Bears Legend Brian Urlacher Blasts NFL Refs After OT Heartbreaker vs Rams — Accuses Officials of Multiple Missed Calls & 'Taking the Game Out of Chicago’s Hands'
Chicago, Illinois – January 20, 2026
The Chicago Bears’ season ended in overtime, but the aftershocks from their playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams continue to ripple across the NFL. This time, the spotlight isn’t on the sideline or the locker room — it’s on a franchise icon whose voice still carries enormous weight in Chicago.

Brian Urlacher, a Hall of Fame linebacker and the defining face of the Bears’ defense for more than a decade, delivered a scorching critique of the officiating. Urlacher didn’t hedge or soften his words, calling the game “the biggest rigged game in NFL history.”
“I can live with losing a football game. What I can’t live with is losing it like that. When you slow it down, freeze the frame, and still choose to ignore what’s obvious to everyone, that’s no longer a mistake. That’s when the game is taken out of our hands — and our players deserved better than that.”
According to Urlacher, this wasn’t emotional venting after a tough loss, but the result of four officiating moments that directly altered the outcome.
The first centered on a controversial first-half ruling involving Davante Adams. Urlacher argued Adams never completed the process of the catch and lost control of the ball going to the ground, yet officials ruled it a completion — a decision he said contradicted similar playoff calls that were ruled interceptions.
THE #NFL HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE REFEREES.
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 19, 2026
THIS WAS CALLED A CATCH FOR THE #RAMS.
LAST NIGHT THIS WAS CALLED AN INTERCEPTION FOR THE #BRONCOS AGAINST THE #BILLS.
NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT THE ACTUAL RULE IS.
THIS IS A COMPLETE DISASTER.
pic.twitter.com/TcXMLfdaPe
The second flashpoint was a violent collision involving Bears running back D'Andre Swift. Urlacher described the hit as late, high, and dangerous, especially given the league’s emphasis on player safety. No flag was thrown.
The third moment came late in regulation, when Bears pass rushers were visibly held on a critical Rams drive, allowing Matthew Stafford to extend the play and flip field position. Again, officials kept the flag in their pockets.
Finally, Urlacher blasted what he called a severe lack of consistency in how the catch rule has been enforced throughout the postseason — noting that identical plays have been ruled catches in one game and interceptions in another.
Urlacher stopped short of directly accusing the league itself, but his message was unmistakable: Chicago believes the line between human error and competitive distortion was crossed.
For the Bears, the loss will linger throughout the offseason. For the NFL, Urlacher’s words ensure this game won’t quietly fade away. When a franchise legend speaks this forcefully, the league is left facing a far more uncomfortable question — not about a single call, but about credibility on the sport’s biggest stage.













