After what ended up being one of the most memorable and dramatic Wild Card Weekends in the history of the league, eight teams will get set for the Divisional Round. The Chicago Bears somehow survived, coming back from an 18-point deficit and sending the Green Bay Packers home early.
With the Bears engineering a miraculous comeback, for a second time in the same season, to beat their most-hated rival, all eyes were on Sunday's games to see who Chicago would play next. After the conclusion of the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers game on Sunday afternoon, the Bears now know their next challenge.
The 49ers took down Philly, which now means the Bears will end up hosting the Los Angeles Rams next weekend for a chance to play in the NFC Championship Game.
An old foe, Matthew Stafford, has played these Bears 22 times over his illustrious career with 20 of those matchups coming in a Detroit Lions jersey.
Dennis Allen's Bears defense is in for its toughest opponent all season long
Stafford's Rams led the NFL in offensive yards per game (394.6) and points per game (30.5) over the course of the regular season. It should come as no surprise when this offense is guided by one of the brightest minds in the game in head coach Sean McVay.
But, Stafford also has weapons upon weapons to work with, including yet another old Bears foe in wide receiver Davante Adams.
Having tormented the Bears for eight seasons with the Packers, Adams now returns to Soldier Field in a familiar atmosphere.
Focusing on the Bears' defense, though, fans have to be worried. We saw many of the same issues plague this defense in the first half against the Packers over the weekend. The Bears still can't get any pressure on the quarterback and, thus, are susceptible to a whole lot of large gains.
Chicago's defense is also not fully healthy, with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon playing at less than 100 percent, having missed much of this season due to injury.
The Bears will be without linebacker T.J. Edwards after he suffered a season-ending injury against Green Bay, and they'll likely depend on D'Marco Jackson to fill in.
Against the Packers, in the second half, the Bears defense did a nice job putting the clamps on and allowing just six points in the final two quarters. But, the Rams are a different animal. Stafford might be the league MVP, this season, and is going to pose problems for Allen's unit.