The Chicago Bears will face the Los Angeles Rams next weekend after the San Francisco 49ers eliminated the Philadelphia Eagles from the wild-card round on Sunday.
The Bears’ next playoff matchup is set. Fans across the city are already starting to plan for next weekend’s divisional round game against the Rams.
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The Bears-Rams game will take place on Sunday, January 18, but the exact time has not yet been announced.
ESPN’s David Kaplan looks back at the Bears’ playoff win over the Packers.
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The NFC North champion Bears (12-6) extended their first season of resurgence under coach Ben Johnson with their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory. They had two games against Green Bay in the regular season, and this one was a thriller as the Packers looked to breeze through (9-8-1).
Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 at three quarters, but outscored Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth quarter for its first playoff victory in 15 years.
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The fans are now ready for the next game.
“Make it a big party. When we win, Chicago is going to go crazy,” said fan Beatriz Anguiano. “It’s going to be very exciting.”
Some Bears fans enjoyed a win Sunday and watched other playoff games at Wings and Rings in Bridgeport. Many of them still can’t believe what they witnessed Saturday night, as the Bears overcame an 18-point deficit to end the Packers’ season.
“It’s crazy. It feels good,” said fan Luis Gomez. “The Bears have been bad for years and now for something like this to happen, it’s crazy.”
Learn more | Caleb Williams helps Bears come from 18-point deficit to beat Packers 31-27
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“It’s so beautiful. It’s literally my favorite sports game I’ve ever seen,” said fan Julian Flores.
Now just two wins away from reaching the Super Bowl, Bears fans are confident in their team’s chances.
Some say they’re worried about the Rams’ high-powered offense, but there’s confidence in the high-powered Bears to continue their magical season.
“It doesn’t matter right now,” Gomez said. “I think we can beat anyone that comes our way.”
No matter what happens next weekend, fans will embrace the special atmosphere of the playoffs in Chicago.
“It’s electric. I’ve never seen so many people in Bears jerseys in town,” Flores said. “Everyone is happy. The city has electricity.”
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See also | Cheese grater hats fly off store shelves as Bears fans prepare for Packers playoff game
“I think it’s a little bit of hope after everything we’ve been through recently, so it takes away all the stress and everything we’ve been through,” Anguiano said.
The Chicago Bears fought back from an 18-point deficit to defeat their rival Green Bay Packers 31-27 in the wild-card playoffs.
Josh Allen leads the Buffalo Bills to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs alongside the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.
Allen led the Bills to a 27-24 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first of a three-game wild-card playoff game on Sunday.
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The San Francisco 49ers (12-5) host the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) in the nightcap, and the New England Patriots (14-3) host the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) in the nightcap.
Allen scored on a 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter and Cole Bishop intercepted a pass from Trevor Lawrence to secure Buffalo’s first road playoff win since the 1992 AFC Championship Game in Miami.
The sixth-seeded Bills will wait to find out their next opponent. This is the sixth consecutive season that Buffalo has reached the second round of the playoffs under head coach Sean McDermott.
The NFL playoffs kicked off with a pair of weird games on Saturday.
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Caleb Williams threw two touchdown passes as the Bears (12-6) trailed the Green Bay Packers 21-3 at halftime and 27-16 with less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 1:43 left in the game to give Chicago a 31-27 lead. Jordan Love then made a desperation drive into the end zone at the Bears’ 28, only to be knocked down as time expired, securing Chicago’s first playoff win since the 2010 season.
Williams threw for 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the second-seeded Bears.
Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears celebrates after an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson in the final minute and the Rams rallied to beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 in the Wild Card Weekend opener in a game that was closer than expected.
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The Rams are favored by double digits against the Panthers (8-10) at BetMGM Sportsbook. The Rams led 14-0 at one point but were unable to capitalize on first-half miscues, allowing Carolina to pull within 17-14 at halftime.
Stafford earned All-Pro honors for the first time in his 17-year career on Saturday after throwing for 304 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. Puka Nacua, a unanimous All-Pro selection, had 10 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown, along with a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Rams are back in the divisional round for the second straight season. Last year, they came 13 yards away from eliminating Philadelphia, but lost the season 28-22 thanks to a sack and an incomplete pass.
The Panthers led 31-27 on Bryce Young’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 2:43 left, but Stafford held the Rams 71 yards in two minutes. Parkinson scored the winning points with a great tightrope catch and held the defense firmly.
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Led by coach Dave Canales and improved quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers have reason to be optimistic about the future after winning a lowly NFC South team and nearly pulling off a major upset.
The Packers (9-8-1) ended the season with a five-game losing streak. The team was 9-3-1 before All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons tore his ACL in a Dec. 14 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) host DeMeco Reigns, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans (12-5) on Monday night.
The Denver Broncos (14-3) are the top seed in the AFC and the Seahawks (14-3) are the top seed in the NFC. Each team received a bye and will host the lowest remaining seed next weekend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
