Nothing matters at this time of year except the result.
The Los Angeles Rams know that. Someday Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears will, too.
It wasn’t the best game Matthew Stafford has had in these or any other playoffs. It wasn’t the best game Sean McVay has called, either.
But gifted a second chance by the Bears’ hubris, Stafford and McVay got it done, taking advantage of their experience and making the plays when they counted for a 20-17 win and a spot in the NFC Championship for the second time in four years.
Because that’s what you do when another game isn’t guaranteed.
‘Playoff football is about winning the football game. I played great, threw for a bunch of yards last year in the snow and we lost. That (stuff) sucks,’ Stafford said, referring to the Rams’ loss to Philadelphia in last year’s divisional round. ‘I’m happy to have played a little bit worse today and be going home with the win. We’ll take that.’
And Johnson, Williams and the Bears will take a valuable lesson into the future.
After decades of being a colossal disappointment, these Bears energized the entire city this season. Seven times they came back to win after trailing in the fourth quarter, including in last weekend’s wild-card game against the archrival Green Bay Packers. They won the NFC North and made the playoffs for only the second time in seven years.
The defense was opportunistic and Williams was, simply, a marvel. Go back and watch his pass to Cole Kmet for the game-tying touchdown on fourth down that forced overtime. You won’t see many better from this season. From any quarterback.
‘He’s an eraser,’ Johnson said. ‘I have plenty of bad calls each and every week, and he helps make it right for me.’
But Johnson often gambled needlessly in his first season as a head coach, preferring to take the big swing rather than the safe option. The Bears went for it on fourth down six times Sunday night, getting the touchdown but also throwing a pick and turning it over on downs another time in the fourth.
As it turns out, those three points would have come in handy.
The call on the final turnover was another miss. They were 15, maybe 20 yards out of field-goal range, and had been having success with the run game and short passes by Williams. Instead, Johnson dialed up a deep ball that Kam Curl picked off, sucking the soul out of a raucous Soldier Field.
‘They knew what it was,’ Curl said. ‘Giving the ball back to Matthew Stafford, it’s over.’
And therein lies the difference between the two teams.
The Rams were not necessarily the better team Sunday night, getting outgained 417-340 and having the ball for almost 7 minutes less. But McVay, Stafford, Davante Adams and Puka Nacua have been doing this long enough to know how to get things done. To not make mistakes when there is no margin for error. To recognize when you need to take what the game is giving you rather than trying to force something.
When the Rams got the ball back after the interception, Stafford gobbled up yardage with big throws to Colby Parkinson, Adams and Nacua — the last coming on third-and-6 after McVay decided to change the play.
‘He asked me if I liked the one that we ended up running, I said, `Hell, yeah, I love that one.’ And it was a great call,’ Stafford said. ‘Just great feel by him on the sideline getting that done, giving me a good play. And obviously Puka did a nice job after the catch.”
Nacua’s 16-yard catch moved the Rams to the Chicago 27. Blake Corum picked up another three yards and, three plays later, Harrison Mevis kicked the 42-yard field goal. Chicago’s wild season was over, while the Rams will play the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks next weekend.
Experience had won out.
‘I think it’s big. I thought we were at our best in the most important moments. And I think whether you’re talking about the weather or just big games, you could feel those (veteran) guys shine the brightest at the most important moments,’ McVay said.
‘I know we’ll both be better next week — or we’ve got to be able to be better if we expect to advance,’ McVay added. ‘But … I couldn’t be more impressed with just the overall group effort from our defense and (the veterans) in crunch-time moments.”
The loss doesn’t take anything away from the season the Bears had. Williams made monumental strides in his development and is only going to get better the longer he works with Johnson. The defense knows how to get under opponents’ skin.
And when they have this opportunity again, they will know what to do.
Just as the Rams did.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
