls right and his pass intended for Cade Stover fall incomplete, and the tight end looks injured on the play.

A very disappointing drive from Houston, and they are forced to punt it away.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte reaches for his one-handed touchdown catch.

Truly one of the best catches we’ve seen in this edition of the NFL playoffs. Here’s another great angle of the Kayshon Boutte catch.

Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte makes a one-handed touchdown catch in the second half.

Kayshon Boutte, take a bow.

The New England Patriots offense has been ice cold to start this second half but thanks to an outrageous catch from the 23-year-old receiver, the home team has extended their lead in this divisional round matchup.

With the snow falling at Gilette Stadium, Drake Maye launched the ball deep towards the end zone looking for Boutte.

The receiver flung himself through the air and miraculously held on to complete what could be a game-deciding one-handed catch.

It was always going to take something special to get one over this dogged Houston defense and the catch from Boutte was certainly that.

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is tackled by Anfernee Jennings, bottom, and Christian Elliss in the third quarter.

It is insane to think this is only a five-point game despite CJ Stroud’s horrid day at the office.

On a cold, rainy and snowy day at Gillette Stadium, Stroud is 16 for 35 with one touchdown and four interceptions.

The 24-year-old is struggling mightily with accuracy as well, missing open receivers over and over..

This game comes about a week after Stroud had five fumbles against the Steelers.

This is an ugly showing for the former second overall pick.

So here comes the Houston offense again. They only find themselves down one score, despite turning the ball over an amount of times that would usually singlehandedly lose a game.

Stroud is still struggling for accuracy on this drive, but is bailed out by a New England pass interference penalty to take Houston down to the Patriots’ 35-yard line.

The Texans can’t move the chains on a couple of plays though, and are forced into a 55-yard field goal.

They wheel out Kaʻimi Fairbairn, who is good to cut the deficit to 5. An impressive 51-yard field goal as the snow swirls in New England.

Score: Patriots 21, Texans 16.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is brought down by Naquan Jones in the third quarter.

This performance from Houston’s defense is really something.

The Texans force another punt after a quick three-and-out with Rhamondre Stevenson getting stuffed on three consecutive plays.

Can Houston finally make something happen on offense and keep their defense off the field for a couple of plays?

Score: Patriots 21, Texans 13.