The Los Angeles Rams survived another heart-stopping ending to the Chicago Bears and they triumphed 17-20 in the extension in it Soldier Field from Chicago, with -9 degrees Celsius temperature, to advance to the NFC finalin which They will visit the Seattle Seahawks with the pass to the Super Bowl at stake.
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears were on the verge of working another miracle, but they finally said goodbye to the Super Bowl dream. The team that had achieved the most comebacks this year in the fourth quarters (7), forced overtime with a surreal pass from the quarterback to Cole Farmer for the 17-17 'touchdown'.
Chicago also had possession to put the game away in overtime, but a Kam Curl's interception on Williams gave the ball back to the Rams. A Davante Adams' spectacular receptiondragging both feet onto the field under the snow, paved the way to victory for Los Angeles, who celebrated with a field goal from Harrison Mevis from 42 yards.
Matthew Staffordthe Rams' quarterback, suffered in Chicago's arctic temperatures and threw for 258 yards, with no touchdown passes or interceptions. Caleb Williams He dared more. He had 257 yards passing (and 40 on the ground), with two touchdown passes, but he paid for it with three interceptions that ended up dooming the Bears.
Show under the storm
It was played at Soldier Field with -9 degrees Celsius and heavy snowfall that significantly complicated the work of Matthew Stafford and Caleb Williams and forced the stadium maintenance staff to clean the lines at every break.
The cheapest tickets for the game were selling for $420, but there were no empty seats at Soldier Field. The Chicago public, hungry for success after years away from the spotlight, accompanied the Bears on their feet during the more than three hours of the game.
The Bears, who came to this round after eliminating the Green Bay Packers with an epic comeback, took the field determined to dare. They showed it on the first possession, when Ben Johnson ordered his team to play a fourth down and three yards to go. It came up tails.
Cobie Durant intercepted Caleb Williams' line and the Rams, on their first drive, punished the Bears with a four-yard run by Kyren Williams for the 7-0 TD.
Despite that, the Bears remained faithful to the philosophy of Ben Johnson, who in his time as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions had already shown courage in those moments of the games.
The Bears' response came immediately, on the next possession, when Williams vindicated himself with a three-yard touchdown pass from DJ Moore.
The Bears' first lead came with the foot of Cairo Santos. His 48-yard field goal made it 10-7, but the Rams tied it at halftime with another field goal, scored from 32 yards by Harrison Mevis.
Another epic play by Caleb Williams
The break served to clear, albeit partially, the abundant snow that had fallen on the playing field, but the complicated conditions significantly limited the two 'QBs', and the defenses raised their voices. Stafford struggled to find his receivers, and Caleb Williams, willing to take more risks, paid with his second interception of the night.
Thus, without changes in the score, the game reached the final quarter in balance.
It was the favorite field of the Bears, who this year won seven games in the final segment, an NFL record. Once again, they were the visitors to strike first.
With six minutes left, Kyren Williams scored the second TD of his night with a four-yard run and raised the score to 17-10, leaving the Bears against the wall.
Visiting party
Los Angeles had it won. He saved a first down at the two-yard line and regained possession with three minutes left. Even after returning the ball for down, the Angelenos forced the Bears to play a fourth down and four from fourteen yards.
And on that play, the Rams' pressure forced Williams to retreat to within forty yards. The former USC 'QB' once again found solutions where they seemed not to exist. He sealed a perfect pass that Kmet received to force overtime. Officially, it was a fourteen-yard line, but Williams' ball went more than forty.
The Bears defense turned the ball over to Williams in overtime, after the Rams' first possession. A field goal was enough for Chicago, but in the center of the field, Curl made the key play. He intercepted a pass from the local 'QB' and returned the ball to Stafford.
In the best play of his game, the former Lions player connected with Davante Adams in spectacular fashion. The Rams approached the field goal zone and Mevis did not forgive. Rams-Seahawks will meet next Sunday in Seattle with a ticket to the Santa Clara Super Bowl at stake.
