Historic Chicago Bears announcement made on Thursday

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Vincent Pensabene | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 8:46 AM ET

The Chicago Bears returned to the divisional round for the first time since the 2010 season. On Sunday, the Bears faced the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Unfortunately for Chicago, it came up short in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter.

The Bears put up a good fight, but in the end, the Rams escaped with a 20-17 road victory in overtime. L.A. will now proceed to the conference championship game to battle the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC title and a spot in the Super Bowl. The Bears, on the other hand, are headed to their offseason after a memorable campaign.

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) runs after the catch against Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) during overtime of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears involved in historic announcement after divisional round loss to Rams

There was no shortage of action in the divisional round thriller between Chicago and L.A. The two teams traded blows in the first half, leaving the score at 10-10 at the break.

The Rams pulled away in the fourth quarter courtesy of running back Kyren Williams’ second rushing touchdown of the game. The Bears answered back, though, with quarterback Caleb Williams producing one of the best touchdown passes of the season with just 18 seconds remaining. Chicago tied the game at 17-17 after the extra point, forcing overtime.

The Rams sealed the win in the extra period with a 42-yard field goal. That marked the end of the line for Chicago and its impressive 2025 run.

On Thursday, a historic announcement was made about the Bears-Rams game. As it turns out, the exciting matchup set a new viewership record for NBC. A whopping 45.4 million viewers tuned in for the primetime matchup, making it the most-watched divisional round game ever.

The Rams and Bears Divisional round thriller brought in some wild viewership numbers pic.twitter.com/H67zvzy1JG

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 22, 2026

There were three other games in the divisional round, including another overtime thriller between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos. However, the Bears-Rams game reigned supreme in viewership. This isn’t only for the current season, but throughout the history of the divisional round.

This year’s NFL playoffs have produced unprecedented viewership numbers, and more could be on the way in the conference championship round and the Super Bowl.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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