2008 Chicago Bears season
The 2008 Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 89th regular season in the National Football League. They finished the 2008 season with a 9–7 record, improving upon their 7–9 record from the 2007 season. The Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Offseason
Offseason transactions
Following their 7–9 finish in the 2007 season, the Bears were faced with many issues to address heading into the 2008 NFL season. In an interview, Jerry Angelo, the team's general manager, stated the Bears will seek to bring stability to their offense by creating competition for their current running backs and quarterbacks through free agency and the upcoming draft. The team's running game ranked near last in almost every statistical category, while the Bears had to rely on three different quarterbacks to finish the season. Additionally, the Bears were faced with many questions pertaining to their aging offensive line, which was ridden with injuries and inconsistent play throughout the 2007 season.A week before free agency started, the Bears opted to extend Alex Brown's contract, who recorded three sacks, two tackles for loss, one interception, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery after reclaiming his starting job. The same day, the Bears parted with Muhsin Muhammad, Fred Miller, and Darwin Walker. A few days later, Jerry Angelo stated the franchise would not re-sign Ruben Brown, and suggested the team was in the process of rebuilding their offensive line. The Bears then focused their attention to their quarterbacks; re-signing Rex Grossman, and extending Kyle Orton's contract for another year. The team considered releasing Brian Griese in order to avoid a $300,000 dollar bonus, but eventually traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Finally, the Bears were left to deal with their top three free agents, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Bernard Berrian, and Lance Briggs. Berrian left the Bears to play with the Minnesota Vikings, agreeing to a six-year contract worth $42-million dollars. On the same day, the Bears signed Briggs to a six-year, $36 million contract. The Bears also decided not to pursue Ayanbadejo, and allowed him to sign with the Baltimore Ravens. With their top-two wide receivers gone, the team re-acquired Marty Booker, who had been released from the Miami Dolphins. The Bears also signed former Washington Redskins wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The team then signed restricted free agent Rashied Davis to a one-year, $927,000 tender on April 18, and later signed him to a three-year contract worth $5.86 million. The Bears then released safety Adam Archuleta after the 2008 NFL Draft.
The Bears were forced to also part with Cedric Benson after two run-ins with the law in Austin, Texas. Benson was first arrested for allegedly operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol. Only weeks after the incident, he was arrested again for reportedly driving while intoxicated. Benson denied the allegations that he was drunk and claimed that he was mistreated by the police on the first occasion. Angelo and Smith voiced a general sense of disappointment towards Benson's actions, and eventually opted to terminate his career with the organization. With Benson's departure the team had lost their passing, receiving, and rushing leaders from the previous season.
The Bears were reluctant to sign free agents to fill vacancies on their team. Angelo stated that he believed "free agency begins at home". The team invested a great deal of money in order to re-sign various players, including place kicker Robbie Gould, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, tight end Desmond Clark, and wide receiver Rashied Davis. Various veteran running backs, such as Kevin Jones and Shaun Alexander, were reportedly interested in filling Benson's absence, The team acquired P.J. Pope and rookie Matt Lawrence for competition and depth, and later Jones in mid-July.
NFL Draft
The Bears held the fourteenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. In addition to their six other regular picks, the team acquired an additional third-round draft pick as a result of a trade with the San Diego Chargers. The Bears also traded third-round picks with the San Francisco 49ers, and obtained their fifth round pick as a result of attempting to negotiate with Lance Briggs's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, before the trading deadline in October 2007. The League has also awarded the Bears with three compensatory picks, which are all in the draft's seventh round.As widely speculated by many draft analysts, The Bears used their first three draft picks to select offensive players. The team drafted Chris Williams from Vanderbilt to address holes in their offensive lines, Matt Forte from Tulane to help solidify their running game, and Earl Bennett to assist their wide receiver corp. Other rookies, such as Craig Steltz and Marcus Monk were drafted to provide additional depth and competition to their respective positions. The team also acquired several undrafted rookie after the draft. Caleb Hanie and Nick Hill were signed to add competition and extra depth to the Bears quarterback position.
The Bears signed Williams, their last unsigned draft pick, on July 23, 2008.
As of the 2012 season, half of the drafted rookies are not on the team, with every 7th round pick by the team being gone by the end of the season.
Mini camps
The Bears held several scattered mini-camp and Organized Team Activity workouts throughout May, and up to mid-June. Brian Urlacher, who had previously stated he would forgo the team's mini-camps in order due to issues with his contract, was among several Bears players to attend the training sessions. All players who were previously injured in the previous season, including veteran safety Mike Brown and cornerback Nathan Vasher, were cleared to practice. The Bears concluded their mini-camp sessions on June 18, with rookie Matt Forte as the team's top running back.Training camp
All members of the Bears reported to the team's summer training facility at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, except for Devin Hester, who missed the first two days of camp due to a contract dispute. Chris Williams, the team's top draft pick, missed the camp's first weekend after sustaining a minor back injury. He was later diagnosed with separate injury, a herniated disc, which required minor surgery to repair. The Bears have not given a time table pertaining to Williams' return. His fellow offensive lineman, Terrence Metcalf was also required to have surgery to repair his knee, and is also sidelined indefinitely. The Bears held their last training camp session of the summer on August 15, 2008. Lovie Smith was generally pleased with team's progress, and stated, "Guys were fighting for positions. All of them have stepped up and we'll just keep that evaluation going. To me, a successful camp a lot of times is when you get out injury free and we've done that for the most part. And again we've gotten good work done."Gallery
Preseason
Schedule
Regular season
Schedule
Standings
Week-by-week results
Week 1: at Indianapolis Colts
The Bears began their 2008 season by recording an upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts at the newly opened Lucas Oil Stadium. The team won the Super Bowl XLI rematch, by a score of 29–13. The Bears offensive attack featured the debut of rookie running back Matt Forté, becoming the first Bears rookie running back to start a game since Walter Payton in 1975, coincidentally against the Baltimore Colts. Forte carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run. The Colts and Bears exchanged field goals, and then Joseph Addai was dropped for a safety. A Robbie Gould 25-yard field goal on the following drive ended the 1st half.Peyton Manning helped the Colts narrow their deficit by throwing a six-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. Later in the 3rd quarter, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman forced a fumble, which Lance Briggs picked up and returned for a 21-yard touchdown. The Bears defense was able to contain the Colts the rest of the way, including a key fourth down and one yard stop near midfield early in the fourth quarter. The Bears essentially sealed their victory with 8:56 left on a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Jason McKie. After the game, Al Michaels and John Madden awarded Forte with the Sunday Night Football's "Horse Trailer Player of the Game" award. Adewale Ogunleye received the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for recording a safety, three tackles-for-loss, and making a key fourth down stop during the game.
| Week One: Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts— Game summary |
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Week 2: at Carolina Panthers
Coming off their upset road win over the Colts, the Bears flew to Bank of America Stadium for a Week 2 intraconference duel with the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, Chicago struck first as WR Brandon Lloyd returned a blocked punt 9 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Bears added onto their lead as kicker Robbie Gould got a 26-yard field goal. The Panthers would respond with kicker John Kasay getting a 37-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Chicago added onto its lead with FB Jason McKie getting a 1-yard TD run. However, Carolina started to rally as Kasay nailed a 45-yard field goal, along with RB Jonathan Stewart getting a 4-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers closed out its game-winning rally with Stewart getting a 1-yard TD run.With the loss, the Bears fell to 1–1.
| Week Two: Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers— Game summary |
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Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
at Soldier Field, Chicago- Game time: Sunday September 21, 2008 – 1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 76 °F, Partly cloudy
- Television announcers : Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan, & Chris Myers
- Game attendance: 62,051
- Referee: Tony Corrente
In the first quarter, Chicago got the early lead as kicker Robbie Gould got a 40-yard and a 43-yard field goal. The Buccaneers would respond with Griese completing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Ike Hilliard. In the second quarter, Tampa Bay increased its lead with DE Gaines Adams returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. The Bears closed out the half with Gould's 28-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Chicago took the lead with QB Kyle Orton completing a 6-yard TD pass to rookie RB Matt Forté. In the fourth quarter, the Bears increased their lead with Orton completing a 19-yard TD pass to Lloyd. However, the Buccaneers rallied with kicker Matt Bryant getting a 35-yard field goal, along with Griese's 1-yard TD pass to TE Jerramy Stevens. In overtime, Tampa Bay got the victory as Bryant nailed the game-winning 21-yard field goal. The loss represented the Bears second consecutive loss as a result of a blown fourth quarter lead.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 1–2.
Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 12:43 – Robbie Gould 40 yd FGQ1 – CHI – 6:10 – Robbie Gould 43 yd FG
Q1 – TB – 1:50 – 4 yd TD pass from Brian Griese to Ike Hilliard
Q2 – TB – 5:26 – Gaines Adams 45 yd interception return TD
Q2 – CHI – 0:00 – Robbie Gould 28 yd FG
Q3 – CHI – 2:54 – 6 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Matt Forté
Q4 – CHI – 6:38 – 19 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Brandon Lloyd
Q4 – TB – 3:11 – Matt Bryant 35 yd FG
Q4 – TB – 0:07 – 1 yd TD pass from Brian Griese to Jerramy Stevens
OT – TB – 4:21 – Matt Bryant 21 yd FG
Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
at Soldier Field, Chicago- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT/7:15 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 65 °F
- Television announcers : Al Michaels, John Madden, & Andrea Kremer
- Game attendance: 62,099
- Referee: Walt Coleman
In the first quarter, the Bears drew first blood as QB Kyle Orton completed a 19-yard TD pass to TE Greg Olsen. The Eagles responded with McNabb completing a 22-yard TD pass to WR DeSean Jackson. In the second quarter, Chicago responded with Orton completing a 23-yard TD pass to WR Marty Booker. Philadelphia responded with RB Correll Buckhalter getting a 1-yard TD run. The Bears closed out the half with Orton completing a 20-yard TD pass to WR/KR Devin Hester.
In the third quarter, the Eagles drew closer as kicker David Akers got a 24-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia got even closer with Akers kicking a 31-yard field goal. Chicago answered with kicker Robbie Gould nailing a 41-yard field goal. The Eagles were able to mount an offensive drive in the fourth quarter, but after getting a first down at CHI 4, the Eagles were stopped on 3 straight plays from the 1, turning the ball over on downs. The Bears managed to get a first down on the subsequent drive, milking most of the remaining time and allowed the Bears to walk away with a 24–20 victory.
Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 13:05 – 19 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Greg OlsenQ1 – PHI – 8:49 – 22 yd TD pass from Donovan McNabb to DeSean Jackson
Q2 – CHI – 13:58 – 23 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Marty Booker
Q2 – PHI – 11:40 – Correll Buckhalter 1 yd TD run
Q2 – CHI – 1:16 – 20 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Devin Hester
Q3 – PHI – 4:22 – David Akers 24 yd FG
Q4 – PHI – 13:21 – David Akers 31 yd FG
Q4 – CHI – 10:28 – Robbie Gould 41 yd FG
Week 5: at Detroit Lions
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM CDT
- Game weather: None
- TV announcers : Matt Vasgersian, Brian Baldinger, Brian Billick, & Laura Okmin
- Game attendance: 59,790
- Referee: Scott Green
With the win, Chicago improved to 3–2.
Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 6:48 – Robbie Gould 37 yd FGQ2 – CHI – 5:27 – 9 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Matt Forté
Q2 – CHI – 1:56 – 12 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Devin Hester
Q3 – CHI – 11:17 – Matt Forté 1 yd TD run
Q3 – CHI – 10:10 – Charles Tillman 26 yd interception return TD
Q4 – DET – 7:08 – Kevin Smith 12 yd TD run
Q4 – CHI – 11:58 – Robbie Gould 45 yd FG
Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM CDT
- Game weather: None
- TV announcers : Thom Brennaman & Brian Billick
- Game attendance: 64,096
- Referee: Alberto Riveron
In the third quarter, the Falcons kept increasing their lead as Elam kicked a 41-yard field goal. Chicago began to threaten as rookie RB Matt Forté got a 3-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, Atlanta answered with QB Matt Ryan completing a 3-yard TD pass to WR Roddy White. The Bears would take the lead as Gould got a 32-yard field goal, and QB Kyle Orton completed an apparent game-winning 17-yard TD pass to WR Rashied Davis with 11 seconds remaining. However, after a poorly performed squib kick and a quick 26-yd pass play which got the Falcons to within the CHI 30 with only 1 second left, the Falcons escaped with a win as Elam nailed the game-winning 48-yard field goal.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 3–3.
Scoring summary
Q1 – ATL – 9:13 – Jason Elam 29 yd FGQ1 – ATL – 0:59 – Jason Elam 48 yd FG
Q2 – ATL – 7:49 – Jason Elam 32 yd FG
Q2 – CHI – 4:02 – Robbie Gould 36 yd FG
Q3 – ATL – 10:36 – Jason Elam 41 yd FG
Q3 – CHI – 2:24 – Matt Forté 3 yd TD run
Q4 – ATL – 13:25 – 3 yd TD pass from Matt Ryan to Roddy White
Q4 – CHI – 4:00 – Robbie Gould 32 yd FG
Q4 – CHI – 0:11 – 17 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Rashied Davis
Q4 – ATL – 0:00 – Jason Elam 48 yd FG
Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings
at Soldier Field, Chicago- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 58 °F
- Television announcers : Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan, & Charissa Thompson
- Game attendance: 62,235
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
In the third quarter, the high-scoring mayhem continued as WR Rashied Davis recovered a fumble within Minnesota's endzone for a touchdown. The Vikings would reply with Peterson getting a 54-yard TD run. Afterwards, the Bears increased their lead as Orton completed a 51-yard TD pass to WR Marty Booker. In the fourth quarter, Chicago continued its run as rookie RB Matt Forté got a 1-yard TD run. Minnesota tried to rally as Longwell nailed a 23-yard field goal, along with Frerotte completing a 5-yard TD pass to former Bears WR Bernard Berrian. Fortunately, Chicago's defense got the game-winning interception to seal the deal.
With the win, the Bears went into their bye week at 4–3.
The 89 combined points became the highest single-game scoring total in the history of the Bears/Vikings rivalry.
Scoring summary
Q1 – MIN – 9:18 – Adrian Peterson 1 yd TD runQ1 – CHI – 6:43 – 18 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Greg Olsen
Q1 – CHI – 5:43 – Garrett Wolfe 17 yd blocked punt return TD
Q1 – MIN – 2:18 – 24 yd TD pass from Gus Frerotte to Visanthe Shiancoe
Q2 – CHI – 13:33 – Robbie Gould 26 yd FG
Q2 – MIN – 9:10 – Ryan Longwell 42 yd FG
Q2 – CHI – 4:58 – Zackary Bowman 0 yd fumble return TD
Q2 – MIN – 0:22 – Chester Taylor 1 yd TD run
Q2 – CHI – 0:00 – Robbie Gould 48 yd FG
Q3 – CHI – 12:12 – Rashied Davis 0 yd fumble recovery TD
Q3 – MIN – 10:40 – Adrian Peterson 54 yd TD run
Q3 – CHI – 2:35 – 51 yd TD pass from Kyle Orton to Marty Booker
Q4 – CHI – 14:53 – Matt Forté 1 yd TD run
Q4 – MIN – 5:54 – Ryan Longwell 23 yd FG
Q4 – MIN – 3:00 – 5 yd TD pass from Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian
Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions
at Soldier Field, Chicago- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT / 12:00 PM CDT
- Game weather: 60 °F
- Game attendance: 62,188
- Referee: Pete Morelli
- TV announcers: : Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan and Chris Myers
In the third quarter, Chicago began to rally as QB Rex Grossman completed a 6-yard TD pass to WR Rashied Davis. In the fourth quarter, the Bears completed their comeback as Grossman got a 1-yard TD run. The Lions tried to come back, but Chicago's defense prevented any possible rally from happening.
With the season-sweep, the Bears improved to 5–3.
Kyle Orton left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle.
Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 11:19 – Robbie Gould 36 yd FGQ1 – CHI – 4:40 – Kyle Orton 5 yd TD run
Q2 – DET – 13:25 – Kevin Smith 1 yd TD run
Q2 – DET – 13:14 – 17 yd TD pass from Dan Orlovsky to Calvin Johnson
Q2 – DET – 6:55 – 14 yd TD pass from Dan Orlovsky to Shaun McDonald
Q2 – CHI – 4:46 – Robbie Gould 41 yd FG
Q2 – DET – 1:10 – Jason Hanson 52 yd FG
Q3 – CHI – 7:05 – 6 yd TD pass from Rex Grossman to Rashied Davis
Q4 – CHI – 5:44 – Rex Grossman 1 yd TD run
Week 10: vs. Tennessee Titans
at Soldier Field, Chicago- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT / 12:00 PM CDT
- Game weather: 37 °F
- Game attendance: 62,124
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers: : Greg Gumbel & Dan Dierdorf
In the first quarter, Chicago struck first as Grossman completed a 5-yard TD pass to rookie RB Matt Forté. In the second quarter, the Titans responded with QB Kerry Collins completing a 10-yard TD pass to TE Bo Scaife. In the third quarter, Tennessee took the lead as Collins completed a 12-yard TD pass to former Bears WR Justin Gage. In the fourth quarter, the Titans increased their lead as RB LenDale White got a 2-yard TD run. Chicago tried to rally as Grossman got a 1-yard TD run. However, Tennessee's defense stiffened for the win.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 5–4.
Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 7:11 – 5 yd TD pass from Rex Grossman to Matt FortéQ2 – TEN – 8:45 – 10 yd TD pass from Kerry Collins to Bo Scaife
Q3 – TEN – 11:34 – 12 yd TD pass from Kerry Collins to Justin Gage
Q4 – TEN – 12:09 – LenDale White 2 yd TD run
Q4 – CHI – 5:00 – Rex Grossman 1 yd TD run
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Titans, the Bears flew to Lambeau Field for a Week 11 NFC North duel with their hated rival, the Green Bay Packers. In the first quarter, Chicago trailed early as Packers QB Aaron Rodgers completed a 3-yard TD pass to WR Greg Jennings. In the second quarter, the Bears got on the board with kicker Robbie Gould getting a 35-yard field goal. Green Bay would answer with RB Ryan Grant getting a 4-yard TD run, along with kicker Mason Crosby getting a 53-yard field goal.In the third quarter, Chicago continued to trail as Rodgers completed a 5-yard TD pass to TE Donald Lee. In the fourth quarter, the Packers pulled away as Crosby made a 33-yard field goal, DE Jason Hunter returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown, and Crosby nailing a 45-yard field goal.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 5–5.
| Week Eleven: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers— Game summary |
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Week 12: at St. Louis Rams
Hoping to rebound from their embarrassing divisional road loss to the Packers, the Bears flew to the Edward Jones Dome for a Week 12 duel with the St. Louis Rams. In the first quarter, Chicago drew first blood as rookie RB Matt Forté got a 13-yard TD run, while QB Kyle Orton completed a 7-yard TD pass to FB Jason McKie. In the second quarter, the Bears continued their domination as Forté got a 47-yard TD run. The Rams would respond as kicker Josh Brown got a 43-yard field goal. Chicago would close out the half with kicker Robbie Gould getting a 43-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Bears pulled away as Gould nailed a 38-yard field goal. From there on out, Chicago's defense kept St. Louis in check.With the win, the Bears improved to 6–5.
| Week Twelve: Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams— Game summary |
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Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings
Coming off their easy road win over the Rams, the Bears flew to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 13 NFC North rematch with the Minnesota Vikings, with first place in the division on the line. In the first quarter, Chicago struck first as QB Kyle Orton completed a 65-yard TD pass to WR Devin Hester. In the second quarter, the Vikings responded with kicker Ryan Longwell getting a 23-yard field goal. After a Matt Forte 26-yd run got the Bears to the MIN 1, they failed on 4 attempts from the 1-yard line to get a TD. Subsequently, QB Gus Frerotte completed a 99-yard TD pass to former Bears WR Bernard Berrian on the next play, changing momentum in the Vikings favor with a 10-7 lead, and later got a 1-yard TD run for a 17-7 Vikings halftime lead.In the third quarter, Chicago tried to rally as Orton completed a 2-yard TD pass to Forté, yet Minnesota answered with RB Chester Taylor getting a 21-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings pulled away as RB Adrian Peterson got a 1-yard TD run, while Longwell converted a 27-yard field goal.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 6–6.
| Week Thirteen: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings— Game summary |
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Week 14: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
With a divisional road loss to the Vikings behind them, the Bears went home for a Week 14 interconference duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chicago got off to a fast start in the first quarter as QB Kyle Orton completed a 2-yard TD pass to TE Desmond Clark. The Jaguars would respond with kicker Josh Scobee getting a 46-yard field goal, yet kicker Robbie Gould replied by giving the Bears a 22-yard field goal. Chicago would greatly increase their lead in the second quarter as Gould got a 36-yard field goal, along with Orton completing a 22-yard TD pass to TE Greg Olsen. After a scoreless third quarter, Jacksonville tried to come back in the fourth quarter, as QB David Garrard completed a 4-yard TD pass to RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Afterwards, after Gould nailed a 35-yard field goal, the Bears defense stiffened for the rest of the game.With the win, Chicago improved to 7–6.
Rookie RB Matt Forté would surpass Gale Sayers for the most rookie scrimmage yards in franchise history with 1,476 yards.
| Week Fourteen: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears— Game summary |
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Week 15: vs. New Orleans Saints
Fresh off their win over the Jaguars, the Bears stayed at home for a Week 15 Thursday night battle with the New Orleans Saints. Chicago immediately got the lead as free safety Danieal Manning returned the game's opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown. The Saints would respond in the second quarter with quarterback Drew Brees completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Pierre Thomas, yet the Bears answered with rookie running back Matt Forté getting a 1-yard touchdown run, while quarterback Kyle Orton got a 6-yard touchdown run.New Orleans would begin to rally in the third quarter as Thomas got a 42-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, the Sains took the lead as kicker Garrett Hartley made a 30-yard field goal, along with Brees completing an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston. Afterwards, Chicago replied with a game-tying 28-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould. In overtime, the Bears clinched the victory as Gould nailed the game-winning 35-yard field goal.
With the win, Chicago kept its playoff hopes alive by improving to 8–6.
| Week Fifteen: New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears— Game summary |
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Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers
Coming off their overtime win over the Saints, the Bears stayed at home for a Week 16 NFC North rematch with their hated rival, the Green Bay Packers. After a scoreless first quarter, Chicago would trail in the second quarter as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings. The Bears would respond with a 31-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould. Green Bay would end the half with Rodgers completing a 17-yard touchdown to running back Ryan Grant.In the third quarter, Chicago would begin to rally as quarterback Kyle Orton completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen. The Packers would answer in the fourth quarter with kicker Mason Crosby making a 28-yard field goal. The Bears would reply with rookie running back Matt Forté getting a 3-yard touchdown run. After defensive end Alex Brown blocked a Crosby field goal attempt to force overtime, Chicago would seal the victory as Gould nailed the game-winning 38-yard field goal.
With the win, the Bears kept their playoff hopes alive at 9–6.
| Week Sixteen: Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears— Game summary |
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Week 17: at Houston Texans
Needing a win to stay alive in the playoff picture, the Bears flew to Reliant Stadium for a crucial Week 17 interconference battle with the Houston Texans. Chicago got off to a fast first-quarter start as quarterback Kyle Orton completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, followed by kicker Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal. The Texans responded in the second quarter with quarterback Matt Schaub completing a 43-yard and a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Johnson.
In the third quarter, Houston added to their lead as running back Ryan Moats got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Bears tried to rally as Orton completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen. However, in the fourth quarter, the Texans struck back as kicker Kris Brown nailed a 22-yard field goal, followed by running back Steve Slaton's 2-yard touchdown run. Chicago tried to come back as Orton got a 1-yard touchdown run, but Houston's defense stopped any other attempt.
With the loss, the Bears' season ended at 9–7.
| Week Seventeen: Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans— Game summary |
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