NFC Divisional Round: Here the biggest challenges the Chicago Bears will face against the Los Angeles Rams

The Chicago Bears are moving on to the NFC Divisional round.

Awaiting them are the vaunted Los Angeles Rams, who will bring their top offense and disruptive defense to Solider Field with the NFC Championship Game on the line.

Here are the biggest challenges the Bears face as they begin preparations for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

How respect for the Rams sets an objective for the Bears

Much will be made about the chess match between Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson and Rams’ head coach Sean McVay.

They’re two of the brightest young offensive minds in the league. Their offenses are complex, yet intentional. They both were very complementary of each other, too.

"He does a great job," McVay said on Jan. 12. "I’ve studied him really closely since he took over and started it doing it in Detroit."

Johnson returned that respect in kind on Wednesday.

"The more tape you watch the more respect you have for them," Johnson said.

That respect has set a prime objective at Halas Hall this week: Play a full four-quarter game.

"We don’t want to put ourselves in a hole against a team like this like we’ve done a number of times this year," Johnson said. "We talk about playing a complete game on offense. This is the week that needs to happen for us to beat this team."

The Bears can’t afford to be down 21-6 entering the fourth quarter against the Rams. Los Angeles demonstrated in its Wild Card round win over the Panthers that it possesses the same type of fourth-quarter skills as the Bears.

When the stakes get higher, the Rams play better.

The Bears know what this is like. They’ve now won seven games in comeback fashion down in the fourth quarter. Saturday was new because the Bears staged a comeback in the NFL playoffs. That playoff win was a first for plenty of Bears on this roster.

Now, they need to move on to the Rams.

"They’ve handled it really well," Johnson said. "I think we’re going to do a good job shifting focus."

On a run game that’s ‘dipped’

Against the Packers, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams set a franchise record with 361 passing yards as he helped the offense put up 25 points in the fourth quarter to stun Green Bay. It was a quarterback masterclass for a franchise that has not had that before.

However, Johnson wants to see his offense’s running game get back on track.

"It feels like it's dipped a little bit," Johnson said. "We wanted that to pick up in the playoffs and weather games like this. You certainly want to be able to lean on your run game."

The run game, which has featured the two-headed attack of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, was stout during the regular season.

However, in the last four games, the Bears have watched the run game slowly worsen.

In Week 16, the Bears ran for 150 yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. That yard-per-carry average continuously fell from 5.8 yards per carry in Week 16, to 5.0 yards per carry in Week 17, to 3.6 yards per carry in Week 18.

In the Wild Card round, the Bears’ running game averaged 3.3 yards per carry against the Packers. That’s the lowest yards per carry average since Week 3 when the Bears averaged 3.0 yards per carry. In that game, Williams won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award as he threw four touchdowns in a rout of the Dallas Cowboys.

Against the Rams, limiting the number of the Rams’ possessions might be necessary against such a stout Los Angeles offense. The Bears are going back to the drawing board to figure out what can help the run game.

"Those are some elements we looking at, what can we do to help ignite that?" Johnson said.

Navigating the Rams’ front seven

Speaking of the running game, the Bears face a Rams’ defensive front that’s one of the league’s best.

They’ve certainly earned Johnson’s respect, as he listed most of the defensive linemen in that seven-man front by name.

Jared Verse, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske are a few of the players the Bears will have to deal with in both facets of the offense. Verse is a game-wrecking player, while Fiske and Turner are interior players who can stop the run and rush the passer.

"I think the front is their strength," Johnson said. "These guys at the line of scrimmage are really good football players. I think they shed blocks at an elite level."

If the Bears want to be multidimensional on offense, they’ll need to find ways to beat that front.

The pass defense and Matt Stafford’s quick release

One of the most difficult parts of the Rams’ offense comes with how on schedule they play with their plays, and how they execute them.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is no stranger to the Bears. He’s played the Bears plenty of times when he was the quarterback in Detroit. One of his best traits is getting the ball out quickly in McVay’s offense.

This presents issues for the Bears’ pass rush. That unit came alive in the second half against the Packers, but quick releases won’t be conducive for the Bears to set up a consistent pass rush.

This puts the onus on the Bears’ secondary.

With quick throws and timing at play, the Bears’ defensive backs need to tighten up coverage. Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson looks at that as less of a challenge and more of a directive on how to cover the Rams’ receivers.

"It honestly makes it easier," Johnson said. "He’s getting the ball out quicker, that's less time to cover. So I mean for us it's just, if anything, making him hold it with tight coverage initially."

Scouting report: Puka Nacua

Bears’ defensive back Kyler Gordon is very familiar with Rams’ star receiver Puka Nacua.

The two spent time at the University of Washington together before Nacua transferred to BYU. Nacua was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but has emerged as a star in Los Angeles.

When the two were Huskies at Washington, Gordon recalls how gritty Nacua was as a player.

"He's just really tough player overall," Gordon said. "He's really a do-it-all type player. To be the having ability all-around to do and make those special catches, I think it's a big thing."

Nacua has made plenty of big catches this season. He finished the 2025 regular season with 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Bears are looking beyond Nacua’s abilities as a receiver. Johnson and the players noted how gifted he is as a blocker in the Rams’ running game.

"His hands are incredible," Byard said. "But also he's a willing blocker."

He creates a difficult tandem to guard with Devante Adams lining up on the opposite side of the offense.

BearsSports