Game time is officially set.

The NFL announced Monday night the NFC Divisional Round between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field will take place at 5:30 p.m. CT Sunday, Jan. 18.

The time became finalized at the conclusion of Monday’s No. 5 Houston Texans vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers game, with the Texans advancing to the next round after a 30-6 blowout win.

As the next games approach, here’s what to know.

When do the Bears play next?

The Chicago Bears will take on the Los Angeles Rams at 5:30 p.m. CT Sunday, Jan. 18 at Soldier Field.

What channel is the Bears game on?

Sunday’s Bears vs. Rams NFC Divisional Round Game will air on NBC 5. It will also stream on the NBC Chicago streaming channel here.

What happens if the Bears win? Latest NFL Playoff bracket

Four NFL playoff games take place this weekend.

In the AFC, the No. 1 Denver Broncos will play the No. 6 Buffalo Bills at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. That game will air on CBS.

In the NFC, the No. 1 Seattle Seahawks will face the lowest-seeded team, the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night at 7:00 p.m., with the game airing on Fox.

Sunday, Jan. 18, the No. 5 Houston Texans will play the No. 2 New England Patriots at 2 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN. Sunday night at 5:30 p.m., the No. 2 Bears will take on the No. 5 Rams, with the game airing on NBC.

The winner of the Bears-Rams game will go on to face the winner of the Seahawks-49ers game. In the AFC, the winner of the Broncos-Bills game will face the winner of the Patriots-Texans game.

After that, comes Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8. Super Bowl LX will be played at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, in Santa Clara, California.

What’s the betting line for the game?

Even though the Bears are the home team and the higher seed in the matchup, they’re still an underdog at most sportsbooks, including a +3.5 at DraftKings.

The over-under for the game is at 51.5 points, according to the book.

Matthew Stafford injury status

Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a sprained index finger on his throwing hand during Saturday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, head coach Sean McVay told media on Monday.

The coach did say that he fully expects Stafford to play in Sunday’s game against the Bears.

“He’s as tough as it gets, but he’s feeling good,” McVay said. “He was able to push through it, and he’ll be good to go.”

How do Caleb Williams, Matthew Stafford compare?

Stafford is coming off one of the best regular seasons of his career, throwing for a league-leading 4,707 yards and a league-leading 46 touchdowns. He also threw just eight interceptions, completing 65% of his passes.

As a result, Stafford was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his NFL career, and is considered one of the front-runners for NFL MVP.

In his second NFL season, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 3,942 yards, setting a new Bears single-season record in the process. He also threw for 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, completing 58.1% of his passes.

Williams has also set an NFL record for most fourth quarter comebacks in his first two seasons as a pro, leading the Bears to eight victories when they’ve trailed in the fourth quarter of games.

Rams offense

The Rams had the NFL’s best offense during the 2025 season, racking up nearly 400 yards per game. They also led the league in passing yards per game with 268.1, and they rushed for 126.6 yards per game, good for seventh in the league.

Their scoring offense was also the league’s best, averaging 30.5 points per contest.

Most of their offense flowed through Puka Nacua, who racked up a staggering 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, but Davante Adams was also a huge red zone threat, with 14 touchdowns on the season.

Not to be outdone, Kyren Williams rushed for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Blake Corum had 746 rushing yards on the year.

Rams defense

While the Rams did have one of the league’s better scoring defenses, allowing 20.4 points per game, they do allow 216.7 yards per game through the air, fifth worst among NFL playoff teams this season.

They also haven’t been as stout on defense in recent games as they were earlier in the season, allowing 30 points per game in their last five games, including 38 to the Seahawks and 31 to the Panthers.

One other thing to note, especially with how cold the weather will be at Soldier Field on Sunday: according to Aaron Schatz of ESPN, the Rams are extremely susceptible to short-yardage runs on third and fourth down, allowing opponents to convert on those types of plays 74% of the time, one of the worst percentages in the league.

The NFL divisional round will determine who advances to the AFC and NFC Championship Games.

How cold will it be?

The Bears may be used to playing in cold weather, but the Rams certainly are not.

The NBC 5 Storm Team’s latest forecast for Sunday shows the temperature could be in the teens, making it one of the coldest games in Rams history.

According to Pro Football Reference, teams that primarily play their home games in domed stadiums have not fared well in outdoor playoff games when the temperature is below freezing, going just 2-15 in those games since 2000.