Jaquan Brisker knelt on one knee on the grass at Soldier Field on Sunday night as snow flurries and people swirled around him.
Everything seemed to move so fast around Brisker. A couple minutes before, the Chicago Bears still had a chance to finish off another comeback for the ages. Instead, Brisker knelt and tried to take it all in as his teammates walked around the field and congratulated the Los Angeles Rams after their 20-17 overtime win in the NFC divisional round.
Brisker took his time in the locker room not long after too. As his teammates got dressed, conducted interviews and left to meet their families, Brisker still wore his uniform in pads as he answered questions. He then sat at his locker waiting until the final moment it was time to go.
A magical Bears season had come to an end.
“That was tough,” Brisker said in the Bears locker room Sunday night. “This group’s not going to be here again. These teammates, we’re all not going to be here again. The team will look different. It’s sad because it was a special group. I really cared about my teammates and coaches.”
For a moment it appeared like the Bears’ magical fairytale would add another chapter. Chicago seemed poised to pull off its eighth fourth-quarter comeback after quarterback Caleb Williams made a throw that seemed destined to become Bears lore.
It came when the Bears trailed 17-10 with 27 seconds left in the game. Chicago faced fourth-and-4 from the Los Angeles 14 yard line and the play quickly seemed doomed and would end the season.
The Rams’ pass rush quickly got after Williams, forcing him to run backward and turn his back to his teammates. Once he finally turned around, Williams assessed the situation quickly before heaving the ball in desperation toward the end zone.
Tight end Cole Kmet elevated himself over Rams cornerback Cobie Durant. He caught what was officially a 14-yard touchdown but likely was a 40-yard pass that never should’ve been caught.
“Just felt like a pat-and-go situation that we do every Friday,” Kmet said. “And felt like a pretty easy pitch and catch. Kind of felt like it was in slow motion. Can’t believe Caleb again. I mean just some nutty throws that he can make.”
It topped a throw that only lasted a week as Williams’ career best. Williams had completed a fourth-down throw against the Green Bay Packers that led to a thrilling comeback win in the NFC Wild Card round.
“Ridiculous,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “That’s ridiculous. You talk about that fourth-and-8 from last week and how outstanding that was, and I think this one was probably even another level ahead of that. There’s some things that you just can’t coach. He’s got that bottom, he’s got a knack, he’s clutch. He does so many good things.”
The rest seemed set. After Los Angeles knelt on its next possession to force overtime, the Bears defense continued its best performance of the season by forcing a three-and-out.
The Bears offense started its first drive in overtime from its own 16 and moved the ball well. Williams found Kmet for the drive’s first first down before he scrambled to pick one up on third down and then did it again on fourth down with a quarterback sneak.
Then Chicago’s fairytale story suddenly turned. Rams safety Kam Curl intercepted Williams’ next pass that was intended for wide receiver DJ Moore. Williams threw his third interception of the game, a first for him in his career.
“In the moment, saw the front side safety down, the front side of the concept, ended up getting hemmed up a little bit, so I moved on and had DJ going over the top of all of it,” Williams said. “Just a miscommunication between him and I. Tried to flatten him off under the safety, and he kept it vertical from what I saw, obviously, in the moment.”
Los Angeles made the most of its new life at the end and wrote its own happy ending.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford looked his most efficient all night a week after leading his team past the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round. Chicago’s defense had done a good job of taking away Stafford’s talented wide receivers. But this time he threw passes for 15, 12 and 16 yards, respectively, to move the 54 yards down the field.
When Rams kicker Harrison Mevis made the game-winning 42-yard field goal to win the game, the Bears’ hearts dropped and run was over.
“I feel like we played well all game,” Brisker said. “We executed the game plan and we did what we had to do, and we just came up short today.”
While the Bears were stunned with how suddenly the season ended, the locker room wasn’t somber. Yes, players were sad that this season’s group would never play together again.
“That was tough. This group’s not going to be here again. These teammates, we’re all not going to be here again. The team will look different. It’s sad because it was a special group. I really cared about my teammates and coaches.”
But they didn’t forget what they accomplished this season. The group put together a memorable year in Johnson’s first year. It included seven unforgettable fourth-quarter comebacks along with the team’s first NFC North title since 2018 and first playoff win since 2010.
Chicago’s storybook season suddenly came to an end Sunday night. But many players believed it was only the beginning for more good stories to come.
“It’s a frustration,” Williams said. “It’s a fire. Those are the two words that I’d go with. I’m excited, though, also. Obviously not happy about the outcome. Obviously frustrated about the outcome. But that’s over with, and I can’t go back and change it. Going to go back and watch, figure out how I can be better for the near future and help this organization get to where we want to be.”
