A heartbreaking loss ends the Bears' magical season. The team fought valiantly, but a final fourth-down attempt sealed their fate against the Rams.
The Chicago Bears hosted their final playoff game at Soldier Field on Sunday night.
After the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-6, the Bears could no longer host the NFC Championship.
A change happened along the offensive line after the season-ending patellar injury to left tackle Ozzy Trapilo. Left guard Joe Thuney, who played 389 snaps at left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, stepped in. Jordan McFadden took Thuney's place at left guard.
The Los Angeles Rams were the only team in the way of the Bears returning to the NFC Championship for the first time since the 2010 season.
The first half was low scoring, with both teams finding the end zone.
The Rams scored first, as Kyren Williams punched it in from four yards out. The Bears answered in the second quarter thanks to a touchdown catch from D.J. Moore.
Either team added a field goal before the break to make it 10-10 going into halftime.
Both squads struggled on third down in the first half. The Bears went 3-for-8, and the Rams went 3-for-7. Ben Johnson continued his aggressive fourth-down play-calling from the previous week, going for it three times and converting one of them.
It would remain deadlocked at 10, as the game stayed tied heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bears' drive chart featured two punts and an interception on their first three drives of the second half. The Rams started to make some headway as they crept into Bears territory.
The tie was broken after the five-yard touchdown run from Williams to give the Rams a 17-10 lead.
Caleb Williams and the Bears got the ball back with 8:50 and their season on the line. They would get to the Rams' two-yard line and needed a touchdown to tie the game.
It quickly became fourth down, and the offense stayed on the field. Williams tried to throw a pass to Luther Burden, but it was knocked incomplete. It all came down to the defense getting one stop in the hopes of yet another fourth-quarter comeback.
It felt like all of Chicago stood on its feet as the defense came through in the clutch. The Rams punted the ball back to the Bears one last time with two minutes to go.
An awful punt gifted the Bears excellent field position near midfield for their final drive of the game.
We've seen the Bears in this situation so many times before this season. The season would boil down to what Chicago would do in the final 1:50 of the game.
The offense moved quickly and got inside the red zone.
Another fourth down to decide the game came up for the Bears. The impossible then happened.
The Rams got pressure on Williams in the backfield, and he had to send a prayer into the end zone. Luckily for the Bears, that prayer was answered.
Cole Kmet, who came in for the injured Colston Loveland, was in a perfect position for the touchdown catch.
The fourth quarter ended in a 17-17 tie, as fans stuck around for overtime in the Divisional Round.
Chicago won the coin toss and opted to kick to the Rams. The defense came up huge, getting a stop.
However, it wasn't taken advantage of, as Williams threw his third interception of the night.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams wasted no time and got into field goal range. Chicago would need another miracle to avoid having its season end in the Divisional Round.
Los Angeles clinched a spot in the NFC Championship Game with a 42-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis.
The Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks for a chance to reach the Super Bowl, as year one of the Johnson era comes to a close.