CHICAGO — Rams coach Sean McVay let his beard develop past his typical five-o’clock shadow, ostensibly to maintain his face heat.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford donned his neoprene undergarment. Some Rams gamers put cayenne pepper of their socks to maintain the warmth of their ft.
It labored.
On a snowy, windy Sunday night time, the Rams rode Stafford’s hot-at-the-right time arm, the Rams secondary’s hot-at-naysayers perspective, and kicker Harrison Mevis’ warm-and-fuzzy homecoming for a 20-17 time beyond regulation victory over the Chicago Bears within the NFC divisional playoffs earlier than a crowd of 60,253 at Soldier Subject.
Mevis, who grew up two hours from the stadium, gained it with a 42-yard subject objective that despatched the Rams to the NFC championship recreation.
“Hell of a deal proper there,” McVay stated of his group’s resilience.
Kyren Williams rushed for 2 touchdowns, and the protection intercepted three passes because the Rams superior to play the top-seeded Seahawks subsequent Sunday at Lumen Subject in Seattle.
The Rams break up their two NFC West video games with the Seahawks, who superior to the convention title recreation with a 41-6 rout of the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.
In Week 11 at SoFi Stadium, the Rams gained, 21-19. 5 weeks later at Seattle, the Rams misplaced, 38-37, in time beyond regulation.
“There’s no method the soccer gods would moderately have it’s than for us to return up there in Seattle,” receiver Puka Nacua stated, including, “to get an opportunity to proper our incorrect.”
Rams working again Kyren Williams darts previous Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson to attain on a five-yard run within the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Instances)
It took awhile, however issues lastly went proper for McVay at Soldier Subject in what had been a private home of horrors.
In 2018, then-Bears protection coordinator Vic Fangio and his gamers flummoxed the Rams and despatched them to a 15-6 defeat. Final season the Bears gained solely 5 video games, together with a 24-18 victory over the Rams.
However the Rams exorcised these demons and in addition proved — after dropping within the 2020 playoffs at Inexperienced Bay and final season at Philadelphia — they might win a divisional-round recreation on the highway in frigid circumstances.
The Rams had been coming off a 34-31 wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers, a win that adopted a well-known script: The Rams led early, enabled the opponent to get again into the sport with lulls and dear errors, after which pulled out a victory.
McVay stated he was aiming for his group to play a “full 60” minutes of complementary soccer by the offense, protection and particular groups.
“Perhaps this week is the week,” McVay stated.
It wasn’t, however with a game-time temperature of 18 levels with a wind chill of 6, the Rams simply wanted to outlive a Bears group that pulled off one among its trademark fourth-quarter miracles when Caleb Williams related with tight finish Cole Kmet for a spectacular landing with lower than 30 seconds left in regulation.
The Rams did it by overcoming “some dangerous teaching by me,” McVay stated of his play-calling for a lot of the sport.
They did it with two interceptions by cornerback Cobie Durant and fourth-down stops by the protection in regulation. They did it with an interception by Kam Curl in time beyond regulation that gave Stafford an opportunity to arrange Mevis’ successful kick.
The rating was tied 10-10 at halftime and stayed that method till Kyren Williams rushed for his second landing with simply lower than 9 minutes left.
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Gary Klein breaks down what went proper for the Rams of their 20-17 time beyond regulation victory towards the Chicago Bears within the NFC divisional playoffs at Soldier Subject.
The Bears drove to the Rams’ two-yard line with just a little greater than three minutes left, however the protection stopped working again D’Andre Swift on third down, and linebacker Omar Speights broke up Caleb Williams’ fourth-down move.
The Rams, nonetheless. did not run out the clock, and the Bears bought the ball at midfield with 1:50 left.
On fourth down on the Rams’ 14, Caleb Williams escaped strain by working backward out of the pocket, then turned and fired a landing move to Kmet that traveled practically 50 yards.
The Bears kicked the additional level to tie the rating and ship the sport into time beyond regulation, then gained the toss and opted to kick, and the Rams went three-and-out.
Curl’s interception staved off a menace, sending the gang into silence.
“They knew what it was,” Curl stated. “Giving the ball again to Matthew Stafford — it’s over with. Everyone is aware of that.”
Stafford, who suffered a sprained proper index finger towards the Panthers, was erratic for a lot of the night time. He accomplished 20 of 42 passes for 252 yards with no touchdowns. However he additionally didn’t have a move intercepted or lose a fumble.
After which, after all, there was the ultimate drive.
After Curl’s interception, Stafford checked out McVay and McVay checked out Stafford. Stafford pointed his finger at his coach as if to say, “OK, right here we go.”
Stafford accomplished passes to Colby Parkinson, Davante Adams and Nacua earlier than two passes fell incomplete and Mevis got here on to win the sport.
Was Mevis, who was signed in November, shocked the Bears didn’t name outing to ice him?
“We had been already iced with the chilly climate,” Mevis quipped.
Within the third week of the season, the Rams misplaced at Philadelphia when the Eagles blocked two field-goal makes an attempt by Joshua Karty, together with one on the ultimate play of regulation that they returned for a landing.
Mevis modified the script.
“That’s why they introduced me in,” he stated, “to assist this group win, and we did that.”
Harrison Mevis kicks a 42-yard subject objective in time beyond regulation to elevate the Rams to a 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears within the NFC divisional playoffs Sunday at Soldier Subject.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Instances)
With one other successful drive by Stafford. So add one other mantel to the soul-snatching, heart-stealing Stafford: Snowpiercer.
“Clearly, I will be higher, however playoff soccer is about successful the soccer recreation,” he stated earlier than referencing final season’s playoff loss in Philadelphia. “Performed nice, threw for a bunch of yards final 12 months within the snow and we misplaced, in order that [stuff] sucks.
“So I’m comfortable to have performed just a little bit worse … and going house with a win. I’ll take that.”
All the best way to Seattle.
