August 5, 2007

Season on the brink

2007 8-17: Wolfe in Bears 8-17: Tightends 8-16: 'Peanut' 8-16: Linebackers 8-15: D-Day 8-15: Madden '08 gets 8-15: Mannelly known 8-15: Cornerbacks 8-14: A step ahead 8-14: Offensive guards, 8-13: Benson has clear More

Memorable year ends with NFC crown, Super Bowl berth

By Tim Ahrens

timahrens@daily-journal.com
815-937-3393

The 2006 Chicago Bears' season started with seven straight wins, including a miraculous rally in the desert against Arizona.

But just when talk of the 1972 Miami Dolphins started surfacing, it was the 2006 Dolphins who squashed the thought of an undefeated season.

No matter, the Bears picked up with two big road wins at the Meadowlands, defeating the New York Giants and New York Jets before its third straight road game resulted in a loss to New England.

Again, the Bears dusted off the loss with four wins in the final five games, with the lone loss coming in a meaningless game to rival Green Bay on New Year's Eve.

Finishing with a 13-3 mark, the NFC's top seed waited for its first postseason opponent, Seattle, to come calling. Thanks to an overtime game-winning boot by Robbie Gould, the Bears hosted the New Orleans Saints in the NFC and won, advancing to the Super Bowl to play Indianapolis.

Things started well, but some late turnovers in a driving rain left the Bears still thirsting for their second Super Bowl crown.

Bears 26, Packers 0

Is there a better way to start a season than shutting out the Packers? How about shutting them out on their homefield?

Rex Grossman connected with Bernard Berrian for the first score of the season, a 49-yard TD pass that showed the Bears could go vertical, a complaint of the 2005 team.

Also, a star in the making showed his first flash of brilliance. Punt returner Devin Hester brought back a punt 84 yards for a touchdown, a sign of things to come.

The defense also showed what it was going to bring to the table, claiming one of its two shutouts for the season. The Bears have five games when they allowed single digits.

Bears 34, Lions 7

Rex Grossman threw four touchdown passes, including a pair over 30 yards, and the Bears rolled over and through Detroit in the home opener at Soldier Field.

The Bears led 24-0 at the half and the defense allowed just 245 yards, most in garbage time in the second half.

Bears 19, Vikings 16

Leading 9-6, Grossman was picked off by Minnesota's Antoine Winfield at the Bears' 7 and his short jaunt to the end zone gave the Vikes a 13-9 lead in the fourth.

The teams traded field goals but Grossman redeemed himself, capping a drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Rashied Davis.

The defense held the Vikings on the next series and the Bears were 3-0, with all three wins coming in the NFC North.

Bears 37, Seahawks 6

The defending NFC champs came to town for a nationally televised Sunday night game and were promptly ran out of town.

There was still debate because Seattle was without star running back Shaun Alexander, but Alexander couldn't have stopped the Bears now-potent offense, which was averaging 29 points a game after the shellacking.

Bears 40, Bills 7

Buffalo scored with 1:37 to stop the shutout, but it was all Bears, all game long. Thomas Jones rushed for 110 yards and backup Cedric Benson scored a pair of touchdowns.

Grossman continued his sizzling play, throwing another pair of touchdowns.

Bears 24, Cardinals 23

Trailing 20-0 at the half on Monday Night Football, the Bears looked like they were ready for their first blemish.

Gould's short field goal put the Bears on the board, but that was quickly answered with a Cardinals' field goal, giving Arizona a 23-3 lead.

But here comes the miracle. Safety Mike Brown scooped up a fumble and returned it three yards for a score. Then in the fourth period, Peanut Tillman did the same, this time from 40 yards and the Bears trailed 23-17. Hester completed the comeback with an 83-yard punt return.

The game did mark Grossman's first poor performance; he threw four interceptions.

Bears 41, 49ers 10

If fans were worried about the bad showing in Arizona, Grossman immediately put those thoughts to rest, leading the team to a 41-0 halftime lead.

Always the pessimists, Bears' fans grumbled when Niners back Frank Gore rushed for 111 yards, but the team was 7-0 and had another home game coming up with Miami before embarking on a three-game road trip.

Dolphins 31, Bears 13

Oops! Another stinker from Grossman (three INTs) helped Miami pull the upset. Like 1985, the Dolphins kept the Bears from an undefeated season.

Bears 38, Giants 20

Chicago turned a nailbiter into a laugher, thanks in part to an NFL-record tying (along with teammate Nathan Vasher) 108-yard missed field goal return by Hester.

Grossman struggled early, but would end up with 246 yards and three touchdowns.

Bears 10, Jets 0

No style points here, but the Bears did get an all-important road win against an eventual playoff team.

Jones helped Chicago control the ball with his 121 rushing yards. Grossman hooked up with Mark Bradley for a 51-yard score, the Bears' lone TD.

Patriots 17, Bears 13

New England quarterback blistered the Bears' defense for 267 passing yards and his scrambling fake on Brian Urlacher helped the Patriots earn a hard-fought win.

Chicago was able to pick off Brady twice, but Grossman's three interceptions hurt the chances of a comeback.

Bears 23, Vikings 13

Momma said there would be days like this, but it seemed like these were becoming the norm and not the exception.

Grossman threw three picks and accounted for just 34 yards passing. Luckily, the defense (Ricky Manning on a return, Tank Johnson on a safety) and special teams (Hester, punt return) did their part as the Bears climbed to 10-2.

Bears 42, Rams 27

Good offense (372 total yards) and two kick returns for touchdowns by Hester helped overcome a sluggish showing by the defense in another Monday night win.

But the gaudy numbers put up by the Rams left many fans with an uneasy feeling.

Bears 34, Buccaneers 31 (OT)

With the game seemingly in the bag, the defense allowed three fourth-quarter touchdowns to an anemic Tampa Bay offense, setting an overtime session.

Gould's 25-yard game-winner put the Bears at 12-2 and in position to have home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Bears 26, Lions 21

While America celebrated Christmas Eve, the Bears entered the final period trailing 21-17. Three Gould field goals in the final period were enough to earn the win, but the Bears needed a defensive stand late in the game to hold on.

To hear some fans speak, the Bears were the worst 13-2 team in NFL history.

Packers 26, Bears 7

Grossman's performance was, well, gross. He threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for Green bay scores. He admitted his mind wasn't on the game, and that scared many Bears' fans into thinking Brian Griese should start in the playoffs.

Bears 27, Seahawks 24 (OT) (NCFCplayoffs)

Thankfully, Bears coach Lovie Smith stuck with Grossman, who threw for 282 yards and a touchdown.

Still, Chicago needed its clutch kicker to come through. Gould tied the game in the fourth with a 41-yard field goal and won it in overtime with a 49-yarder.

Despite giving up 24 points and 306 yards, the defense came up with big plays when it needed to, including stopping Alexander on a 4th-and-1 at midfield.

Bears 39, Saints 14 (NFCtitle game)

New Orleans was the feel-good story of the year, but the Bears were in no mood to give the Saints a free pass to Miami, site of Super Bowl XLI.

Jones was dominant on the ground, scoring twice while racking up 123 yards.

Saints' QB Drew Brees piled up the yards (354) but the Bears again made big stops.

Leading just 18-14 at the start of the fourth, Chicago scored 21 points in the final period to stamp their ticket to the Super Bowl.

Colts 29, Bears 17 (Super Bowl XLI)

Hester's 92-yard kickoff return to start the game was a Super Bowl first, but it also solidified the fact that Indy would squib kick the rest of the game, negating a huge weapon.

Colts' QB Peyton Manning was masterful in his approach of taking what the Bears Cover 2 defense gave him. He completed 25 passes for 247 yards and a surprising Colts' ground game (191 yards) allowed Indianapolis to control the ball for more than 38 minutes.

This left Grossman and the offense in quick-strike mode and that was not a strength down the stretch.

Still, the Bears trailed just 22-17 when Grossman was intercepted by Kelvin Hayden, who returned the ball 56 yards for a game-clinching touchdown.