The Los Angeles Rams visit the Chicago Bears to conclude this season’s Divisional Round schedule. The Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks booked their place in the next round on Saturday, with their opponents to be decided by the end of the weekend.
Neither the Bears nor the Rams will have been thrilled to witness such an outstanding display from the Seahawks, who demolished the beaten-up San Francisco 49ers by 41-6. A trip to Seattle is the prize on offer this Sunday evening, and to earn it, the teams will have to battle the weather and each other.
Snow Scheduled in Chicago for Crucial NFC Contest
According to weather.com, conditions will be well below freezing at Soldier Field, with a chance of snow. Unlike the Houston Texans and New England Patriots, though, who are also forecast to have snow, the Rams and Bears will also have winds of over 10 mph to deal with.
- Kickoff: Sunday, January 18, 6:30 p.m.
- Expected Temperature: High teens
- Showers: 36%
- Wind: 12 mph SW
That should only serve to reduce visibility and add another element to the already tricky conditions both teams face. While many have pointed to the conditions as a strong plus for the home team, the conditions are likely to favor a more run-heavy approach, which would arguably benefit Sean McVay’s team.
The Bears were one of only four teams to allow five or more yards per carry against the run in 2025, while the Rams allowed an average of 4.3 yards per attempt. The Bears did manage the third-most rushing yards per game on offense (144.5), but the Rams weren’t far behind in seventh (126.6).
Both teams have split backfields similarly, with two competent running backs and two of the most exciting passing offenses in the NFL. Despite preseason concerns surrounding a back injury, Matthew Stafford has put together a potentially MVP-winning season, while Caleb Williams has silenced his critics.
Will the Rams Crash Out in the Snow Once More?
If a trip east for a snowy road game in the NFC Divisional Round feels familiar for Rams fans, it’s because it happened just last year. In a back-and-forth affair, McVay’s team fell agonizingly short of a victory over the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.
While the narrative of warm-weather teams struggling in the cold is not unwarranted, there is reason to be optimistic for Los Angeles. Having spent the first 12 years of his career in Detroit, Stafford is no stranger to playing in frosty temperatures.
In fact, even in the 2024 season Divisional Round loss to Philadelphia, Stafford threw for 324 yards and two scores, with no picks.
Puka Nacua finished three yards short of 100 receiving yards in that game and is as tough as they come. Opposite him, Davante Adams is more than accustomed to the weather in Chicago and has been on the winning side in seven of his nine visits to Soldier Field.
Overall, the Rams ranked first in the PFSN NFL Offense Impact metric in 2025. The Bears will be fearless, though, having beaten the Rams in Stafford’s only visit to Chicago since being traded to the West Coast. That was in September 2024, before Ben Johnson arrived, and things have only improved for the Bears since the offensive mastermind’s arrival.
Ozzy Trapilo’s season-ending injury will hurt, given the outstanding performances of the Bears’ offensive line this season, but Williams can evade pressure as well as any. He’ll likely need to do just that against the Rams, who pressured opposing quarterbacks at the fourth-highest rate (26.3%) in the NFL in 2025.
Two of the league’s premier offensive minds, with multiple elite playmakers on both sides, make this game another must-watch event in an already outstanding playoff schedule. The snow should add another layer of intrigue and could change some schematic plans, but there will be plenty of fireworks on display from some of the league’s best players.
