Bears-Rams: 4th-quarter kings Caleb Williams, Matthew Stafford save best for last

If the Bears’ first 18 games have been a prelude, the 19th will be madness.

If the previous four months of the Bears’ season are any indication, Sunday will end in the manner so many others have — with quarterback Caleb Williams trying to rally his team for the eighth fourth-quarter comeback in a magical season.

If Ben Johnson’s first season as the Bears’ coach has taught us anything, it’s that the outcome won’t be clear until the fourth quarter — or maybe even the final play — as fans hold their breath and mutter prayers inside a frigid Soldier Field.

The Rams know the feeling. They give their fans heart palpitations, too. And as magical as Williams has been with the game on the line, their own quarterback, Matthew Stafford, has been better.

‘‘I do think he’s got that knack for the dramatic, as well,’’ said Johnson, who worked with Stafford for two years with the Lions. ‘‘They’ve been in a number of one-score games this year, and it seems like he does a great job of putting his offense and his team on his back and making those plays.

‘‘I do see the similarities between the two in crunch time.’’

Last week, the Rams trailed the Panthers by four points with 2:34 left when they took possession at their 39. The Rams threw on every down, with Stafford completing six of his seven passes for 71 yards. Tight end Colby Parkinson caught a 19-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left to give them the lead.

Stafford had ‘‘full expectation’’ he would lead the Rams to a touchdown, said Rams coach Sean McVay, who saw the same look in Williams while scouting the Bears.

‘‘I feel that when I watch Caleb and I watch that team,’’ McVay said. ‘‘There’s a belief that they can find ways to finish, and that’s why they’re in this situation.

‘‘He’s going to be a nightmare to defend.’’

No quarterback who took at least 100 fourth-quarter snaps during the regular season has a better passer rating than Stafford’s 119.7. No one has thrown more touchdown passes than his 13.

‘‘If there’s time on the clock, I feel great about it,’’ Stafford said.

So does Williams. With one more victory, he would become only the fourth Bears quarterback to win multiple games in the same postseason. With one more fourth-quarter comeback, he’ll tie the NFL record for the most in a season (counting the regular season and postseason). That record is shared by Kirk Cousins in 2022 and Stafford in 2016.

Williams’ late-game heroics have been the heartbeat of the Bears’ season. During the regular season, he had a 94.3 passer rating in the fourth quarter. In the Bears’ last three games, Williams has gone 29-for-53 for 394 yards with three touchdowns and a 96.7 passer rating in the fourth, leading them to a whopping 51 points.

He led the Bears to 25 points in the fourth last week, going 10-for-21 for 184 yards with two touchdowns and a 108 passer rating against the Packers. His 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DJ Moore with 1:43 left gave the Bears the lead.

‘‘I felt pretty confident that, until the clock hits zero, we’ve got a pretty good shot,’’ Williams said.

The Bears rather would not rely on Williams putting on his Superman cape in yet another playoff game, but teams rarely change their identity this late in the season. If the Bears are going to advance to the NFC Championship Game, it figures to be because of what Williams does in the fourth quarter.

‘‘I feel that I’m the best in those moments because of what I’ve prepared to be in those moments,’’ Williams said.

His teammates believe in him — and in themselves — because of that success. Their trust is ‘‘born of demonstrated ability,’’ offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said, and it starts with Williams.

‘‘That confidence that he carries is infectious throughout the whole team,’’ wide receiver Rome Odunze said. ‘‘I think all of us on the offensive side of the ball, when we’re in that huddle, we all believe. . . . It’s just who that group is. Caleb obviously embodies that and does a terrific job and is in the spotlight of that every single play. The way he carries himself is how all of us do.’’

The Bears will need more than just Williams, however. Four of the Rams’ five losses this season came when the other team scored a touchdown on defense or special teams.

The Rams have the worst special teams in the NFL. Their punting unit flirted with disaster last week, too. With 4:18 left, the Panthers blocked a punt by Ethan Evans that set up a touchdown four plays later. It took Stafford’s furious finish to snatch the lead back.

On Sunday, it might take the same — from Williams or Stafford — to stay alive in the playoffs.

‘‘For myself, it’s just next play, next play and next play,’’ Williams said. ‘‘And then when you have to go make a play, it’s life or death in those moments.’’