Bears coach Ben Johnson reveals why he chose overtime over two-point play against the Rams: "Felt better about taking our chances"

For most of the night, this felt like a season that had already given Chicago fans more than anyone expected. A team that won five games last year was now trading blows in the divisional round, hanging around against a seasoned Rams squad. And when the Bears found a way to force extra time late, it felt like one of those moments that changes how a franchise sees itself.
That belief is why the ending hurt the fans so much. Once the comeback was complete, the Bears were no longer just a nice playoff story. They were close enough to touch a win. What followed was a mix of caution, confidence and one mistake that ended their hopes in a matter of minutes.

A late rally, a conservative call, and how overtime unraveled for Chicago

Chicago trailed by seven with less than two minutes left when the final drive began. The offense moved quickly, pushing the ball inside the Rams’ 15-yard line with the season on the line. Two incompletions set up fourth-and-four, leaving no room for hesitation. Caleb Williams escaped pressure, drifted backward, and launched a pass toward the end zone. Cole Kmet hauled it in, tying the game and giving the Bears a surge of momentum that carried straight into the decision that followed.
Instead of going for two points and the win, head coach Ben Johnson sent the game to overtime. Afterward, he explained that earlier struggles near the goal line weighed heavily on his thinking. "Thought about it. Probably what played a little bit of a factor was, you know, our goal-to-go situations hadn't gone very clean," Johnson said (3:30). "Our inside the five plan hadn't worked out quite like we had hoped, and so just felt better about taking our chances there in overtime."
The hesitation was understandable. On a previous drive, the Bears had a goal-to-go chance and came away empty after turning the ball over on downs. Trusting overtime felt safer than forcing another short-yardage play that had already burned them once. The plan nearly worked. Chicago’s defense opened overtime with a big stop, putting the ball back in the hands of an offense that had just pulled off a miracle. Then came the moment that flipped the night. Williams threw an interception while trying to connect with DJ Moore, a play he later described as a simple breakdown between quarterback and receiver. "Just a miscommunication between him and I," Williams told reporters. "Tried to flatten him off under the safety and he kept it vertical from what I saw in the moment." The turnover gave the Rams a short field. Matthew Stafford did the rest, guiding Los Angeles into range for the game-winning kick from Harrison Mevis.


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