Stop what you’re doing. The Bears and Rams just had their defining moment before the first snap. Jim Cornelison’s National Anthem turned a normal pregame into a showstopper, and NBC carried it live. The microphone shook with his power. The crowd at Soldier Field roared through the final lines. The playoffs felt bigger, louder, and more Chicago than ever.
The Anthem That Stole Pregame
I was on the field as Cornelison walked to the 50. He tilted his chin, squared his shoulders, and let it rip. His voice cut through the lakefront wind. Fans rose, hats came off, and players locked arms. It felt like a playoff anthem should feel, full of pride and nerves. This is the voice that made Blackhawks playoff nights feel like an event. Tonight, it crossed over, and it hit the same way. 🎶
NBC’s choice to air it live mattered. It put a Chicago tradition on a national stage. It set the tone for a night that was going to be heavy, physical, and loud. You could feel it in the huddle beats and in the first crack of pads.
Cornelison’s anthem is not just a song. It is a Chicago sports signal. It tells the building to get on its feet and stay there.
How a Broadcast Choice Shaped the Night
A live broadcast does more than show the moment. It amplifies it. Coaches talk about energy and emotional edges in the playoffs. Cornelison handed Chicago one. The long hold on “free” hung over the midfield logos. The final note was a lightning strike. Helmets tilted up. Veterans breathed deep. NBC let the country sit in that silence, then in that roar.
This is how fans remember nights. Not just by scores, but by sounds. The anthem became the opening drive before the opening drive. It pulled the game into focus for people at home and inside the bowl. It reminded everyone that the playoffs are part football, part theater.
The Football, Finally
Once the coin hit turf, the game turned into chess with a bite. The Rams want pace, motion, and rhythm. Under Sean McVay, their offense leans on timing throws, layered routes, and runs that hit creases. They try to stress rules, then hit you over the top.
Chicago counters with contact. The Bears want to shrink space, win first down, and make every throw contested. They lean on a punishing run game and play action. In the cold, that style fits. The rush must get home with four. Tackling has to be clean. Any miss becomes a chunk.
- Field position, especially with the wind.
- Third down disguise, to muddy reads.
- Red zone decisions, three points cannot beat seven.
- Special teams, hidden yards decide playoff games.
Early Tone, Heavy Hits
The first series told the truth. Pads popped. Corners sat on quick routes. Both fronts fired out low and nasty. One early sack woke up the lower bowl. A quick slant on third and short moved chains and quieted it again. The edge felt razor thin, like one blown coverage or one cutback would flip the board.
There was patience from both sidelines. No panic, just probing. The Rams stretched the field horizontally. The Bears answered with downhill runs and a shot off play action. It was not pretty, but it was playoff sound.
Culture Meets Competition
This game has layers. Chicago sports lives on ritual and noise, from the anthem to the horn to towels in the air. Tonight, that spirit met a polished opponent that has lived in big January moments. Los Angeles brought speed and design. Chicago brought weight and will. That is why the anthem mattered. It did not win a block or make a catch. It framed the night and told the city to lean in.
Players felt it. You could see hands raised toward the crowd after tackles. You could hear sideline leaders calling for one more surge. The building fed them. The broadcast fed the country.
Watch the fourth quarter clock. Coaches who trusted the run early tend to steal the final eight minutes when the weather bites.
What It Means, Now
The winner moves on and gets one step from a conference crown. The loser goes home with a long winter and a single image stuck in the mind. Tonight, that image might be Cornelison on the shield, one hand at his side, eyes fixed, voice soaring into the cold.
The game will produce heroes and regrets. A tipped pass, a forced fumble, a toe on the sideline. But remember how it started, with a choice to put a city’s sound on national TV. That choice turned a routine pregame into the headline of Bears vs Rams, and it might just have tilted the edge of a tight, brutal playoff fight. The football will decide the bracket. The anthem already decided the mood. 🔥
In Chicago, that matters. And tonight, you could hear why.
