CHICAGO -- Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 on Sunday night to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
Harrison Mevis kicked a 42-yard field goal in OT after safety Kam Curl intercepted a deep pass by Williams on the Bears' first possession of the extra period. Stafford completed a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Puka Nacua to get the Rams into field goal range and set up Mevis for the boot. Mevis, known as the "Thiccer Kicker," was mobbed by teammates while a crowd that was rocking earlier watched in near silence.
Los Angeles will visit the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks next Sunday in its first trip to the conference championship game since the 2021 team won the Super Bowl. The Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 on Saturday night and opened as 1.5-point favorites over the Rams, per DraftKings odds.
"It was crazy," Stafford said of Sunday's outing. "It was back and forth. We didn't play our best on offense. Our defense dominated the game. It was unbelievable to watch. Hell of a play on fourth down by Caleb to get his team to overtime. And just glad we got the ball back."
L.A. led Chicago 17-10 in the final minute, and the Bears faced fourth-and-4 from the Rams' 14-yard line when Williams backpedaled to avoid the pass rush and heaved the ball to tight end Cole Kmet for the tying touchdown with 18 seconds left. Although officially a 14-yard pass, the ball traveled 51.2 yards in the air, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats.
Williams threw for two touchdowns but was intercepted three times as the Bears -- who pulled off seven fourth-quarter comeback wins under first-year coach Ben Johnson -- came up short this time. They claimed the NFC North crown after finishing last in the division a season ago.
Stafford led a 91-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, with running back Kyren Williams scoring from the 5-yard line to give the Rams a seven-point lead with 8:50 remaining. Nacua kept the possession going on the previous play with a 2-yard run on fourth-and-5.
The Bears then drove to the Rams' 2-yard line, but linebacker Omar Speights broke up Caleb Williams' fourth-down pass to wideout Luther Burden III just inside the goal line.
Chicago got the ball back at midfield with just under two minutes remaining after Ethan Evans shanked a 33-yard punt, setting up Williams' touchdown heave.
In overtime, the Bears won the toss and deferred. They quickly got the ball back when the Rams went three-and-out and were forced to punt after running back Blake Corum was stopped for a 2-yard loss on third-and-1 at the their 36-yard line.
Chicago took over at the 16-yard line. Williams kept the drive going with a 3-yard keeper on fourth-and-1 near midfield. But Curl picked off Williams' pass intended for wide receiver DJ Moore two plays later.
Stafford was 20-of-42 passing for 258 yards and took four sacks. Nacua registered 56 yards receiving after going for 111 yards in a wild-card win at the Carolina Panthers, and Kyren Williams ran for 87 yards and two scores.
Caleb Williams completed 23 of 42 passes for 257 yards. Moore had a touchdown catch, and D'Andre Swift ran for 76 yards.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.