Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears are coming out of the weekend with bragging rights, since they took down the Green Bay Packers in the NFL wild-card game on Saturday, January 10, with a 31-27 win at home. It was a wild game, with the Bears coming back from a 21-3 deficit at halftime to take home a surprise victory under under first-year head coach Johnson.
Now, the Chicago Bears know who they’ll be taking on in the NFL divisional round of the playoffs, and it’s Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Stafford is playing elite football this season, but so is Caleb Williams and the Bears, so anything is possible. The good news is that the Rams will travel to Chicago for this game, so the Bears will have their hometown crowd cheering them on.
So, what are the early NFL predictions for the game? The early odds and predictions point to a clear favorite.
Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams Odds for NFL Playoffs
Brace yourself, because you’re not going to like it, but the Los Angeles Rams are a fairly healthy 4.5-point favorite against the Chicago Bears in the divisional round, according to research from DraftKings Network.
The Los Angeles Rams won in an exciting 34-31 showdown against the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round over the weekend. Right when it looked like they were going to lose, Stafford tossed a 19-yard game-winning touchdown to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left.
So, the Rams are clear favorites, but never count the Bears out, especially for a home game when the games matter so much. Bring it on, Los Angeles.
After next weekend, the AFC Championship will take place on January 25 at 3 p.m., and the NFC Championship is set for 6:30 p.m. The Super Bowl is set to take place on February 8 at 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
A Comeback Win for the Chicago Bears
Williams admitted after the game on Saturday that it was a close one, but what matters is that they came back and beat the Packers.
“We understand that it’s 60 minutes of football,” Williams told Amazon Prime reporter Kaylee Hartung of the team’s comeback win after the game. “We understand and know who we are. We understand what this means to the city. We understand what this means to the organization.”
He added, “We also understand what this means to us. So you keep going, keep going, keep fighting. And when the clock hits zero, you’ll look up and see who wins.”
Williams also talked about how crucial it was for the team to have new head coach Johnson calling the shots.
“Look at this guy right here,” Williams said, pointing to his coach. “Everything he’s done for us as a coach, everything the other coaches have done for us, and it started with them bringing in everybody in.”
Williams added of Johnson and what he’s done for the team, “For me, personally, he’s been — don’t get emotional — he’s been monumental in my life so far. So, to his first playoff win as a Chicago Bears head coach!”
Bears vs. Rams in NFL Playoffs: Early Predictions on Who Wins