
A 16-yard completion from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua in overtime of Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears ended up being the biggest play of the night for Los Angeles.
Facing a third-and-six at the Chicago 43-yard-line, Rams head coach Sean McVay decided to take a timeout after L.A. came to the line of scrimmage, allowing himself to talk to his veteran QB before the biggest play of L.A.'s season.
In his postgame news conference, McVay revealed what he told Stafford during the timeout.
"We were really talking about what play we liked," McVay said. "They had shown some similar structures defensively and we'd had some success with that particular concept. He did a great job being able to execute it. Just telling what my thoughts were. I changed the play call from what the previous one was and just kind of explained the thought process. He did a great job bringing it to life."
Stafford hits the dummy count and gets the Bears to show the slot pressure. He has the shock route to Nacua so he
— Max Toscano (@maxtoscano1) January 19, 2026
-Slides the line to the opposite side,
-Leaves the RT on the edge backside
-RB on ILB mugged backside
-Throws hot off the slot.
Pressure plan, flexibility pic.twitter.com/8Knl9B7ner
McVay's QB delivered with a huge throw that ended up lifting L.A. back to the NFC Championship after Harrison Mevis drilled a game-winning 42-yard field goal. McVay and Stafford are now one win away from competing in their second Super Bowl together in Los Angeles.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!