For Sean McVay, the upcoming playoff game is more than just a chance to advance; it’s personal. The head coach is rallying his Los Angeles Rams for a frigid playoff battle against the Chicago Bears, but his motivation runs deeper than just the next opponent. With a chance to get back at the coaching tree that disrespected his best friend, Matt LaFleur, McVay boiled his message to the locker room down to just two powerful words.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, running back Blake Corum shared McVay’s two-word message, “We’re enough.”

“What we’ve done this season, we know we’re here for a reason. Everyone in this facility, on this field…we’re all enough to get the job done. In three phases of football, offense, defense, and special teams, we play our style of ball. We’re hard to beat,” the running back added.

The Rams have looked like a legitimate Super Bowl team most of the year. They finished 12–5, averaged 30.5 points per game, and had Matthew Stafford playing at an MVP level for long stretches. Last week against Carolina was messy, especially with the penalties, but they survived and moved on. Chicago, though, presents a very different kind of test.

The high temperature in Chicago on Sunday is expected to be around 21 degrees, with wind chills dipping into the single digits at Soldier Field. There’s also about a 69 percent chance of light snow, steady 20 mph winds, and gusts pushing close to 30. For a team built around one of the league’s best passing attacks, that is something to be worried about.

There’s also recent history. Last year, the Rams were knocked out in the divisional round in Philadelphia on a snowy night, losing 28–22. In that game, Stafford fumbled twice, and Kyren Williams added another turnover. Cold, slick conditions played a role, and they could again.

Stafford’s history in bad weather tells a grim story for the Rams. His dismal 1-9 record in rain or snow, coupled with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, raises serious questions about whether the Rams’ passing attack can function in the predicted Chicago blizzard. This season, he’s played just two games outdoors with temperatures below 50 degrees, completing 60 percent of his passes for 512 yards, four touchdowns, and five picks.

The conditions, of course, will be the same for both teams. But the Bears live in this weather. The Rams don’t. Beyond the weather, Sean McVay has a more personal motivation heading into this weekend.

Ben Johnson has triggered the Matt LaFleur tree

Ben Johnson added a little extra heat after last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers, and it didn’t take long for the rest of the league to notice. Inside the locker room, Johnson delivered an emotional postgame speech that included one line that cut through everything else: “F— the Packers.”

There was no mystery about where it came from. The clip wasn’t leaked or caught on a hot mic. It was posted straight from the team’s own social media accounts. A lot of fans loved the rawness and the edge, while others didn’t. And among those who weren’t thrilled? People connected to what’s often called the “McVay tree.”

“That handshake and all that m—er F stuff from Ben Johnson did not go over well with the McVay tree, if you will, and around the league,” analyst Peter Schrager said. “Mike LaFleur is Matt LaFleur’s little brother; he’s the OC for the Rams, and Sean’s best friend is Matt LaFleur,” he remarked.

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Schrager’s point was simple. One thing is saying it behind closed doors. Another is having the team blast it out publicly, and then showing up the next day and saying you stand by it, with ownership backing you.

“This is the WWE part of this where there’s actual personalities involved,” Schrager added. “I think McVay wants to kick the snot out of Ben Johnson.”

If that’s the case, Sean McVay hasn’t had much luck lately. He’s already lost to Johnson twice in their last two meetings, so the scoreboard hasn’t exactly been on his side. McVay was asked whether he reached out to Matt LaFleur for insight on facing the Chicago Bears, given LaFleur saw them three times this season.

“No, you know what. We watch the tape. We do our work, and you know, Matt is a very close friend of mine,” McVay said.

McVay will avenge his friend LaFleur and try to beat Ben Johnson. But the tension building up between Johnson and McVay makes for a classic matchup. The post-game handshakes will be fun to watch.