User:RMelon/Sandbox

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Main article: 2006 Chicago Bears season detailed game summaries

Contents

[edit] Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 7 9 3 7 26
Packers 0 0 0 0 0

The Bears began their season on a victorious note by defeating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Widely considered the league’s longest and most storied rivalry[1], The Bears and Packers had previously met 172 times over eight-five years.[2]



[edit] Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions

1 2 3 4 Total
Lions 0 0 7 0 7
Bears 10 14 7 3 34

The Bears continued their winning ways by defeating the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. The game drew more media attention than usual when Roy Williams of the Detroit Lions guaranteed a victory against the Bears. [3]



[edit] Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 3 0 6 10 19
Vikings 3 3 0 10 16

The Bears offense was limited by a resurgent Minnesota Vikings defense, but fourth-quarter heroics from both the offense and defense resulted in a 19-16 victory.



[edit] Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks

1 2 3 4 Total
Seahawks 3 3 0 0 6
Bears 7 13 14 3 37

Taking advantage of an injury Shaun Alexander, who did not play, and by playing very well on both sides of the ball, the Bears defeated the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field by a score of 37-6 on the Bears' first night game of the year.



[edit] Week 5: vs. Buffalo Bills

1 2 3 4 Total
Bills 0 0 0 7 7
Bears 6 21 3 10 40

Week five marked the return of former Bears head coach Dick Jauron to Soldier Field. It would also be the second straight week in which the Bears defeated their opponent by more than 30 points.



[edit] Week 6: at Arizona Cardinals

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 0 10 14 24
Cardinals 14 6 3 0 23

The Bears traveled to the University of Phoenix Stadium to play the Arizona Cardinals, their former cross-town rivals. The game marked the Bears’ first Monday Night Football appearance since 2003. Although the Bears were expected to defeat the Cardinals by a considerable margin, the Cardinals nearly managed to strip the Bears of their sixth win.

The game was watched in 10.8 Million homes, making it the third-highest total in cable television history. The game was also shown on local television in Chicago and Arizona, and it is estimated that over 11.98 Million people watched the game. Furthermore, it was the first time that an NFL game on cable drew more viewers than a game during the same week that aired on regular television. [4]

[edit] Week 7: Bye

Celebration of the Bears' improbable win over Arizona was tempered by the news that starting safety Mike Brown was lost for the season with torn ligaments in his foot. The rest of the team was able to work toward renewed good health for the San Francisco game.

[edit] Week 8: vs. San Francisco 49ers

1 2 3 4 Total
49ers 0 0 0 10 10
Bears 24 17 0 0 41

The Bears returned to Soldier Field to play the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to the game, Lovie Smith announced that the Bears would don their alternative orange jerseys to commemorate the upcoming Halloween holiday, and asked Bear fans to wear orange clothing to create an “orange swarm” at Soldier Field. [5]



[edit] Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins

1 2 3 4 Total
Dolphins 0 14 7 10 31
Bears 3 7 3 0 13

Week 9 saw the Bears take on the Miami Dolphins. However, in a fashion reminiscent of the 1985 NFL season, the Dolphins upset the Bears by a score of 31-13.



[edit] Week 10: at New York Giants

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 3 7 14 14 38
Giants 7 6 7 0 20

The Bears traveled to Giants Stadium to face the New York Giants. The game was highly anticipated, as it was the first game in league history to benefit from the NFL’s flexible scheduling. Furthermore, leading up to the game Giants receiver Plaxico Burress provided plenty of fodder for the Chicago media by calling the Bears’ cornerbacks “average”. [6] Nevertheless, the Bears went on to beat the Giants by a score of 38-20.



[edit] Week 11: at New York Jets

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 0 3 7 10
Jets 0 0 0 0 0

For week eleven, the Chicago Bears returned to Giants Stadium to play the New York Jets. While the Bears managed to record their second shut-out win of the year, their offense struggled throughout the first half the game, and managed only ten points in the second half.



[edit] Week 12: at New England Patriots

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 3 0 10 13
Patriots 0 10 0 7 17

Following two consecutive wins at Giants Stadium, the Bears were eager to finish a three game road trip at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots. Similar to the week ten confrontation with the Miami Dolphins, turnovers attributed to the Bears’ 17-13 loss against the Patriots.



[edit] Week 13: vs. Minnesota Vikings

1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 0 3 3 7 13
Bears 0 7 14 2 23

After the loss to New England, the Bears returned to Soldier Field to play the Minnesota Vikings. The weather conditions were brutal throughout the game; the below-freezing temperatures and swirling winds provided a clichéd background for a rivalry game in the "Black and Blue Division". Despite a marginal offensive performance, the Bears managed to defeat the Vikings 23-13 to secure their second consecutive NFC North Championship.

With their tenth win of the season, the Bears secured their second consecutive NFC North Title. Additionally, the Bears became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff berth, and remained tied for the NFL's best record. Spoiling any celebrations, however, Grossman's poor performance (a 1.3 QB rating) earned him a hail of taunts and jeers from Bears fans at Soldier Field. Also, Tommie Harris and Nathan Vasher left the game with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively. [7]



[edit] Week 14: at St. Louis Rams

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 14 14 14 42
Rams 0 13 0 14 27

Eight days and three hundred miles later, the Bears traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to play the St. Louis Rams. Prior to the game, a quarterback controversy arose between Rex Grossman and Brian Griese regarding the Bears’ starting quarterback position. Grossman, who finished the preceding game with a quarterback rating of 1.3, was eager to make a statement, and rebound against the same team which injured him during last year's preseason. Grossman rose to the occasion, and spearheaded the Bears to a 42-27 victory over the Rams, while rookie CB Devin Hester had a record-breaking performance. Also, many spectators of the Monday Night Football game may remember Senator Barack Obama's humorous television introduction prior to the game's start.

During the course of the game, Hester broke the NFL record for combined return touchdowns in a single season with six. He also became the sixth player in NFL history to return two kicks for touchdowns in a single game. For his performance, he earned the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award. On a low note, kicker Robbie Gould uncharacteristically missed two field goal attempts, and the Bears announced that defensive tackle Tommie Harris would miss the remainder of the season with a severe hamstring injury.



[edit] Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1 2 3 4 OT Total
Buccaneers 0 3 7 21 0 31
Bears 7 14 3 7 3 34

The Bears improved to 12-2 and secured home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with an overtime victory over their former division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears entered the game without Pro Bowlers Mike Brown, Nathan Vasher and Tommie Harris. Additionally, Lovie Smith deactivated defensive tackle Tank Johnson due to his legal issues.

The Bears win, coupled with a loss earlier in the day by the New Orleans Saints, gave them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Desmond Clark caught two touchdowns for 125 yards, and Grossman became the first Bear to throw for over 300 yards since Jim Miller in 2002. For his performance, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

[edit] Week 16: at Detroit Lions

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 3 14 0 9 26
Lions 7 0 14 0 21

The Bears traveled to Detroit, Michigan in hopes of another victory over the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve. However, the game was seemingly meaningless, as the Bears’ had already clinched the NFC’s top playoff seed in the previous week. Therefore, the Bears’ experimented with different defensive and offensive plans en route to a victory over the Lions.



[edit] Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 13 10 0 3 26
Bears 0 0 7 0 7

After their road victory against the Detroit Lions, the Bears returned home to finish their season against their arch enemy, the Green Bay Packers. On December 24, the NFL announced that they would move to game to a primetime slot, making it the final game of the 2006 regular season. The game ended in the Bears second consecutive loss in a season finale. Favre appeared at the end of the game, and gave a tearful interview with a NBC Sports correspondent, where he admitted his future as professional was still questionable. Additionally, Grossman’s four turnovers, zero passer rating, and press conference comments (where he admitted to being underprepared) drew criticism from both fans and the media[8] as the Bears' regular season came to an end.