A Los Angeles Rams star has lifted the lid on the bizarre reason why players put cayenne peppers in their socks to battle the brutal chill in Chicago.
On Sunday night, the Rams sent the Bears crashing out of the playoffs after a dramatic 20-17 overtime victory in frosty conditions at Soldier Field.
As the snow fell and brutal wind chills hit the stadium, the Rams stars appeared unfazed as they battled away to reach the NFC Championship Game.
Shortly after the game finished, Rams star Poona Ford revealed how members of the team had put cayenne pepper down their socks to combat the conditions.
Speaking to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, Ford admitted that got the idea from veteran star Al Woods before implementing it into his own game whenever he plays in the cold.
Ford even showed off his socks from the game, which had clear yellow and orange markings from where the pepper had seeped into the material
The LA Rams and Chicago Bears battled in Baltic conditions in their divisional round game
Rams defensive tackle Poona Ford revealed the bizarre technique they used to battle the cold
NBC reporter Melissa Stark also showed off the cayenne pepper which was used by the Rams
On top of the unique technique, both teams had a hot chocolate dispenser – stocked with marshmallows – and a chicken broth dispenser to help battle the elements.
In the end, it was the visiting Rams who emerged from the frost and snow as the victors, after Harrison Mevis kicked the game-winning field goal from 42 yards.
Shortly after the game, Rams defensive back Quentin Lake poked fun at suggestions that LA would struggle to deal with the conditions on the day.
Taking to X, he simply wrote: ‘Wasn’t cold enough….’
It looked as though the Rams would win it in regulation time. With just 21 seconds on the clock, Chicago were trailing 17-10 on a fourth-and-4.
However, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams produced one of the best ever touchdown passes after evading two Rams defenders, before pulling out a mesmerizing 51-yard pass to find Cole Kmet in the end zone.
Despite the fact the Bears eventually lost the game, the moment instantly went viral as fans heaped praise on the Chicago signal caller and his passing ability.
The touchdown sparked jubilant scenes as Cairo Santos then made the extra point to set up overtime, but it was there where Williams went from hero to zero.
The Rams, led by Matthew Stafford, overcame the conditions in the Windy City on Sunday
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams pulled out all the stops but it still wasn’t enough on the night
After LA failed to score on the opening possession, he threw the costliest of interceptions while attempting a 20-yard pass downfield to DJ Moore, which was caught by Rams defender Kam Curl.
The visitors then went on to seal the victory when Mevis kicked the game-winning field goal from 42 yards.
Williams threw for two touchdowns but was intercepted three times as the Bears (12-7) – who pulled off seven fourth-quarter comeback wins under first-year coach Ben Johnson – came up short this time. They won the NFC North after finishing last in the division a year ago.
The Rams (14-5) will now visit NFC West rival Seattle next Sunday in their first trip to the conference championship game since the 2021 team won the Super Bowl. The Seahawks beat San Francisco 41-6 on Saturday.
