CHICAGO — Harrison Mevis’ kick sailed through the uprights in the north end zone of Soldier Field and all you could hear was quiet.

After all the anticipation, the trash talk, the tumult and the joy, the sound of silence filled the stadium on the lakefront.

A 42-yard field goal in the third possession of overtime sealed the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears and sent the home fans shuffling to the exits instead of the NFC Championship Game and maybe even the Super Bowl.

Some left with their heads hung low, knowing all they had to look forward to was shoveling snow and nursing regrets. But plenty of others stayed in their seats and applauded as the Bears players left the field and ran into the tunnel. You don’t see many standing ovations at the end of a Bears season, but this one was special, even in defeat.

Standing O from Soldier Field. What a game. What a season. #Bears @fox32news pic.twitter.com/W6WFQP1pAJ

— Cassie Carlson (@CassieCarlsonTV) January 19, 2026

Every week, the Bears put on a show, and this game was no different. As usual, they kept us watching until the very end.

In the Super Bowl era, only one Bears season has ended without tears and regret. Yes, they could be playing in Seattle on Sunday, extending this dream season another week. Maybe they should be. They had enough chances.

But there are only two ways for a season to end. And in the playoffs, only one team ends it with a win.

“It’s the NFL, right?” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “You make it to the tournament, we knew we had to win four in a row to actually feel good at the end of the thing, and we didn’t get that done. So this is what happened. It ends abruptly.”

The Bears don’t do locker-room all-access videos after losses, so we don’t know exactly what Johnson said or did in there this time, but we know it was a wake, not a party.

The 2025 Bears’ season ended with 12 victories and seven losses, and the final one will hurt for a while.

This was a special team that provided a city and its fans with unexpected joy throughout the season. To start 0-2 and finish a couple of plays away from the NFC championship is worth honoring. But you don’t throw parades or 10-year reunions for a team that lost in the divisional round. For all the hope and promise they have for the future, there’s no guarantee the Bears will get back here soon.

“It’s going to be twice as hard to get to this point,” said tight end Cole Kmet, the Chicago native and lifelong fan. “And you can’t take for granted the opportunities you get in this league to get to this chance, to have an opportunity to go to the NFC Championship Game, and then who knows from there. To just think it’s just going to happen again, that’s very wishful thinking. Very wishful.”

Johnson had no complaints about this team and was in no mood to really pontificate about the potential of tomorrow.

“Next season is next season,” he said. “I mean, it’s a whole different group. It’s a different chapter. We’ll have to write a whole brand new story.”

The game itself was the culmination of a season in which the Bears executed seven fourth-quarter comebacks, all but one coming in the last two minutes, while also losing some heartbreakers on a final throw.

The big change on Sunday night was that the Bears didn’t trail by double digits entering the fourth. It was tied up at 10 after a scoreless third quarter on a slick, snow-covered field on a bitterly cold Chicago evening. The Rams and their No. 1-ranked offense looked vulnerable, and the Bears’ maligned defense came to play, sacking Matthew Stafford four times and holding him without a touchdown pass.

“That’s part of the shame of it,” Johnson said. “I mean, our defense played their tails off.”

Chicago had its chances to take control of this game and it squandered most of them. The first drive of the game ended in a Caleb Williams interception deep in Rams territory. The Bears’ fourth drive ended on a turnover on downs at the Rams’ 32.

The Rams had a 17-10 lead with just under nine minutes left, and the Bears’ ensuing drive ended at Los Angeles’ 2-yard line. They had first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, and D’Andre Swift ran three times for 3 yards. On fourth-and-2, Williams’ pass to Luter Burden III fell incomplete.

But the defense made another stop, and the offense got the ball back with two minutes left. That’s Caleb Time. And this was no different. In fact, Williams provided a moment that was so dramatic, so unbelievable, it felt like the game should have been stopped just so we could properly consider what we just saw.

NO WAY. CALEB WILLIAMS HEAVES IT ON 4TH DOWN.

LARvsCHI on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/JJymsDhen2

— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2026

I mean, have you ever seen a more magical throw than Williams’ 40-yard touchdown heave to Cole Kmet?  Given the scenario (fourth-and-4 with 27 seconds left), what was at stake (the end of a playoff game), the degree of difficulty (Williams backpedaled almost 30 yards with two Rams defenders in his face), it was certainly the best pass I’ve seen in person.

I’m willing to succumb to the moment and say it was the greatest pass I’ve ever seen. It topped all of Williams’ unreal throws this season, including last week’s fourth-down throw to Rome Odunze that helped beat the Packers in the wild-card game.

“Ridiculous,” Johnson said of the pass, which was officially marked as a 14-yarder. “I mean, talk about that fourth-and-8 from last week and how outstanding that was, I think this one was probably even another level ahead of that. So there’s some things that you just can’t coach. He’s got that about him. He’s got a knack. He’s clutch, he is.”

If the Bears had won, it would have been a pass celebrated in Chicago forever. But the Bears didn’t win, so …

“It was cool in the moment,” Williams said.

Instead of going for two to win it there, Johnson had Cairo Santos kick and send it to overtime. His defense rewarded the decision with a quick stop, and the Bears moved the ball. As the snow continued to fall, anticipation continued to rise. The Bears were a chunk play away from shocking the world and continuing their miracle season.

And then disaster hit. Williams and DJ Moore had a “miscommunication” on a route, and the quarterback, who only had seven interceptions in the regular season, had his third of the game at the Rams’ 22-yard line. Ten plays later, the Bears’ season was over.

So proud of this team 💙 pic.twitter.com/dVOfoI1qdP

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 19, 2026

Some players lingered on the field. Others headed into the locker room to face reality.

“It’s sad because this is a special group,” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “I really care about my teammates and my coaches. I care about this city. Who knows what’s next?”

If you’re a Bears fan, you know that good fortune is often fleeting. But there will be plenty of hope for next season, and with good reason. It all starts with the quarterback, and Williams grew exponentially in his second season. He is a star worthy of the hype, and he should be even better in his second go-round with Johnson and the coaching staff. There’s a young receiving corps and a solid offensive line. The defense needs some upgrades (Maxx Crosby?), but there’s some talent there too. The coaching staff is talented. There is a lot to like about where this team is and where it could be headed.

For the first time in a long time, this franchise gave Chicago hope and a reason to trudge through the winter. We always say there’s nothing like a winning Bears team. The problem lately is that there have been so few of them to experience.

“I’m obviously frustrated about the outcome, but that’s over with,” Williams said. “I can’t go back and change it. And so I’m going to go back to watch and figure out how I can be better for the near future and help this organization get to where we want to be.”

On Monday, the Bears will clean out their lockers and have their exit meetings and watch the film, and they’ll move on. But it will take a while to forget this one. It should hurt. That’s why they do it. That’s why the fans care so much.

As I write, the field is covered in snow like a blank page where anything is possible. The Bears showed us that was true this season. And it will be again.