Biggest duds from Bears heartbreaking Divisional round loss to Rams

The clock finally struck midnight on the Chicago Bears' Cinderella run through the 2025 postseason, as they fell to the mighty Los Angeles Rams in overtime. They hung around and gave the Rams a run for their money, but Chicago's inexperience eventually sank them. Players failed to make plays, and the coaches made poor decisions, starting before the opening kickoff with their Joe Thuney position decision.

Despite the loss, the Bears can hold their heads high as they enter the offseason. They were supposed to be nothing more than a mildly competitive team. Instead, they won 11 games, clinched the NFC North division title, and pulled off an unbelievable comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.

That said, their season didn't have to end tonight. This was a winnable game for the Bears, and it all hinged on a handful of players and coaches who couldn't get the job done. Here are the four biggest duds from this Divisional round loss.

1. Rome Odunze

The Bears had a chance to do something in this game that they didn't do very often this year, and that's score a touchdown on the opening drive. Caleb Williams layered a perfect pass to Odunze in the endzone, splitting the difference between two defenders, but the ball sailed right through Odunze's arms. Two plays later, the Bears turned the ball over on downs.

That's a seven-point swing that could have changed the entire tenor of the game, and dropping an easy catch earns Odunze the top spot on this duds list.

rome odunze is so bad it’s unreal drops a wide open touchdown
wide open touchdown dropped by the 9th overall pick pic.twitter.com/UMWDmkp0uf
— Jimbo (@JimbosJunkbox) January 18, 2026

2. Ben Johnson

First things first, the Bears would not have come anywhere near this Divisional Round game if they hadn't hired Ben Johnson last January. However, his game management still needs a lot of work. Johnson's aggressive mindset on fourth down cost the Bears three points on the opening drive, his run calls got predictable by the time the second half began, and his redzone decision-making was, at times, baffling.

Hopefully, this offseason provides Johnson with ample time to do some self-evaluation.

3. Kyle Monangai

Monangai's rookie season has been a smashing success for someone who was drafted in the seventh round, but he didn't exactly cover himself in glory tonight. He had a huge, 15-yard run for a first down early on but didn't do much else for the rest of the night. The Bears needed Monangai to be their short-yardage workhorse, but he couldn't get the job done.

4. Caleb Williams

It has to be said: Williams played a poor game today. He had his moments, like forcing overtime with one of the wildest throws of the year, but he was simply not good enough overall. He was more indecisive than we've seen in recent weeks and made poor decisions on all three of his interceptions, including a couple of passes that should have been intercepted.

Williams is the franchise quarterback for Chicago, but as is the case with Ben Johnson, the young man has a lot of work to do this offseason.