wavePod

POSTGAME: Chicago Bears fall in OT to the LA Rams | Caleb Williams throws three interceptions - Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Back to Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

POSTGAME: Chicago Bears fall in OT to the LA Rams | Caleb Williams throws three interceptions

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Mon Jan 19 2026

Summary

Forward Progress: Bears Fall in OT to the Rams – “Magic Runs Out”

Podcast: Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast
Episode: POSTGAME - Chicago Bears fall in OT to the LA Rams | Caleb Williams throws three interceptions
Date: January 19, 2026
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola

Episode Overview

In this highly emotional postgame episode, Dan and Matt break down the Bears’ heartbreaking 20-17 overtime playoff loss to the LA Rams. They balance frustration and pride, exploring the reasons behind the loss, the unlikely magic of the 2025 Bears season, and the future for Caleb Williams and the team. Key plays, coaching decisions, and notable performances are scrutinized in a show packed with analysis and relatable fan emotion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emotional Reaction & Immediate Takeaways ([00:25]-[01:22])

Season ends in heartbreak: Bears lose in overtime after a hard-fought, unforgettable season characterized by improbable comebacks.

“The magic has finally run out in an absolutely unforgettable season.” — Dan [00:25]
Defense shines, offense falters: Hosts praise the defense for holding the league’s #1 offense to 17 in regulation, but lament points left on the field.

2. Critical Play – DJ Moore Route on OT Interception ([01:22]-[04:51], [51:35]-[53:06])

Wide receiver stops running: DJ Moore criticized for lack of effort on the decisive OT INT.

“I just don’t understand it because all I see on that play is DJ Moore not running with maximum effort on that play, which ended up costing the Bears the game.” — Matt [03:06]
Unanswered questions: Hosts and former players (Chase Daniel, Kurt Warner) question if there was a miscommunication or if Moore simply gave up.

“You can’t blame Caleb Williams for the INT in OT. The Bears have the absolute perfect play called. The lack of effort by number two is really telling.” — Chase Daniel [51:35]

3. Caleb Williams’ Performance & Growth ([14:18]-[15:50], [35:01]-[36:22], [54:52]-[56:31])

Polarizing QB outing: Williams finishes 23/42, 257 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs. Hosts stress both blame and context, highlighting his late-game heroics and inexperience.

“He’s making those [INTs] seem less important because of what we know he’s capable of doing. He leveled up nationally, I believe.” — Dan [32:23]
Long-term optimism: Despite mistakes, Dan and Matt express more confidence in Williams than any Bears QB in decades.

4. Play-calling Critique ([06:29]-[07:16], [10:32]-[11:16], [21:03]-[22:11])

Ben Johnson under the microscope: Repeated frustration over short yardage/conservative calls, especially third-and-short and passes behind the line.

“Five passes behind line of scrimmage is way too many for this offense.” — Matt [06:29]
Personnel subs and line issues matter: Moves like shifting Joe Thuney to left tackle and playing a practice squad guard discussed as impacting play selection.

5. Missed Opportunities & Execution ([07:16]-[10:00], [11:16]-[14:08])

Drops and mistakes: Multiple drops (e.g., Roma Dunze’s early drop) and missed turnovers haunt the Bears.

“There was a touchdown in the first drive... you gotta have [that].” — Matt [14:05]
Defensive letdown on key downs: Strategic errors, especially leaving Puka Nacua uncovered on a critical third down ([08:07]-[09:22]), are highlighted as inexplicable.

6. Defensive Standouts & Resilience ([07:16]-[08:07])

Brisker, Gordon shine: Praise for Jaquan Brisker’s inspirational performance after concussion issues and Kyler Gordon's impact on his return.

7. National Perception & Bears’ Legitimacy ([28:26]-[32:23])

Defensive reputation rebuilt: The narrative that the Bears were just “lucky” or riding turnovers is strongly rebutted.

“If this game doesn’t solidify for you that this was a good football team this year, then I don’t know what else to tell you.” — Matt [28:26]

8. Statistical Recap ([20:04]-[21:03])

Bears dominate most stats: More yards, time of possession, more plays, fewer penalties — but three killer INTs decide the outcome.
- 77 more yards than Rams (417 to 340)
- 81 plays run, 160 rushing yards
- 4 sacks of Stafford, 0 sacks allowed

9. Future Outlook & Emotional Closure ([54:52]-[56:31])

“This is just the beginning”: Both hosts compare this loss to the start of something special, like the early Michael Jordan Bulls.

“The best time to be a fan... is when you know your team is getting good.” — Dan [53:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On DJ Moore’s OT Play

“I just don’t understand it because all I see on that play is DJ Moore not running with maximum effort.” — Matt [03:06]
“[Chase Daniel]: You can't blame Caleb Williams for the INT in OT… The lack of effort by number two is really telling.” [51:35]

On the Season’s Magic Ending

“There’s no, we’re running out of ways to describe this kind of magic. And it was a reminder at the end that it’s not [magic]. That it’s football.” — Dan [11:18]

On Caleb’s Growth

“My belief and confidence in Caleb Williams is the highest it's ever been of any Bears quarterback.” — Matt [54:52]
“He leveled up nationally, I believe.” — Dan [32:23]

On Play-calling

“Some of the play calls tonight are very questionable and disappointing. A lot of the drops were disappointing.” — Matt [13:33]
“I really just, I didn’t quite get a lot of the play calls that he made. Really difficult situations in that third and one, fourth and one, first and goal.” — Matt [21:03]

On the Defense Proving Itself

“If this game doesn’t solidify for you that this was a good football team this year, then I don’t know what else to tell you.” — Matt [28:26]

Humorous Interludes

Ongoing banter about “Dick Warlock” (Kurt Russell’s stunt double), fat kickers (“Beavis, the kicker... he's fat”), and putting cayenne pepper in socks for warmth [Various—see 46:45, 56:31].

Key Timestamps

[03:06] — The critical DJ Moore play dissected
[07:16] — Praise for Brisker and Gordon on defense
[08:07] — Breakdown of the Nacua blown coverage
[13:33] — Analysis on playcalling and costly drops
[20:04] — Detailed stat breakdown, edge Bears except turnovers
[21:03] — Ben Johnson’s play-calling under scrutiny
[28:26] — The Bears’ defense earns national respect
[32:23] — Caleb Williams’ image in the league
[51:35] — Chase Daniel & Kurt Warner on Moore’s effort
[53:08] — The optimism of being a fan “when you know your team is getting good”
[54:52] — Matt on what makes this Bears team different

Overall Tone

Gritty, honest, raw: Frustration with how the season ended, but deep pride in the team’s progress.
Comedic relief: Plenty of jokes and asides about Bears fandom, podcast trolls, and NFL oddities, breaking up the post-game pain.
Optimistic about the future: Both hosts stress this is just the beginning for Williams, Johnson, and the new Bears era.

For New Listeners

If you missed the game or haven’t kept up, this episode delivers everything: deep analysis of what went wrong (and right), sharp takes on key moments and players, and the feeling of being in the trenches with diehard Chicago fans. The Bears may have lost, but the message is clear: the future is bright in Chicago, and the ride has only just begun.

Loading summary...

Transcript

Matt Abaticola (0:01)

I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you're thinking Forward Progress. Come on. Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abaticola on 312 Sports.

Dan Bernstein (0:25)

Welcome to Forward Progress on 312 Sports. Dan Bernstein here with Matt Abatic. This episode is presented by our good friends over at FanDuel and also by Giordano's. The season obviously didn't end the way we wanted, but Giordano's is turning the page to another unforgettable Chicago moment, Derrick Rose's jersey retirement. So if to find out more about the MV pizza celebrating him, you can go to Giordano's.com 20 to 17 is the final the magic has finally run out in an absolutely unforgettable season that looked like something else beyond improbable was going to happen again. But alas, this time, not to be. This unbelievable, unforgettable Bears season has come to an end.

Matt Abaticola (1:22)

It certainly has, Dan. And just trying to gather the moments here and just the emotions that were experienced and felt throughout the course of this game and you know, it's just, it's really disappointing because this is one of the better defensive games I've seen this unit play all season long. And they, they held a high powered offense that was number one in the league to 20 points, 17 points in regulation, which would have been certainly enough to win. They were holding teams 18 points a game at home. They held the Rams to 17 through four quarters. I feel like the offense left anywhere from nine to 17 points on the field during regulation. Caleb Williams with some interesting passes at times, but you also had some drops, you also had on that final play, the curl interception where DJ Moore even called out by Chris Collinsworth just stopped running.

Dan Bernstein (2:26)

I don't know, I don't know what happened. I and when I, and I mean this, when I say this, I hope there is an absolutely reasonable explanation for why he stopped playing. What didn't he see, what did he see, what went wrong there, what wires got crossed. Because I think it's only fair to allow for the possibility that there is something that I just can't imagine was going on. But I would watching him just break it down while the play was still going on was shocking to me.

Matt Abaticola (3:06)

I would love to think that there was something else going on. I would love to have that as the answer. I just think he stopped running and you saw the replay and certainly Chris Collinsworth called it out and said that he just didn't continue running on the play. And I'm not sure what What Caleb's. I mean, I'm not sure what DJ saw because Curl was watching him the entire time, was watching his eyes. And you, you could see in, even in slow motion, DJ's body, he was not running with full effort. If he was still hurt from leaving the game, then he shouldn't have been out there. If you can't run. I just, I just don't understand it because all I see on that play is DJ Moore not running with maximum, maximum effort on that play, which ended up costing the Bears the game. They needed 10, 12, 15 more yards to get into field goal range after the initial stop of the Rams in overtime. The Bears get the ball. Just what you want. You want defense first to see what the other team does. All right, now all we need is a field goal. They're moving the ball downfield, especially coming back on the, you know, just improbable again play from Caleb Williams at the end of regulation to tie the game to a wide open Cole commit in the back of the end zone. It was just unbelievable. And then, all right, you think you're right. You get, you get into overtime, then you get a stop again, your defense gives you another stop and then, and for your drive to end that way in overtime with your arguably most accomplished wide receiver on your team, the guy that has been there for the last several weeks catching touchdowns, had a touchdown earlier in the game with great hands throughout the course of the season, just stopped running on a pass with your season on the line.

Matt Abaticola (24:43)

Important to mention, too, that fanduel they did turn on their playoff mode going into this weekend, so all customers got a profit boost pack and they're going to keep doing that for the rest of the playoffs, through every NFL playoff game day, each game day during the divisional round and further, you'll find a pack loaded with multiple profit boosts waiting for you in the app. More boost means more ways to level up your playoff bet. So you pick up the match, you pick the matchup that you believe in. You take your shot or you pick an upset. You build a parlay that fits for the moment. Now, my parlay was terrible for this weekend, but my individual bet, though, on this Bears game did come through because it was plus three and a half and I had the under at 48 and a half. So that did come through for me this one particular game, despite my team losing and breaking my heart into a million pieces. So what you do, though, is you apply your profit boost and you go after even bigger payouts while the playoffs keep rolling on. And they will. There's still two more weekends NFL playoffs, so visit FanDuel.com podcast and grab your profit boost pack every NFL playoff game day. And remember what fanduel did for all of us here in Illinois. They started the special that started yesterday. And what they did is they removed the tax on all bets that continues on through tonight where you save 50 cents on every bet. So if there's anything out there you want to take a look at right now? Go ahead and do that on your FanDuel app. Save 50 cents on every bet. Once again, that's FanDuel.com podcast. Grab your profit boost pack every NFL playoff game day. More action no fees this weekend the weekend of all weekends only on FanDuel in Illinois 21 and over present in Illinois. Opt in required bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration and max wager amount. See terms@sportsbook.fanduel.com and gambling problem. Call 1-800-G GAMBLER I thought this would feel worse.

Matt Abaticola (28:26)

Trying to think through why it doesn't feel worse than maybe I thought it would or that it should. And this is, this is, this is really stupid. And it's, it's very meatballish. You Know, Bears fan of me to think this but. And it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it just matters what I think. And the. But. The but the national perspective has been this team is not very good and this team is lucky. But what they've shown and what they. And if this game doesn't solidify for you that this was a good football team this year, then I don't know what else to tell you. You know, so while it hurts and I'm disappointed in the loss and I'm really disappointed that the season's over, this to me on a national stage showed this was a legitimate football team that took a team that has most likely the MVP of the league or the second guy who's going to. In voting the number one offense in the league and held them to 17 points through four quarters. And it was like, this defense is trash. This defense is garbage. All they do is live by the turnovers. And again, a second week in a row in the playoffs, they lost the turnover battle. And it was a game that I believe they gave away. So this had to in some regard make this a legitimate football team from a national perspective. Even though a lot of people picked them, you know, in preseason games and, or in the pre game shows, they were picked a lot. But I just felt really good about the way they, they showed up. Now again, there's two questionable interceptions that I really want to understand. I really want to hear from the team, from the coach, from the players involved. Yeah. And you know, we'll hear those things. But they showed up for this game and this was a game that I believe. I hope, you know, LA walks away feeling pretty lucky because this was a game that the Bears gave away. But, but I think, I don't know if that makes sense. But why it doesn't feel as bad because they showed up and played this football game and they were there for all four quarters and defense gave the offense every opportunity to score more than 17 points in four quarters and they just didn't do it.