Los Angeles swarms Kyle Monangai to prevent the 4th conversion

ByNBAUSA



In the playoffs, games are often won in the trenches, and Los Angeles Rams they just proved why their “bend but don’t break” philosophy is a nightmare for opponents.

Snowy during the week NFC divisional round clash at Soldier Field, the Rams’ defense delivered a statement stop that shifted the momentum against Chicago Bears. Faced with a critical fourth-and-short, Chicago offensive coordinator Ben Johnson opted to keep the offense on the field, relying on rookie Kyle Monangai to move the chains.

It didn’t go according to plan.

Rams linebacker Nate Landman and safety Kamren Kerl flooded the gap, met Monangai at the line of scrimmage and stymied him for no gain. The huge hit forced a turnover on downs, silencing the Chicago faithful and giving it away Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense the ball back to their own 32-yard line.

“Chris Shula’s unit was full all night,” the show said, and the stats back it up. Landman was the vacuum in the middle of the field, recording four solo tackles, while Curl was the Swiss army knife of the secondary with 10 total tackles.

The stoppage was a microcosm of the physical, defensive battle in the Windy City. Both teams traded blows early; The Rams opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run by Kyren Williams, capping a methodical 14-play, 85-yard drive. Chicago responded when Caleb Williams connected with DJ Moore for a 3-yard score on their own fourth-down punt.

Despite the cold 20 degrees temperatures and snowy turf, the Rams’ defense remained disciplined. They’ve already forced two turnovers on downs and a key interception by Cobie Durant on the Bears’ first possession.

While Monangai has been a revelation for Chicago this season, posting 783 rushing yards as a rookie, he found out the hard way that playoff windows close quickly when Landman and Kerl are pounding the box.





2026-01-19 02:05:00

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