With just 18 seconds left at Soldier Field, Caleb Williams dropped back and let it fly. The ball found Cole Kmet in the end zone, and suddenly the Chicago Bears were alive. Minutes earlier, against the Los Angeles Rams from the City of Angels, Chicago was staring at a choice that would define the night. A routine extra point would level it at 17, while a two-point try could swing it to an 18-17 Chicago lead or end it on the spot.

Ben Johnson played it safe. The Bears took the extra point, tied it at 17, and pushed the game into overtime. From there, however, the mood shifted fast. Williams forced a throw that turned into a crushing interception. Shortly after, Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a win. However, in the post-game, Johnson did not dodge it.

“Probably what played a little-bit of a factor was our goal-to-go situations hadn’t gone very clean. Our inside-the-five plan hadn’t worked out quite like we had hoped. I just felt better about taking our chances there in overtime,” Johnson said on the decision not to go for 2 late in the fourth quarter.

Still, football rarely waits for context. In hindsight, every path feels obvious. Chicago could have hit the two-point try and stolen the game. On the flip side, a miss would have ended it on the spot. Given the late surge and how close overtime came, Johnson’s logic was not reckless at all.

Earlier, down 17-10 and facing fourth-and-4, Williams was nearly swallowed by pressure. Instead, he drifted back, launched a prayer from midfield, and watched Kmet come down with it in the corner. The ball traveled nearly 50 yards off balance. The result tied the game with 0:18 left.

Then came overtime, and the Bears’ defense forced a quick stop. Next, the offense moved from its own 16 to the Rams’ 48. But just as hope returned, safety Kam Curl jumped the route at the Rams’ 22. Moments later, Stafford hit three throws for 43 yards, setting up the winning kick and sending the Rams House into celebration.

Still, the loss was not about effort. The Bears defense stood tall most of the night, holding the league’s top-scoring offense in check after an early score. Chicago piled up 417 total yards but managed only 17 points. Williams finished 23 of 42 for 257 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 59.3 rating.

In the end, the call will linger. And Johnson knows it.

Ben Johnson reveals locker room’s disappointment situation

After the overtime loss to the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round, the Bears saw their 2025-26 season end before Bear Down fans were ready. Soldier Field dreams stopped short, and while the ending stung, it did not erase what this team built. Under Ben Johnson, Chicago took a real step forward; still, the locker room felt heavy afterward. Johnson did not hide it when he faced reporters.

“Our guys are feeling it right now,” Johnson told reporters after the loss.

“They all believed, man. They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week. So, it’s disappointing [to end the season] like that. I am proud of the group. It’s a special group, and I believe that to my core. When you’re in the room with a group of men for the last time in the locker room, it’s just not going to be the same going forward. I appreciate all of them. It was a special year, and this will hopefully be a feeling, in this locker room, that we won’t forget.”

Still, perspective matters. Year one for Johnson checked every major box. Despite an 0-2 start, the Bears finished 12-7, won the division, and delivered a playoff win at Soldier Field. That is not noise. That is progress, and no loss can wipe it away.

However, the NFL does not wait. The season closed, and reality hit quickly. Johnson already leaned into that truth.

“Next season is next season. It’s a whole different group and a whole different chapter,” Johnson added.

Now, Chicago joins the rest of the league watching from home. Soon enough, the focus shifts back to work, resets, and the long countdown to 2026. For the Bears, the pain is fresh, but the foundation is real.