The Bears-Rams Playoff Game Just Made NBC Sports History

It goes to show just how much better the NFL is when the Chicago Bears are good.

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts to a first down against the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

More than a few pundits and social media commentators quipped at the start of the playoffs that the casual football fan wouldn’t be as interested without the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Taylor Swift, Lamar Jackson or the Dallas Cowboys on their television screens this postseason.

Apparently, they forgot the Chicago Bears, who play in the third-largest media market in the country and have one of the country’s most rabid fanbases, were in the playoffs. So the Bears just reminded everyone of their influence.

Last Sunday’s Divisional Round game between the Bears and Los Angeles Rams dominated the ratings, totalling an NBC Sports-record 45.4 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. 

(They weren’t the only ones to put up big numbers, either. The game right before them on the playoff docket—the New England Patriots vs. the Houston Texans—pulled in 38 million viewers on ESPN to make it the most-watched event in the network’s history and the most-viewed non-Super Bowl Disney has ever produced.)

As we all know, anyone who turned in for that game and stayed until the end were treated to one of this season’s most entertaining games.

Though the Bears couldn’t pull out the win in overtime over the Rams, Caleb Williams managed to drop one last banger on the way out, making an all-time great throw to Cole Kmet to force the game into extra time. That play alone has already been replayed more than 131,000 times on YouTube at last count.

Seeing these incredible figures suggests a couple of things people should keep in mind when prognosticating about viewership.

For one thing: never count out cities like Chicago and Boston. Chicago’s combination of size and enthusiasm is up there with any sports city in America, and Boston’s pure loyalty to its teams, especially the Patriots, is no less impressive.

Secondly…as much as people love the likes of Mahomes, Jackson, and Josh Allen, people want to see young superstars like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye spin the rock, too. Which is partly why I’m sad the Bears and Patriots couldn’t face off in the big game this year. Hopefully, Williams and Maye, the No. 1 and No. 3 picks from the 2024 NFL Draft, respectively, get that chance one day. Because it would be absolute cinema.

And if these playoffs and end-of-season run in general have taught us anything, it’s that Williams is must-see TV, especially in crunch time.

Fortunately for football fans (and for TV networks), Williams and the Bears aren’t going anywhere.

More Chicago Bears News:

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• Even Rams players were amazed by Caleb Williams' heroics