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2007 Chicago Bears season

January 01, 1970

The 2007 Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 88th season in the National Football League (NFL). The season officially began on September 9, 2007, against the San Diego Chargers, and concluded on December 30 against the New Orleans Saints.[1] The Bears entered the 2007 season as the National Football Conference (NFC) Champions and had hopes of returning to the Super Bowl,[2] but instead finished the season with a disappointing 7–9 record, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The season marked the most recent time that the Bears swept the Green Bay Packers.

2007 Chicago Bears season
OwnerThe McCaskey Family
General managerJerry Angelo
Head coachLovie Smith
Home fieldSoldier Field
Results
Record7–9
Division place4th NFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
The Bears huddle before their week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers

Offseason edit

Roster changes edit

One of the biggest stories in the Bears' off-season was Tank Johnson's jail sentence. In December 2006, Johnson came under increased scrutiny after police entered his house in Gurnee, Illinois, and found several guns and weapon paraphernalia.[3] The situation was further complicated when Johnson's friend, William Posey, was murdered the following evening while defending Johnson at a nightclub. On March 15, 2007, a judge in Skokie, Illinois sentenced Johnson to 120 days in jail and fined him $2,500.[4] He was released from jail on May 13, 2007, due to good behavior.[5] Johnson also faced an additional eight-game suspension from the NFL.[6] The league ultimately suspended Johnson for half of the regular season on June 4.[7] Despite vowing to amend his ways, Johnson was pulled over for speeding in Arizona, and was later given a blood test after an officer suspected he was driving under the influence. The incident prompted the Bears to waive Johnson on June 25.[8] Johnson was replaced by Darwin Walker.

Additionally, controversy ensued between the Bears' management and Lance Briggs. Only weeks after losing Super Bowl XLI, the Bears placed a franchise tag worth nearly 7.2 million dollars on the Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, keeping him with the team for another year.[9] Briggs became unhappy with the action and voiced his anger on The Mike North Morning Show.[10] He even went as far to claim he no longer wanted to be a member of the Bears, a statement he later reiterated nationally on FoxSports.com.[11] Despite Briggs' remarks, the Bears stated that they planned to keep him with the organization for the 2007 season.[12] The Washington Redskins offered to exchange first-round draft picks with the Bears in exchange for Briggs.[13] Angelo deferred the offer on April 3,[14] but later stated they were interested in negotiating another deal the following day.[15] Briggs came to terms with the Bears on July 25, and accepted the 7.2 million dollar contract.[16]

 
Jason McKie in training camp, July 2, 2007

The team traded running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets and their second-round (63rd overall) pick for the Jets' second-round (37th overall) pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.[17] In addition to the loss of Jones, Todd Johnson, Cameron Worrell, and Justin Gage left the Bears for other teams later.[18][19] In order to fill the void, the Bears acquired strong safety Adam Archuleta from the Washington Redskins in exchange for their sixth-round draft pick.[20] They also signed former Redskins' kicker Nick Novak to back up Robbie Gould.[21] Defensive tackle Anthony Adams also was signed to further bolster the Bears' defensive line, following the departures of Alfonso Boone and Ian Scott.[22][23]

The Bears re-signed Ruben Brown, the team's last remaining free agent from the previous season, to a one-year extension for an undisclosed amount of money.[24] Amidst these significant changes, Jerry Angelo, the team's general manager, stated, "I know on the outside it looks like we want to dismantle the team. It has nothing to do with that. We want to keep this the best possible football team that we can. And that's what we're trying to do.", while addressing the media in March.[25] By the end of May, the Bears had lost ten members of their 2006 roster.[26]

The team re-signed Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman to multi-year contracts.[27][28] The team traded one of their draft picks to the Buffalo Bills for Darwin Walker, who will replace Tank Johnson.[29] The Bears traded safety Chris Harris to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick in 2008.[30] Dante Wesley was also traded to the New England Patriots in exchange for a seventh-round pick.[31]

Coaching changes edit

The Bears' coaching staff also saw significant changes during the off season. The team did not re-sign defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, whose contract expired at the end of the 2006 season.[32][33] He was replaced by linebackers coach Bob Babich, who had followed head coach Lovie Smith from the St. Louis Rams.[34] Eventually, five assistant coaches, including quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, would leave the Bears for other teams.[35] The team worked out a contract extension with Lovie Smith, which extended his contract for four years to 2011. Smith will make a total of $22 million during the course of the deal.[36] Jerry Angelo, the team's general manager, also signed a six-year deal on the same day.[37] The Bears billed Pep Hamilton of the San Francisco 49ers as their new quarterback coach, and Charles London of Duke University as the team's offensive quality control coach.[38]

2007 NFL draft edit

Main article: 2007 NFL Draft

Going into the 2007 NFL Draft, the Bears did not reveal which prospects they were interested in, but stated that they entered the draft looking for the "best athlete available".[39] As the loser of the previous Super Bowl, the Bears entered the 2007 NFL Draft ostensibly with the thirty-first selection in each of the seven rounds of the draft.[40] However, as a result of trading activity, both before and during the draft, the Bears ended up with nine picks instead of seven, and only five of those nine were in the 31st position.

Trade activity edit

The Bears improved their placement in the second round by trading Thomas Jones and their second round pick for the New York Jets' second round pick, which was the fifth pick of the second round. Thus, the Bears then possessed the 31st and 37th overall picks of the draft.[17] However, the Bears then traded this second round pick to San Diego in exchange for the Chargers' 2007 draft picks in the second round (62 overall), third round (93), and fifth round (167), as well as the Chargers' third round pick in the 2008 draft. The Bears also traded away their sixth round pick (186th overall) to the Washington Redskins for Adam Archuleta.[41] Additionally, the Bears acquired the 11th pick of the 7th round (221) by trading Lennie Friedman to the Cleveland Browns. (This pick had earlier been acquired by Cleveland from the San Francisco 49ers.)[42]

Actual selections edit

The team used their 31st overall selection to draft Greg Olsen to solidify their tight end position.[43] They later traded their second round, 37th overall selection to the San Diego Chargers, in exchange for the team's second (62), third (93), fifth (167) and next year's third selection.[44] Next, Dan Bazuin was selected to further bolster the Bears' defensive line, while Chicago native Garrett Wolfe was selected in the third round following Thomas Jones' departure.[45][46] The team spent their other third-round pick to acquire linebacker Michael Okwo.[45] The bears drafted Offensive guard Josh Beekman in the fourth round, and then selected two defensive backs, Kevin Payne and Corey Graham in the fourth round.[47][48] Lastly, the team drafted offensive tackle Aaron Brant and cornerback Trumaine McBride in the seventh round.[49]

Undrafted signees edit

 
Devin Hester returns a punt during training camp.

Following the Draft, the Bears signed several undrafted free agents. Most notably, the team acquired Chris Leak, who had previously led the Florida Gators to a BCS National Championship title, and Dave Ball, who broke Jerry Rice's Division I-AA record with 58 career touchdowns.[50] The team acquired six other rookie free agents to reinforce other positions.[51] An additional six undrafted rookies were recruited following the team's rookie mini-camp to fill various needs in their team's depth chart.[52] The Bears became the first team in the League to sign all of their draft picks when they came to terms with Dan Bazuin on July 25.[53]

Training camp edit

Though the team started conditioning for the upcoming season as early as February, the Bears had scheduled several training camps between the 2007 NFL Draft, and the first game of the 2007 preseason.[54] The first mini-camp for first year players was held less than a week after the Draft so that coaches could further evaluate the talent of rookie players.[55] Next, the team had a mandatory mini-camp, which started on May 18, 2007.[56] During the Bears' first mini-camp, Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, and Mike Brown returned to practice after missing portions of the 2006 season.[57][58] Additionally, the team converted Devin Hester to wide receiver in hopes of using his play-making ability on offense as well as special teams.[59]

The Bears held training camp from July 27 to August 18 at Olivet Nazarene University.[60][61]

Staff edit

2007 Chicago Bears staff
Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Lovie Smith
  • Football operations assistant – Andrew Hayes-Stoker

Offensive coaches

 

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster edit

2007 Chicago Bears final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad

rookies in italics
53 active, 14 inactive, 5 practice squad

Preseason edit

The team won their first preseason game against the Houston Texans by a score of 20–19.[62] The game was highlighted by a staunch performance from their three quarterbacks.[63] Rex Grossman completed eight of ten passes for fifty yards, while his back-up, Brian Griese, went six for seven with seventy-two yards and one touchdown and interception.[62] However, third-string quarterback Kyle Orton played an integral part in their victory. Orton, who played nearly two-quarters, completed sixteen of twenty-five passes for 151 yards and a single touchdown.[62] At one point, he had completed twelve consecutive passes.[62] Running back Josh Allen and Orton got the Bears to the Texans' twenty-nine-yard line, where Robbie Gould kicked the game's winning field goal.[62] While the team's defense and offense performed productively, their special teams unit drew skepticism after allowing the Texans to produce several large kick returns. Dave Toub, the Bears' special team coach, blamed the problems on a lack of experience and poor tackling, which have since been properly addressed.[64]

The following week, the Bears faced the Indianapolis Colts for Super Bowl XLI rematch.[65] Although the game took place during prime-time, they would treat the game as if it were any other preseason game.[66] Regardless, the Bears won by a score of 27–24, but not without controversy.[67] Grossman, making his homecoming to Indiana, struggled throughout the night. He fumbled the ball three times (though only turning it over once), and threw an interception.[67] Despite completing the night by completing nine of eleven passes for fifty-nine yards and one rushing touchdown,[67] Grossman's struggles became the focus of the night.[68] Griese, however, threw ten completions on thirteen attempts with one touchdown.[67] The Bears defense was able to record three interceptions, while the special teams unit was able to force a fumble on a return.[67] Return specialists Devin Hester and Danieal Manning also performed productively as kick returners.[67]

The Bears trumped their third opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, by a score of 31–28. Grossman opened the game with a forty-yard pass to Bernard Berrian.[69] He went on to throw two touchdowns, but also threw an interception to Walt Harris, who returned the pick for a touchdown.[69] Benson continued to struggle and only averaged less than a yard on each carry.[69] Nevertheless, the team's first-string defense held the 49ers offense to only six points, and caused two turnovers.[69] The Bears' special team's unit, who lost Hester to an injury in the first quarter, was plagued with fumbles, missed-snaps, inaccurate field goals.[70] The 49ers, who had fallen behind by thirty-one points before the second half, mounted a fifteen-point rally in the fourth quarter. Their second-string quarterback, Trent Dilfer completed nine of twelve passes for two touchdowns, en route to earning a perfect quarterback rating (158.3) for the night.[69][71]

The team lost their preseason finale to the Cleveland Browns, 19–9. Grossman and most of the team's starters saw limited action during the night.[72] Instead, the team turned to Orton and Chris Leak to lead their offense.[72] The Browns initially struggled but used their special teams unit to score twelve points in the first half. Their second-string rookie quarterback, Brady Quinn allowed the Browns to score their first offensive points of the night.[72] The Bears quarterback, Kyle Orton, lead the game in passing but failed to engineer a touchdown drive. The Bears turned to their fourth-string quarterback, Chris Leak, to finish the game.[72] While Leak threw the Bears' lone passing touchdown of the night, much of the night's praise went to David Ball and Mike Hass, who both made difficult catches.[73] The Bears finished the preseason with a 3–1 record. However, the team's top three draft picks, Greg Olsen, Dan Bazuin, and Michael Okwo sustained injuries.[74] While Banzuin and Okwo were lost for the season, the team was optimistic that Olsen may play in the season's opener.[74]

Schedule edit

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 11 at Houston Texans W 20–19 1–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
2 August 20 at Indianapolis Colts W 27–24 2–0 RCA Dome Recap
3 August 25 San Francisco 49ers W 31–28 3–0 Soldier Field Recap
4 August 30 Cleveland Browns L 9–19 3–1 Soldier Field Recap

Regular season edit

Schedule edit

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 9 at San Diego Chargers L 3–14 0–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
2 September 16 Kansas City Chiefs W 20–10 1–1 Soldier Field Recap
3 September 23 Dallas Cowboys L 10–34 1–2 Soldier Field Recap
4 September 30 at Detroit Lions L 27–37 1–3 Ford Field Recap
5 October 7 at Green Bay Packers W 27–20 2–3 Lambeau Field Recap
6 October 14 Minnesota Vikings L 31–34 2–4 Soldier Field Recap
7 October 21 at Philadelphia Eagles W 19–16 3–4 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
8 October 28 Detroit Lions L 7–16 3–5 Soldier Field Recap
9 Bye
10 November 11 at Oakland Raiders W 17–6 4–5 McAfee Coliseum Recap
11 November 18 at Seattle Seahawks L 23–30 4–6 Qwest Field Recap
12 November 25 Denver Broncos W 37–34 (OT) 5–6 Soldier Field Recap
13 December 2 New York Giants L 16–21 5–7 Soldier Field Recap
14 December 6 at Washington Redskins L 16–24 5–8 FedExField Recap
15 December 17 at Minnesota Vikings L 13–20 5–9 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap
16 December 23 Green Bay Packers W 35–7 6–9 Soldier Field Recap
17 December 30 New Orleans Saints W 33–25 7–9 Soldier Field Recap
Notes:
* Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Legend:
 #  Games played with navy uniforms.
 #  Games played with white uniforms.
 #  Games played with alternate orange uniforms.
 –  Light green background indicates a victory.
 –  Light red background indicates a loss.

Standings edit

NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 .813 4–2 9–3 435 291 W1
Minnesota Vikings 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 365 311 L2
Detroit Lions 7 9 0 .438 3–3 4–8 346 444 L1
Chicago Bears 7 9 0 .438 2–4 4–8 334 348 W2

Regular season week-by-week results edit

Week 1: at San Diego Chargers edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 3 003
Chargers 0 0 7714

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game summary edit

The Bears traveled to San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium to start the 2007 season. They initially succeeded at containing LaDainian Tomlinson, the league's reigning MVP, but received little support from Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson. The Chargers drove into Bears' territory on their second drive, but came up empty after Alex Brown blocked a thirty-three-yard field goal. Mike Brown thwarted another Chargers' drive by intercepting Philip Rivers, which was eventually followed by a twenty-seven-yard field goal. However, Grossman drove the team into field goal position, only to throw an interception (the result of a miscue between him and Bernard Berrian) deep within Chargers' territory.[75]

However, the Bears blew their shutout in the third quarter. After a punt return mishap, the Chargers capitalized on great field position and drove into Bears' territory. Tomlinson threw a touchdown pass to Antonio Gates to cap off the drive. On the Bears' following drive, Adrian Peterson fumbled a carry, which eventually allowed Tomlinson to score a rushing touchdown. The Bears failed to cover Antonio Gates, who collected 107 yards for the afternoon. In addition to the loss, the Bears were forced to cope with the season-ending injuries to Mike Brown and Dusty Dvoracek.[76]

Scoring summary edit

Q2 – CHI – 14:13 – Robbie Gould 27-yard FG (CHI 3–0)

Q3 – SD – 0:45 – 17-yard TD pass from LaDainian Tomlinson to Antonio Gates (Nate Kaeding kick) (SD 7–3)

Q4 – SD – 9:09 – LaDainian Tomlinson 7-yard TD run (Kaeding kick) (SD 14–3)

Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 7 3010
Bears 0 17 3020

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Game time: 4:15 pm EDT/3:15 pm CDT
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) (clear skies)
  • Game attendance: 62,095
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)

Game summary edit

After their season-opening loss to the Chargers, the Bears rebounded by winning their home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bernard Berrian fumbled on the team's opening drive, but a staunch defensive effort held the Chiefs at bay, and eventually allowed the Bears to engineer a successful drive. John St. Clair, a reserve offensive tackle, scored the Bears' first offensive touchdown of the season from a one-yard pass from Rex Grossman. The team forced the Chiefs to punt on their next drive, which was returned for a touchdown by Devin Hester.The Chiefs scored their first points of the game after Damon Huard threw a sixteen-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe.

During halftime, the Bears received the Pro Team Community Award for their charity efforts.[77] The Bears' defense held the Chiefs to only three more points, after forcing pivotal turnovers in two red zone situations and also a blocked field goal attempt. Pro Bowlers Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Tommie Harris each recorded sacks, and forced Larry Johnson and Huard to leave the game with injuries. Cedric Benson recorded his first one hundred-yard rushing game. With 20–10 win, the Bears advanced to 1–1 record.

Scoring summary edit

Q2 – CHI – 10:29 – 2-yard TD pass from Rex Grossman to John St. Clair (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q2 – CHI – 9:33 – Devin Hester 73-yard punt return TD (Gould kick) (CHI 14–0)

Q2 – CHI – 2:30 – Robbie Gould 47-yard FG (CHI 17–0)

Q2 – KC – 1:24 – 16-yard TD pass from Damon Huard to Dwayne Bowe (Dave Rayner kick) (CHI 17–7)

Q3 – CHI – 8:36 – Robbie Gould 38-yard FG (CHI 20–7)

Q3 – KC – 3:12 – Dave Rayner 45-yard FG (CHI 20–10)

Week 3: vs. Dallas Cowboys edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 3 141734
Bears 3 0 7010

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game summary edit

The Bears returned home to play a Sunday night match with the Dallas Cowboys. The game was close early as the Bears' Robbie Gould and the Cowboys' Nick Folk each hit field goals to make it a 3–3 tie at halftime. The Cowboys took the opening drive of the third quarter and ended it with a Tony Romo to Jason Witten touchdown pass. The Bears responded on the ensuing drive with a Cedric Benson goal line plunge. The Cowboys struck again before the end of the third quarter, Romo connecting on his second touchdown pass, this time to running back Marion Barber. Folk converted a 44-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and on the next play from scrimmage, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw an interception to Cowboys cornerback Anthony Henry, who ran it back for the score. With the lead in hand, the Cowboys proceeded to kill the clock, which they did effectively with Barber, who capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run. Barber ended the night with over 100 yards rushing, and Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens caught eight passes for 145 yards. The Cowboys improved to 3–0, while the Bears dropped to 1–2.

Scoring summary edit

Q1 – CHI – 3:09 – Robbie Gould 20-yard FG (CHI 3–0)

Q2 – DAL – 8:49 – Nick Folk 30-yard FG (3–3)

Q3 – DAL – 10:14 – 3-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten (Folk kick) (DAL 10–3)

Q3 – CHI – 7:14 – Cedric Benson 1-yard TD run (Gould kick) (10–10)

Q3 – DAL – 1:18 – 10-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Marion Barber (Folk kick) (DAL 17–10)

Q4 – DAL – 12:10 – Nick Folk 44-yard FG (DAL 20–10)

Q4 – DAL – 11:49 – Anthony Henry 28-yard interception return TD (Folk kick) (DAL 27–10)

Q4 – DAL – 3:10 – Marion Barber 1-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 34–10)

Week 4: at Detroit Lions edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 7 61427
Lions 3 0 03437

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game summary edit

Following the aftermath of the team's loss to Dallas, the Bears turned to Brian Griese to replace Rex Grossman. The change came in an attempt to protect the ball, and reduce turnovers. Nonetheless, the turnovers continued to haunt the team en route to a 37–27 loss against the Detroit Lions. The Lions took a first-quarter lead by blocking a Robbie Gould field-goal attempt, and then using the field position to score a field goal. The Bears' offense struggled to move the ball in the first quarter, and but began to pick up momentum in the second quarter. Griese threw a fifteen-yard touchdown to Muhsin Muhammad, but also threw two interceptions in two red zone visits.

Jon Kitna and the Lions' top-tier passing offense exploited the Bears' injury-depleted secondary. He threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, to keep the Bears four points behind the Lions. Griese threw an interception to Keith Smith, who returned it for a touchdown. However, Devin Hester responded by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. The Lions established their running game later, and allowed Kevin Jones to score a rushing touchdown, sending the Lions up by ten again. Griese led the Bears downfield on the subsequent drive. After several unusual penalties and mishaps, the Griese threw a touchdown to Desmond Clark. Now trailing by three points, Gould attempted by an onside kick, but it was recovered and returned by Casey FitzSimmons, sealing the Bears' loss. The 34 points allowed in the fourth quarter by the Bears are the most in NFL history.[78]

Griese completed thirty-four of fifty-two passes for 286 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions in his first start as a Bear. The team's running game mustered a combined total of sixty-nine yards, ousted by the Lions' ninety-five yards. Both defenses unleashed equal punishment on their opposing quarterbacks, combining for a total of twelve quarterback sacks. The Lions' victory snapped their four-game losing streak against the Bears.

Scoring summary edit

Q1 – DET – 10:05 – Jason Hanson 49-yard FG (DET 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 4:16 – 15-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Muhsin Muhammad (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–3)

Q3 – CHI – 5:08 – Robbie Gould 49-yard FG (CHI 10–3)

Q3 – CHI – 0:49 – Robbie Gould 41-yard FG (CHI 13–3)

Q4 – DET – 14:56 – 4-yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Shaun McDonald (Hanson kick) (CHI 13–10)

Q4 – DET – 13:14 – Keith Smith 64-yard interception return TD (Hanson kick) (DET 17–13)

Q4 – CHI – 12:57 – Devin Hester 97-yard kickoff return TD (Gould kick) (CHI 20–17)

Q4 – DET – 10:06 – 15-yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Troy Walters (Hanson kick) (DET 24–20)

Q4 – DET – 3:34 – Kevin Jones 5-yard TD run (kick failed) (DET 30–20)

Q4 – CHI – 0:52 – 1-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Desmond Clark (Gould kick) (DET 30–27)

Q4 – DET – 0:45 – Casey FitzSimmons 41-yard kickoff return TD (Hanson kick) (DET 37–27)

Week 5: at Green Bay Packers edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 7 101027
Packers 7 10 3020

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game summary edit

The Bears played the Green Bay Packers, their longtime rivals, during week five. The game was a must-win situation for the Bears, who needed a win to preserve any chance of winning the division. The Packers entered the game with a 4–0 record, but suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of a staunch Bears defense. The Packers took a quick lead as DeShawn Wynn rushed for over sixty yards and scored a touchdown on the team's opening drive. Cedric Benson responded by scoring a rushing touchdown, but the Packers broke the tie when Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings.

The Packers' offense drove into Bears territory several times during the second quarter, but Charles Tillman forced two fumbles. The two turnovers allowed the Bears to hold the Packers at bay, and keep hold their deficit to ten points. However, Brian Urlacher provided the game's biggest turnover, when he intercepted Favre at the Packers' fifteen-yard line. The turnover allowed Brian Griese to throw a touchdown to Greg Olsen. Later, Charles Woodson fumbled while returning a punt, which allowed Robbie Gould to kick a game-tying field goal. The Bears defense prevented the Packers from scoring again. With two minutes left on the game clock, the Bears offense seemingly moved the ball in hopes of setting up a Gould field goal. However, Griese threw a play-action touchdown pass to Desmond Clark, and gave the Bears a seven-point lead.

Favre tried to lead the Packers down field again, but threw an interception to rookie Brandon McGowan in the end zone. The pick sealed a Bears victory, allowing the team to progress to 2–3. Al Michaels named Tillman as the 'Horse Trailer Player of the Game' for forcing two pivotal fumbles.

Scoring summary edit

Q1 – GB – 11:01 – DeShawn Wynn 2-yard TD run (Mason Crosby kick) (GB 7–0)

Q2 – CHI – 7:52 – Cedric Benson 10-yard TD run (Robbie Gould kick) (7–7)

Q2 – GB – 4:55 – 41-yard TD pass from Brett Favre to Greg Jennings (Crosby kick) (GB 14–7)

Q2 – GB – 0:01 – Mason Crosby 37-yard FG (GB 17–7)

Q3 – CHI – 12:03 – Robbie Gould 44-yard FG (GB 17–10)

Q3 – GB – 9:02 – Mason Crosby 37-yard FG (GB 20–10)

Q3 – CHI – 4:19 – 19-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Greg Olsen (Gould kick) (GB 20–17)

Q4 – CHI – 14:13 – Robbie Gould 36-yard FG (20–20)

Q4 – CHI – 2:05 – 34-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Desmond Clark (Gould kick) (CHI 27–20)

Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 7 71334
Bears 7 7 01731

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Game time: 1:02 pm EDT/12:02 pm CDT
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 62,174
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Brian Baldinger (color commentator)

Game summary edit

Following their victory against the Packers, the Bears returned home to play the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears' return specialist Devin Hester allowed the Bears to take a lead by returning a punt 89 yards for a touchdown. However, Tarvaris Jackson tied the game by throwing a 60-yard touchdown pass to Troy Williamson. Brian Griese threw a 39-yard touchdown to Bernard Berrian that helped the Bears regain the lead, but Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson helped the Vikings gain control of the game by scoring rushing touchdowns of 67, 73, and 35 respectively. With roughly two and a half minutes left on the clock, Griese threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad and later an 81-yard touchdown pass to Hester. The two touchdowns tied the game, but Ryan Longwell kicked a 55-yard field goal in the game's final seconds. With the loss, the Bears dropped to 2–4.

Scoring summary edit

Q1 – CHI – 1:56 – Devin Hester 89-yard punt return TD (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q1 – MIN – 0:00 – 60-yard TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Troy Williamson (Ryan Longwell kick) (7–7)

Q2 – CHI – 11:45 – 39-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Bernard Berrian (Gould kick) (CHI 14–7)

Q2 – MIN – 2:19 – Adrian Peterson 67-yard TD run (Longwell kick) (14–14)

Q3 – MIN – 2:31 – Adrian Peterson 73-yard TD run (Longwell kick) (MIN 21–14)

Q4 – MIN – 11:31 – Ryan Longwell 48-yard FG (MIN 24–14)

Q4 – CHI – 8:37 – Robbie Gould 32-yard FG (MIN 24–17)

Q4 – MIN – 4:10 – Adrian Peterson 35-yard TD run (Longwell kick) (MIN 31–17)

Q4 – CHI – 2:36 – 33-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Muhsin Muhammad (Gould kick) (MIN 31–24)

Q4 – CHI – 1:38 – 81-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Devin Hester (Gould kick) (31–31)

Q4 – MIN – 0:00 – Ryan Longwell 55-yard FG (MIN 34–31)

Week 7: at Philadelphia Eagles edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 3 31319
Eagles 3 6 0716

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 4:15 pm EDT/3:15 pm CDT
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 67,806
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Brian Baldinger (color commentator)

Game summary edit

The Eagles fell to the Chicago Bears in the closing seconds of the game. The first three-quarters were essentially a battle of field goals. David Akers successfully converted all three of his first-half field goal attempts, the longest from 37 yards out. Robbie Gould was one for two, and the score was 9–3 Philadelphia at halftime. The Bears took the ball to the Eagles' one-yard line on their first drive of the third quarter, but settled for a field goal. Gould connected for two more field goals early in the fourth quarter to tie the game, then put the Bears ahead 12–9. On their ensuing possession, Donovan McNabb guided the Eagles down the field and fired a touchdown pass to tight end Matt Schobel, putting Philadelphia back on top 16–12 with less than five minutes to play. The Eagles forced a three and out, but their offense could not kill the clock. Chicago got the ball back with less than two minutes left and Brian Griese, with his headset broken, commanded his own drive, marching his team down the field, completing the winning touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad with nine seconds remaining. The Eagles fell short on their final opportunity, as the Bears improved to 3–4 with the win.

Scoring summary edit

Q1 – PHI – 1:01 – David Akers 24-yard FG (PHI 3–0)

Q2 – PHI – 4:08 – David Akers 33-yard FG (PHI 6–0)

Q2 – CHI – 1:46 – Robbie Gould 31-yard FG (PHI 6–3)

Q2 – PHI – 0:22 – David Akers 37-yard FG (PHI 9–3)

Q3 – CHI – 8:04 – Robbie Gould 22-yard FG (PHI 9–6)

Q4 – CHI – 14:52 – Robbie Gould 41-yard FG (9–9)

Q4 – CHI – 9:21 – Robbie Gould 45-yard FG (CHI 12–9)

Q4 – PHI – 4:57 – 13-yard TD pass from Donovan McNabb to Matt Schobel (Akers kick) (PHI 16–12)

Q4 – CHI – 0:09 – 15-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Muhsin Muhammad (Gould kick) (CHI 19–16)

Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 13 0316
Bears 0 0 707

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game summary edit

Coming off a last-second road win over the Eagles, the Bears went home for Week 8, donned their alternate uniforms, and played an NFC North rematch with the Detroit Lions. After a scoreless first quarter, Chicago trailed as Lions kicker Jason Hanson got a 26-yard field goal, while RB Kevin Jones got a 4-yard TD run. Afterwards, Hanson increased Detroit's lead with a 52-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Bears got on the board with QB Brian Griese completing a 20-yard TD pass to rookie TE Greg Olsen for the only score of the period. The Lions sealed Chicago's doom as Hanson nailed a 20-yard field goal, while Detroit's defense held its ground and got the season-sweep.

With the loss, the Bears entered their bye week at 3–5.

Scoring summary edit

Q2 – DET – 14:56 – Jason Hanson 26-yard FG (DET 3–0)

Q2 – DET – 1:53 – Kevin Jones 4-yard TD run (Hanson kick) (DET 10–0)

Q2 – DET – 0:05 – Jason Hanson 52-yard FG (DET 13–0)

Q3 – CHI – 5:26 – 20-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Greg Olsen (Robbie Gould kick) (DET 13–7)

Q4 – DET – 14:42 – Jason Hanson 20-yard FG (DET 16–7)

Week 10: at Oakland Raiders edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 3 01417
Raiders 3 0 036

at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Game time: 4:15 pm EDT/1:15 pm PDT
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 62,715
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers: (FOX) Matt Vasgersian and J.C. Pearson

Game summary edit

Coming off their bye week, the Bears flew to McAfee Coliseum for a Week 10 interconference duel with the Oakland Raiders. In the first quarter, Chicago trailed early as Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 37-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Bears tied the game as kicker Robbie Gould kicked a 32-yard field goal for the only score of the period. However, during the period, starting QB Brian Griese (10/14 for 97 yards) had to leave the game as his left shoulder was injured during a sack. It would mark the return of QB Rex Grossman.

After a scoreless third quarter, Oakland regained the lead in the fourth quarter with Janikowski nailing a 52-yard field goal. Chicago took the lead for good as Grossman completed a 59-yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian, along with RB Cedric Benson getting a 3-yard TD run.

With the win, not only did the Bears improve to 4–5, but it also marked their first road win against the Raiders since 1987 when playing in Los Angeles and first at Oakland since 1981. The Bears did beat them at Soldier Field in 2003, 24–21.

Scoring summary edit

Q1 – OAK – 9:18 – Sebastian Janikowski 37-yard FG (OAK 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 6:51 – Robbie Gould 32-yard FG (3–3)

Q4 – OAK – 4:04 – Sebastian Janikowski 52-yard FG (OAK 6–3)

Q4 – CHI – 3:11 – 59-yard TD pass from Rex Grossman to Bernard Berrian (Gould kick) (CHI 10–6)

Q4 – CHI – 1:35 – Cedric Benson 3-yard TD run (Gould kick) (CHI 17–6)

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 10 7 0623
Seahawks 7 10 7630

at Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington

Coming off their road win over the Raiders, the Bears flew to Qwest Field for a Week 11 duel with the Seattle Seahawks, in a rematch of last year's NFC divisional game (which took place in Chicago). QB Rex Grossman made his first start since Week 3.

In the first quarter, Chicago took the early lead with RB Cedric Benson getting a 43-yard TD run, while kicker Robbie Gould made a 31-yard field goal. The Seahawks replied with QB Matt Hasselbeck completing a 19-yard TD pass to WR D.J. Hackett. In the second quarter, Seattle took the lead with RB Maurice Morris getting a 19-yard TD run. The Bears regained the lead as RB Adrian Peterson got a 5-yard TD run. The Seahawks tied the game prior to halftime as kicker Josh Brown made a 40-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Seattle retook the lead as Hasselbeck completed a 4-yard TD pass to WR Nate Burleson for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Chicago tried to come back as Gould kicked a 47-yard field goal. However, the Seahawks pulled away with Brown kicking a 23-yard and a 46-yard field goal. The Bears' final response was Gould nailing a 48-yard field goal.

With the loss, Chicago fell to 4–6.

For Rex Grossman's first starting appearance in eight weeks, he went 24/37 for 266 yards.

For Bernard Berrian, in his last three games against the Seahawks, he had a combined 315 receiving yards.

Week 12: vs. Denver Broncos edit

Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Broncos 3 10 147034
Bears 3 3 1414337

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Game time: 4:15 pm EDT/1:15 pm PDT
  • Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C) (Cloudy with Flurries and Drizzles)
  • Game attendance: 62,148
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (color commentator)
"We're going after it. We're not going to kick away from him. Hey, we respect him and he's the best, but we have guys on our coverage teams that are paid to make big tackles."[79]
~Todd Sauerbrun's pregame quote on Devin Hester

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Seahawks, the Bears went home for a Week 12 interconference duel with the Denver Broncos. In the first quarter, Chicago got the early lead as kicker Robbie Gould made a 24-yard field goal. The Broncos tied the game as kicker Jason Elam made a 23-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Denver took the lead as RB Andre Hall got a 16-yard TD run. Afterwards, the Bears responded with Gould kicking a 44-yard field goal. The Broncos ended the half with Elam kicking a 22-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Bears tied the game with WR/KR/PR Devin Hester returning a punt 75 yards for a touchdown. Denver responded with FB Cecil Sapp getting a 5-yard TD run, but afterwards, Hester went right back to work for Chicago as he returned the following kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. Afterwards, the Broncos replied with QB Jay Cutler completing a 68-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall. In the fourth quarter, Denver increased its lead with Cutler completing a 14-yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler. Afterwards, the Bears tied the game with RB Adrian Peterson getting a 4-yard TD run, along with QB Rex Grossman completing a 3-yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian. In overtime, Chicago came out on top as Gould made the game-winning 39-yard field goal.

With the win, the Bears improved to 5–6.

Devin Hester became the fifth player since 1970 to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same game.

Week 13: vs. New York Giants edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 7 01421
Bears 7 6 3016

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Coming off their overtime win over the Broncos, the Bears stayed at home for a Week 13 intraconference duel with the New York Giants. In the first quarter, Chicago struck first with QB Rex Grossman completing a 1-yard TD pass to TE Desmond Clark for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Giants got on the board with RB Derrick Ward. Afterwards, the Bears ended the half with kicker Robbie Gould getting a 35-yard and a 46-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Chicago increased its lead with Gould nailing a 41-yard field goal for the only score of the period. However, in the fourth quarter, New York took the lead with QB Eli Manning completing a 6-yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer, along with RB Reuben Droughns. The Bears did have one final attempt, but it ended with a thud.

With the loss, Chicago fell to 5–7.

Week 14: at Washington Redskins edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 10616
Redskins 0 7 71024

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Giants (along with keeping any hope of a playoff spot alive), the Bears flew to FedExField for a Thursday Night intraconference throwdown with the Washington Redskins. After a scoreless first quarter, Chicago trailed as Redskins QB Todd Collins completed a 21-yard TD pass to TE Todd Yoder for the only score of the second quarter.

In the third quarter, the Bears continued to trail as Washington continued its night with FB Mike Sellers getting a 1-yard TD run. Afterwards, Chicago would get on the board with kicker Robbie Gould getting a 30-yard field goal, while QB Brian Griese completed a 17-yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian. In the fourth quarter, the Redskins replied with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 23-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Bears responded with Gould kicking a 22-yard field goal. Later, Washington struck big as Collins completed a 16-yard TD pass to RB Ladell Betts. Chicago would draw closer as Gould nailed a 21-yard field goal. However, a failed onside kick sealed their doom.

With the loss, the Bears fell to 5–8.

Starting QB Rex Grossman (2 of 6 for 14 yards) left the game in the first quarter with a left knee injury.

Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 3 10 0013
Vikings 0 6 6820

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Trying to snap a two-game skid, the Bears flew to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 15 Monday night NFC North rematch with the Minnesota Vikings. In the first quarter, Chicago struck first as kicker Robbie Gould got a 29-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Vikings tied the game with kicker Ryan Longwell getting a 42-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Bears would take the halftime lead as Gould kicked a 47-yard field goal and FB Jason McKie managed to get a 1-yard TD run.

In the third quarter, Minnesota started to creep closer as RB Adrian Peterson got a 1-yard TD run (with a failed PAT) for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings took the lead with Peterson getting an 8-yard TD run. Chicago tried to rally, but Minnesota's defense was too much.

With their third-straight loss, not only did the Bears fall to 5–9, but they were knocked out of playoff contention.

On a positive note, LB Brian Urlacher had a good day with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception. It was also the first time since 2004 that Urlacher had a sack and an interception in the same game.

Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 007
Bears 3 10 15735

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

"I've been playing 17 years, and that was the worst condition I've ever played in. Excuse? No excuse. It was, but they handled it better than we did. We have historically handled it well. It's kind of our ace in the hole, but today, obviously, it wasn't."[80]
~Brett Favre commentating on the game's poor weather.

The Bears went into Week 16 knowing that any chance of a playoff berth was over, but they still had the chance to end the season on a high with their rivals the Green Bay Packers traveling to Soldier Field. The game was a must-win for the Packers if they wanted to have any chance of getting the No. 1 seed and gain home-field advantage in the playoffs.

On a 16-degree afternoon in Chicago, reserve RB Adrian Peterson ran for 102 yards from 30 attempts including and 8-yard run for a TD (only the second 100-yard game of his career and his first since 2005) while Garrett Wolfe also gained 67 all-purpose yards from the RB position. However, it was the Chicago special teams that really excelled in this game.

After Green Bay previously going 12 years (929 punts) without a blocked punt, the Bears blocked Jon Ryan twice on a slippery afternoon. In the second quarter, Darrell McClover got his hand onto a Ryan punt but more damaging was Charles Tillman's charge down midway through the third quarter which allowed Corey Graham to pick up the football and run in 7 yards for a TD to put the Bears up 28–7.

Kyle Orton, Lovie Smith's third-choice QB, went 8-for-14 for 101 yards including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Clark in the third quarter. It was also a good day for LB Brian Urlacher who ran home an 85-yard interception early in the fourth quarter, the first of his career. Alex Brown, starting for the injured Mark Anderson, also got an interception which set up Clark's touchdown.

In the end, it was a fairly comfortable win for the Bears, who ran out 35–7 victors which meant that they completed the double over their arch rivals having previously beating them at Lambeau Field in Week 5 27–20. Also, these 35 points were their most against Green Bay since a 61–7 win on December 7, 1980. This game remains the most recent time the Bears have beaten the Packers by more than a one possession margin.

Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints edit

Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 17 0825
Bears 10 14 7233

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2007 Chicago Bears season.
  • Official Website
  • 2007 Chicago Bears at www.bearshistory.com

January 01, 1970
2007, chicago, bears, season, franchise, 88th, season, national, football, league, season, officially, began, september, 2007, against, diego, chargers, concluded, december, against, orleans, saints, bears, entered, 2007, season, national, football, conference. The 2007 Chicago Bears season was the franchise s 88th season in the National Football League NFL The season officially began on September 9 2007 against the San Diego Chargers and concluded on December 30 against the New Orleans Saints 1 The Bears entered the 2007 season as the National Football Conference NFC Champions and had hopes of returning to the Super Bowl 2 but instead finished the season with a disappointing 7 9 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004 The season marked the most recent time that the Bears swept the Green Bay Packers 2007 Chicago Bears seasonOwnerThe McCaskey FamilyGeneral managerJerry AngeloHead coachLovie SmithHome fieldSoldier FieldResultsRecord7 9Division place4th NFC NorthPlayoff finishDid not qualify 2006 Bears seasons 2008 The Bears huddle before their week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers Contents 1 Offseason 1 1 Roster changes 1 2 Coaching changes 1 3 2007 NFL draft 1 3 1 Trade activity 1 3 2 Actual selections 1 3 3 Undrafted signees 1 4 Training camp 2 Staff 3 Roster 4 Preseason 4 1 Schedule 5 Regular season 5 1 Schedule 5 2 Standings 6 Regular season week by week results 6 1 Week 1 at San Diego Chargers 6 1 1 Game summary 6 1 2 Scoring summary 6 2 Week 2 vs Kansas City Chiefs 6 2 1 Game summary 6 2 2 Scoring summary 6 3 Week 3 vs Dallas Cowboys 6 3 1 Game summary 6 3 2 Scoring summary 6 4 Week 4 at Detroit Lions 6 4 1 Game summary 6 4 2 Scoring summary 6 5 Week 5 at Green Bay Packers 6 5 1 Game summary 6 5 2 Scoring summary 6 6 Week 6 vs Minnesota Vikings 6 6 1 Game summary 6 6 2 Scoring summary 6 7 Week 7 at Philadelphia Eagles 6 7 1 Game summary 6 7 2 Scoring summary 6 8 Week 8 vs Detroit Lions 6 8 1 Game summary 6 8 2 Scoring summary 6 9 Week 10 at Oakland Raiders 6 9 1 Game summary 6 9 2 Scoring summary 6 10 Week 11 at Seattle Seahawks 6 11 Week 12 vs Denver Broncos 6 12 Week 13 vs New York Giants 6 13 Week 14 at Washington Redskins 6 14 Week 15 at Minnesota Vikings 6 15 Week 16 vs Green Bay Packers 6 16 Week 17 vs New Orleans Saints 7 References 8 External linksOffseason editRoster changes edit One of the biggest stories in the Bears off season was Tank Johnson s jail sentence In December 2006 Johnson came under increased scrutiny after police entered his house in Gurnee Illinois and found several guns and weapon paraphernalia 3 The situation was further complicated when Johnson s friend William Posey was murdered the following evening while defending Johnson at a nightclub On March 15 2007 a judge in Skokie Illinois sentenced Johnson to 120 days in jail and fined him 2 500 4 He was released from jail on May 13 2007 due to good behavior 5 Johnson also faced an additional eight game suspension from the NFL 6 The league ultimately suspended Johnson for half of the regular season on June 4 7 Despite vowing to amend his ways Johnson was pulled over for speeding in Arizona and was later given a blood test after an officer suspected he was driving under the influence The incident prompted the Bears to waive Johnson on June 25 8 Johnson was replaced by Darwin Walker Additionally controversy ensued between the Bears management and Lance Briggs Only weeks after losing Super Bowl XLI the Bears placed a franchise tag worth nearly 7 2 million dollars on the Pro Bowl caliber linebacker keeping him with the team for another year 9 Briggs became unhappy with the action and voiced his anger on The Mike North Morning Show 10 He even went as far to claim he no longer wanted to be a member of the Bears a statement he later reiterated nationally on FoxSports com 11 Despite Briggs remarks the Bears stated that they planned to keep him with the organization for the 2007 season 12 The Washington Redskins offered to exchange first round draft picks with the Bears in exchange for Briggs 13 Angelo deferred the offer on April 3 14 but later stated they were interested in negotiating another deal the following day 15 Briggs came to terms with the Bears on July 25 and accepted the 7 2 million dollar contract 16 nbsp Jason McKie in training camp July 2 2007 The team traded running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets and their second round 63rd overall pick for the Jets second round 37th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft 17 In addition to the loss of Jones Todd Johnson Cameron Worrell and Justin Gage left the Bears for other teams later 18 19 In order to fill the void the Bears acquired strong safety Adam Archuleta from the Washington Redskins in exchange for their sixth round draft pick 20 They also signed former Redskins kicker Nick Novak to back up Robbie Gould 21 Defensive tackle Anthony Adams also was signed to further bolster the Bears defensive line following the departures of Alfonso Boone and Ian Scott 22 23 The Bears re signed Ruben Brown the team s last remaining free agent from the previous season to a one year extension for an undisclosed amount of money 24 Amidst these significant changes Jerry Angelo the team s general manager stated I know on the outside it looks like we want to dismantle the team It has nothing to do with that We want to keep this the best possible football team that we can And that s what we re trying to do while addressing the media in March 25 By the end of May the Bears had lost ten members of their 2006 roster 26 The team re signed Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman to multi year contracts 27 28 The team traded one of their draft picks to the Buffalo Bills for Darwin Walker who will replace Tank Johnson 29 The Bears traded safety Chris Harris to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick in 2008 30 Dante Wesley was also traded to the New England Patriots in exchange for a seventh round pick 31 Coaching changes edit The Bears coaching staff also saw significant changes during the off season The team did not re sign defensive coordinator Ron Rivera whose contract expired at the end of the 2006 season 32 33 He was replaced by linebackers coach Bob Babich who had followed head coach Lovie Smith from the St Louis Rams 34 Eventually five assistant coaches including quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson would leave the Bears for other teams 35 The team worked out a contract extension with Lovie Smith which extended his contract for four years to 2011 Smith will make a total of 22 million during the course of the deal 36 Jerry Angelo the team s general manager also signed a six year deal on the same day 37 The Bears billed Pep Hamilton of the San Francisco 49ers as their new quarterback coach and Charles London of Duke University as the team s offensive quality control coach 38 2007 NFL draft edit Main article 2007 NFL Draft Round Pick Player Position College 1 31 Greg Olsen Tight end Miami 2 62 Dan Bazuin Defensive end Central Michigan 3 93 Garrett Wolfe Running back Northern Illinois 3 94 Michael Okwo Linebacker Stanford 4 130 Josh Beekman Guard Boston College 5 167 Kevin Payne Strong safety Louisiana Monroe 5 168 Corey Graham Cornerback New Hampshire 7 221 Trumaine McBride Cornerback Ole Miss 7 241 Aaron Brant Offensive tackle Iowa State Going into the 2007 NFL Draft the Bears did not reveal which prospects they were interested in but stated that they entered the draft looking for the best athlete available 39 As the loser of the previous Super Bowl the Bears entered the 2007 NFL Draft ostensibly with the thirty first selection in each of the seven rounds of the draft 40 However as a result of trading activity both before and during the draft the Bears ended up with nine picks instead of seven and only five of those nine were in the 31st position Trade activity edit The Bears improved their placement in the second round by trading Thomas Jones and their second round pick for the New York Jets second round pick which was the fifth pick of the second round Thus the Bears then possessed the 31st and 37th overall picks of the draft 17 However the Bears then traded this second round pick to San Diego in exchange for the Chargers 2007 draft picks in the second round 62 overall third round 93 and fifth round 167 as well as the Chargers third round pick in the 2008 draft The Bears also traded away their sixth round pick 186th overall to the Washington Redskins for Adam Archuleta 41 Additionally the Bears acquired the 11th pick of the 7th round 221 by trading Lennie Friedman to the Cleveland Browns This pick had earlier been acquired by Cleveland from the San Francisco 49ers 42 Actual selections edit The team used their 31st overall selection to draft Greg Olsen to solidify their tight end position 43 They later traded their second round 37th overall selection to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for the team s second 62 third 93 fifth 167 and next year s third selection 44 Next Dan Bazuin was selected to further bolster the Bears defensive line while Chicago native Garrett Wolfe was selected in the third round following Thomas Jones departure 45 46 The team spent their other third round pick to acquire linebacker Michael Okwo 45 The bears drafted Offensive guard Josh Beekman in the fourth round and then selected two defensive backs Kevin Payne and Corey Graham in the fourth round 47 48 Lastly the team drafted offensive tackle Aaron Brant and cornerback Trumaine McBride in the seventh round 49 Undrafted signees edit nbsp Devin Hester returns a punt during training camp Following the Draft the Bears signed several undrafted free agents Most notably the team acquired Chris Leak who had previously led the Florida Gators to a BCS National Championship title and Dave Ball who broke Jerry Rice s Division I AA record with 58 career touchdowns 50 The team acquired six other rookie free agents to reinforce other positions 51 An additional six undrafted rookies were recruited following the team s rookie mini camp to fill various needs in their team s depth chart 52 The Bears became the first team in the League to sign all of their draft picks when they came to terms with Dan Bazuin on July 25 53 Training camp edit Though the team started conditioning for the upcoming season as early as February the Bears had scheduled several training camps between the 2007 NFL Draft and the first game of the 2007 preseason 54 The first mini camp for first year players was held less than a week after the Draft so that coaches could further evaluate the talent of rookie players 55 Next the team had a mandatory mini camp which started on May 18 2007 56 During the Bears first mini camp Tommie Harris Dusty Dvoracek and Mike Brown returned to practice after missing portions of the 2006 season 57 58 Additionally the team converted Devin Hester to wide receiver in hopes of using his play making ability on offense as well as special teams 59 The Bears held training camp from July 27 to August 18 at Olivet Nazarene University 60 61 Staff edit2007 Chicago Bears staff Front office Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey President CEO Ted Phillips general manager Jerry Angelo Director of pro personnel Bobby DePaul Head coaches Head coach Lovie Smith Football operations assistant Andrew Hayes Stoker Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator Ron Turner Quarterbacks Pep Hamilton Running backs Tim Spencer Wide receivers Darryl Drake Tight ends Rob Boras Offensive line Harry Hiestand Offensive assistant assistant offensive line Luke Butkus Offensive assistant quality control Charles London Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator Bob Babich Defensive line Brick Haley Linebackers Bob Babich Linebackers Hardy Nickerson Defensive backs Steven Wilks Assistant defensive backs Gill Byrd Defensive assistant Lloyd Lee Special teams coaches Special teams Dave Toub Assistant special teams Kevin O Dea Strength and conditioning Director of physical development Rusty Jones Strength and conditioning assistant Jim ArthurRoster edit2007 Chicago Bears final roster Quarterbacks 14 Brian Griese 8 Rex Grossman 18 Kyle Orton Running backs 37 Jason McKie FB 29 Adrian Peterson 39 Lousaka Polite FB 25 Garrett Wolfe Wide receivers 80 Bernard Berrian 16 Mark Bradley 81 Rashied Davis KR 83 Mike Hass 23 Devin Hester KR PR 87 Muhsin Muhammad 84 Brandon Rideau Tight ends 88 Desmond Clark 89 Fontel Mines 85 John Gilmore 82 Greg Olsen Offensive linemen 67 Josh Beekman C G 63 Roberto Garza G 57 Olin Kreutz C 60 Terrence Metcalf G 69 Fred Miller T 68 Anthony Oakley C G 78 John St Clair G T 76 John Tait T Defensive linemen 96 Alex Brown DE 91 Tommie Harris DT 71 Israel Idonije DE DT 72 Jimmy Kennedy DT 93 Adewale Ogunleye DE 70 Babatunde Oshinowo DT 75 Matt Toeaina DT 99 Darwin Walker DT Linebackers 94 Brendon Ayanbadejo OLB 55 Lance Briggs OLB 92 Hunter Hillenmeyer OLB 58 Darrell McClover OLB 53 Nick Roach OLB 54 Brian Urlacher MLB 52 Jamar Williams OLB 59 Rod Wilson MLB Defensive backs 20 Adam Archuleta SS 43 Josh Gattis FS 21 Corey Graham CB 38 Danieal Manning CB FS 24 Ricky Manning CB 26 Trumaine McBride CB 36 Brandon McGowan FS SS 33 Charles Tillman CB Special teams 9 Robbie Gould K 65 Patrick Mannelly LS 4 Brad Maynard P Reserve lists 95 Anthony Adams DT IR nbsp 97 Mark Anderson DE IR nbsp 73 Dan Bazuin DE IR nbsp 32 Cedric Benson RB IR nbsp 30 Mike Brown S IR nbsp 74 Ruben Brown G IR nbsp 98 Dusty Dvoracek DT IR nbsp 90 Antonio Garay DT IR nbsp 35 Ade Jimoh CB IR nbsp 62 Mike Okwo OLB IR nbsp 44 Kevin Payne S IR nbsp 48 J D Runnels FB IR nbsp 31 Nathan Vasher CB IR nbsp Practice squad 22 Greg Fassitt CB 79 Chris Frome DE 66 Mike Jones G 45 Leonard Peters S 47 P J Pope RB IR nbsp 64 Tyler Reed G rookies in italics 53 active 14 inactive 5 practice squadPreseason editThe team won their first preseason game against the Houston Texans by a score of 20 19 62 The game was highlighted by a staunch performance from their three quarterbacks 63 Rex Grossman completed eight of ten passes for fifty yards while his back up Brian Griese went six for seven with seventy two yards and one touchdown and interception 62 However third string quarterback Kyle Orton played an integral part in their victory Orton who played nearly two quarters completed sixteen of twenty five passes for 151 yards and a single touchdown 62 At one point he had completed twelve consecutive passes 62 Running back Josh Allen and Orton got the Bears to the Texans twenty nine yard line where Robbie Gould kicked the game s winning field goal 62 While the team s defense and offense performed productively their special teams unit drew skepticism after allowing the Texans to produce several large kick returns Dave Toub the Bears special team coach blamed the problems on a lack of experience and poor tackling which have since been properly addressed 64 The following week the Bears faced the Indianapolis Colts for Super Bowl XLI rematch 65 Although the game took place during prime time they would treat the game as if it were any other preseason game 66 Regardless the Bears won by a score of 27 24 but not without controversy 67 Grossman making his homecoming to Indiana struggled throughout the night He fumbled the ball three times though only turning it over once and threw an interception 67 Despite completing the night by completing nine of eleven passes for fifty nine yards and one rushing touchdown 67 Grossman s struggles became the focus of the night 68 Griese however threw ten completions on thirteen attempts with one touchdown 67 The Bears defense was able to record three interceptions while the special teams unit was able to force a fumble on a return 67 Return specialists Devin Hester and Danieal Manning also performed productively as kick returners 67 The Bears trumped their third opponent the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31 28 Grossman opened the game with a forty yard pass to Bernard Berrian 69 He went on to throw two touchdowns but also threw an interception to Walt Harris who returned the pick for a touchdown 69 Benson continued to struggle and only averaged less than a yard on each carry 69 Nevertheless the team s first string defense held the 49ers offense to only six points and caused two turnovers 69 The Bears special team s unit who lost Hester to an injury in the first quarter was plagued with fumbles missed snaps inaccurate field goals 70 The 49ers who had fallen behind by thirty one points before the second half mounted a fifteen point rally in the fourth quarter Their second string quarterback Trent Dilfer completed nine of twelve passes for two touchdowns en route to earning a perfect quarterback rating 158 3 for the night 69 71 The team lost their preseason finale to the Cleveland Browns 19 9 Grossman and most of the team s starters saw limited action during the night 72 Instead the team turned to Orton and Chris Leak to lead their offense 72 The Browns initially struggled but used their special teams unit to score twelve points in the first half Their second string rookie quarterback Brady Quinn allowed the Browns to score their first offensive points of the night 72 The Bears quarterback Kyle Orton lead the game in passing but failed to engineer a touchdown drive The Bears turned to their fourth string quarterback Chris Leak to finish the game 72 While Leak threw the Bears lone passing touchdown of the night much of the night s praise went to David Ball and Mike Hass who both made difficult catches 73 The Bears finished the preseason with a 3 1 record However the team s top three draft picks Greg Olsen Dan Bazuin and Michael Okwo sustained injuries 74 While Banzuin and Okwo were lost for the season the team was optimistic that Olsen may play in the season s opener 74 Schedule edit Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 August 11 at Houston Texans W 20 19 1 0 Reliant Stadium Recap 2 August 20 at Indianapolis Colts W 27 24 2 0 RCA Dome Recap 3 August 25 San Francisco 49ers W 31 28 3 0 Soldier Field Recap 4 August 30 Cleveland Browns L 9 19 3 1 Soldier Field RecapRegular season editSchedule edit Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 at San Diego Chargers L 3 14 0 1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap 2 September 16 Kansas City Chiefs W 20 10 1 1 Soldier Field Recap 3 September 23 Dallas Cowboys L 10 34 1 2 Soldier Field Recap 4 September 30 at Detroit Lions L 27 37 1 3 Ford Field Recap 5 October 7 at Green Bay Packers W 27 20 2 3 Lambeau Field Recap 6 October 14 Minnesota Vikings L 31 34 2 4 Soldier Field Recap 7 October 21 at Philadelphia Eagles W 19 16 3 4 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 8 October 28 Detroit Lions L 7 16 3 5 Soldier Field Recap 9 Bye 10 November 11 at Oakland Raiders W 17 6 4 5 McAfee Coliseum Recap 11 November 18 at Seattle Seahawks L 23 30 4 6 Qwest Field Recap 12 November 25 Denver Broncos W 37 34 OT 5 6 Soldier Field Recap 13 December 2 New York Giants L 16 21 5 7 Soldier Field Recap 14 December 6 at Washington Redskins L 16 24 5 8 FedExField Recap 15 December 17 at Minnesota Vikings L 13 20 5 9 Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome Recap 16 December 23 Green Bay Packers W 35 7 6 9 Soldier Field Recap 17 December 30 New Orleans Saints W 33 25 7 9 Soldier Field Recap Notes Intra division opponents are in bold text Legend Games played with navy uniforms Games played with white uniforms Games played with alternate orange uniforms Light green background indicates a victory Light red background indicates a loss Standings edit NFC North viewtalkedit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK 2 Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 813 4 2 9 3 435 291 W1 Minnesota Vikings 8 8 0 500 3 3 6 6 365 311 L2 Detroit Lions 7 9 0 438 3 3 4 8 346 444 L1 Chicago Bears 7 9 0 438 2 4 4 8 334 348 W2Regular season week by week results editWeek 1 at San Diego Chargers edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 3 003Chargers 0 0 7714 at Qualcomm Stadium San Diego California Game time 4 15 pm EDT 3 15 pm CDTGame weather 73 F 23 C Game attendance 67 837Referee Peter MorelliTV announcers Fox Joe Buck play by play and Troy Aikman color commentator Game summary edit The Bears traveled to San Diego s Qualcomm Stadium to start the 2007 season They initially succeeded at containing LaDainian Tomlinson the league s reigning MVP but received little support from Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson The Chargers drove into Bears territory on their second drive but came up empty after Alex Brown blocked a thirty three yard field goal Mike Brown thwarted another Chargers drive by intercepting Philip Rivers which was eventually followed by a twenty seven yard field goal However Grossman drove the team into field goal position only to throw an interception the result of a miscue between him and Bernard Berrian deep within Chargers territory 75 However the Bears blew their shutout in the third quarter After a punt return mishap the Chargers capitalized on great field position and drove into Bears territory Tomlinson threw a touchdown pass to Antonio Gates to cap off the drive On the Bears following drive Adrian Peterson fumbled a carry which eventually allowed Tomlinson to score a rushing touchdown The Bears failed to cover Antonio Gates who collected 107 yards for the afternoon In addition to the loss the Bears were forced to cope with the season ending injuries to Mike Brown and Dusty Dvoracek 76 Scoring summary edit Q2 CHI 14 13 Robbie Gould 27 yard FG CHI 3 0 Q3 SD 0 45 17 yard TD pass from LaDainian Tomlinson to Antonio Gates Nate Kaeding kick SD 7 3 Q4 SD 9 09 LaDainian Tomlinson 7 yard TD run Kaeding kick SD 14 3 Week 2 vs Kansas City Chiefs edit Period 1 2 34TotalChiefs 0 7 3010Bears 0 17 3020 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 4 15 pm EDT 3 15 pm CDTGame weather 70 F 21 C clear skies Game attendance 62 095Referee Mike CareyTV announcers CBS Jim Nantz play by play and Phil Simms color commentator Game summary edit After their season opening loss to the Chargers the Bears rebounded by winning their home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs Bernard Berrian fumbled on the team s opening drive but a staunch defensive effort held the Chiefs at bay and eventually allowed the Bears to engineer a successful drive John St Clair a reserve offensive tackle scored the Bears first offensive touchdown of the season from a one yard pass from Rex Grossman The team forced the Chiefs to punt on their next drive which was returned for a touchdown by Devin Hester The Chiefs scored their first points of the game after Damon Huard threw a sixteen yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe During halftime the Bears received the Pro Team Community Award for their charity efforts 77 The Bears defense held the Chiefs to only three more points after forcing pivotal turnovers in two red zone situations and also a blocked field goal attempt Pro Bowlers Brian Urlacher Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris each recorded sacks and forced Larry Johnson and Huard to leave the game with injuries Cedric Benson recorded his first one hundred yard rushing game With 20 10 win the Bears advanced to 1 1 record Scoring summary edit Q2 CHI 10 29 2 yard TD pass from Rex Grossman to John St Clair Robbie Gould kick CHI 7 0 Q2 CHI 9 33 Devin Hester 73 yard punt return TD Gould kick CHI 14 0 Q2 CHI 2 30 Robbie Gould 47 yard FG CHI 17 0 Q2 KC 1 24 16 yard TD pass from Damon Huard to Dwayne Bowe Dave Rayner kick CHI 17 7 Q3 CHI 8 36 Robbie Gould 38 yard FG CHI 20 7 Q3 KC 3 12 Dave Rayner 45 yard FG CHI 20 10 Week 3 vs Dallas Cowboys edit Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 0 3 141734Bears 3 0 7010 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 8 15 pm EDT 7 15 pm CDTGame weather 79 F 26 C clear Game attendance 62 099Referee Ron WinterTV announcers NBC Al Michaels play by play and John Madden color commentator Game summary edit The Bears returned home to play a Sunday night match with the Dallas Cowboys The game was close early as the Bears Robbie Gould and the Cowboys Nick Folk each hit field goals to make it a 3 3 tie at halftime The Cowboys took the opening drive of the third quarter and ended it with a Tony Romo to Jason Witten touchdown pass The Bears responded on the ensuing drive with a Cedric Benson goal line plunge The Cowboys struck again before the end of the third quarter Romo connecting on his second touchdown pass this time to running back Marion Barber Folk converted a 44 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and on the next play from scrimmage Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw an interception to Cowboys cornerback Anthony Henry who ran it back for the score With the lead in hand the Cowboys proceeded to kill the clock which they did effectively with Barber who capped the scoring with a one yard touchdown run Barber ended the night with over 100 yards rushing and Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens caught eight passes for 145 yards The Cowboys improved to 3 0 while the Bears dropped to 1 2 Scoring summary edit Q1 CHI 3 09 Robbie Gould 20 yard FG CHI 3 0 Q2 DAL 8 49 Nick Folk 30 yard FG 3 3 Q3 DAL 10 14 3 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten Folk kick DAL 10 3 Q3 CHI 7 14 Cedric Benson 1 yard TD run Gould kick 10 10 Q3 DAL 1 18 10 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Marion Barber Folk kick DAL 17 10 Q4 DAL 12 10 Nick Folk 44 yard FG DAL 20 10 Q4 DAL 11 49 Anthony Henry 28 yard interception return TD Folk kick DAL 27 10 Q4 DAL 3 10 Marion Barber 1 yard TD run Folk kick DAL 34 10 Week 4 at Detroit Lions edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 7 61427Lions 3 0 03437 at Ford Field Detroit Michigan Game time 1 00 pm EDT 12 00 pm CDTGame weather 68 F 20 C Game was played inside domed stadium Game attendance 60 811Referee Bill CarolloTV announcers Fox Dick Stockton play by play and Brian Baldinger color commentator Game summary edit Following the aftermath of the team s loss to Dallas the Bears turned to Brian Griese to replace Rex Grossman The change came in an attempt to protect the ball and reduce turnovers Nonetheless the turnovers continued to haunt the team en route to a 37 27 loss against the Detroit Lions The Lions took a first quarter lead by blocking a Robbie Gould field goal attempt and then using the field position to score a field goal The Bears offense struggled to move the ball in the first quarter and but began to pick up momentum in the second quarter Griese threw a fifteen yard touchdown to Muhsin Muhammad but also threw two interceptions in two red zone visits Jon Kitna and the Lions top tier passing offense exploited the Bears injury depleted secondary He threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to keep the Bears four points behind the Lions Griese threw an interception to Keith Smith who returned it for a touchdown However Devin Hester responded by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown The Lions established their running game later and allowed Kevin Jones to score a rushing touchdown sending the Lions up by ten again Griese led the Bears downfield on the subsequent drive After several unusual penalties and mishaps the Griese threw a touchdown to Desmond Clark Now trailing by three points Gould attempted by an onside kick but it was recovered and returned by Casey FitzSimmons sealing the Bears loss The 34 points allowed in the fourth quarter by the Bears are the most in NFL history 78 Griese completed thirty four of fifty two passes for 286 yards two touchdowns and three interceptions in his first start as a Bear The team s running game mustered a combined total of sixty nine yards ousted by the Lions ninety five yards Both defenses unleashed equal punishment on their opposing quarterbacks combining for a total of twelve quarterback sacks The Lions victory snapped their four game losing streak against the Bears Scoring summary edit Q1 DET 10 05 Jason Hanson 49 yard FG DET 3 0 Q2 CHI 4 16 15 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Muhsin Muhammad Robbie Gould kick CHI 7 3 Q3 CHI 5 08 Robbie Gould 49 yard FG CHI 10 3 Q3 CHI 0 49 Robbie Gould 41 yard FG CHI 13 3 Q4 DET 14 56 4 yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Shaun McDonald Hanson kick CHI 13 10 Q4 DET 13 14 Keith Smith 64 yard interception return TD Hanson kick DET 17 13 Q4 CHI 12 57 Devin Hester 97 yard kickoff return TD Gould kick CHI 20 17 Q4 DET 10 06 15 yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Troy Walters Hanson kick DET 24 20 Q4 DET 3 34 Kevin Jones 5 yard TD run kick failed DET 30 20 Q4 CHI 0 52 1 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Desmond Clark Gould kick DET 30 27 Q4 DET 0 45 Casey FitzSimmons 41 yard kickoff return TD Hanson kick DET 37 27 Week 5 at Green Bay Packers edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 7 101027Packers 7 10 3020 at Lambeau Field Green Bay Wisconsin Game time 8 15 pm EDT 7 15 pm CDTGame weather 79 F 26 C Cloudy Game attendance 70 904Referee Larry NemmersTV announcers NBC Al Michaels play by play John Madden color commentator and Andrea Kramer sideline reporter Game summary edit The Bears played the Green Bay Packers their longtime rivals during week five The game was a must win situation for the Bears who needed a win to preserve any chance of winning the division The Packers entered the game with a 4 0 record but suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of a staunch Bears defense The Packers took a quick lead as DeShawn Wynn rushed for over sixty yards and scored a touchdown on the team s opening drive Cedric Benson responded by scoring a rushing touchdown but the Packers broke the tie when Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings The Packers offense drove into Bears territory several times during the second quarter but Charles Tillman forced two fumbles The two turnovers allowed the Bears to hold the Packers at bay and keep hold their deficit to ten points However Brian Urlacher provided the game s biggest turnover when he intercepted Favre at the Packers fifteen yard line The turnover allowed Brian Griese to throw a touchdown to Greg Olsen Later Charles Woodson fumbled while returning a punt which allowed Robbie Gould to kick a game tying field goal The Bears defense prevented the Packers from scoring again With two minutes left on the game clock the Bears offense seemingly moved the ball in hopes of setting up a Gould field goal However Griese threw a play action touchdown pass to Desmond Clark and gave the Bears a seven point lead Favre tried to lead the Packers down field again but threw an interception to rookie Brandon McGowan in the end zone The pick sealed a Bears victory allowing the team to progress to 2 3 Al Michaels named Tillman as the Horse Trailer Player of the Game for forcing two pivotal fumbles Scoring summary edit Q1 GB 11 01 DeShawn Wynn 2 yard TD run Mason Crosby kick GB 7 0 Q2 CHI 7 52 Cedric Benson 10 yard TD run Robbie Gould kick 7 7 Q2 GB 4 55 41 yard TD pass from Brett Favre to Greg Jennings Crosby kick GB 14 7 Q2 GB 0 01 Mason Crosby 37 yard FG GB 17 7 Q3 CHI 12 03 Robbie Gould 44 yard FG GB 17 10 Q3 GB 9 02 Mason Crosby 37 yard FG GB 20 10 Q3 CHI 4 19 19 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Greg Olsen Gould kick GB 20 17 Q4 CHI 14 13 Robbie Gould 36 yard FG 20 20 Q4 CHI 2 05 34 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Desmond Clark Gould kick CHI 27 20 nbsp The Bears defense take on Packers quarterback Brett Favre nbsp Chicago faces a rush by Vernand Morency nbsp Mason Crosby kicks a field goal held by Jon Ryan nbsp Play at the goal line Chicago at Green Bay Week 6 vs Minnesota Vikings edit Period 1 2 34TotalVikings 7 7 71334Bears 7 7 01731 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 1 02 pm EDT 12 02 pm CDTGame weather 55 F 13 C Cloudy Game attendance 62 174Referee Gene SteratoreTV announcers Fox Dick Stockton play by play and Brian Baldinger color commentator Game summary edit Following their victory against the Packers the Bears returned home to play the Minnesota Vikings The Bears return specialist Devin Hester allowed the Bears to take a lead by returning a punt 89 yards for a touchdown However Tarvaris Jackson tied the game by throwing a 60 yard touchdown pass to Troy Williamson Brian Griese threw a 39 yard touchdown to Bernard Berrian that helped the Bears regain the lead but Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson helped the Vikings gain control of the game by scoring rushing touchdowns of 67 73 and 35 respectively With roughly two and a half minutes left on the clock Griese threw a 33 yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad and later an 81 yard touchdown pass to Hester The two touchdowns tied the game but Ryan Longwell kicked a 55 yard field goal in the game s final seconds With the loss the Bears dropped to 2 4 Scoring summary edit Q1 CHI 1 56 Devin Hester 89 yard punt return TD Robbie Gould kick CHI 7 0 Q1 MIN 0 00 60 yard TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Troy Williamson Ryan Longwell kick 7 7 Q2 CHI 11 45 39 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Bernard Berrian Gould kick CHI 14 7 Q2 MIN 2 19 Adrian Peterson 67 yard TD run Longwell kick 14 14 Q3 MIN 2 31 Adrian Peterson 73 yard TD run Longwell kick MIN 21 14 Q4 MIN 11 31 Ryan Longwell 48 yard FG MIN 24 14 Q4 CHI 8 37 Robbie Gould 32 yard FG MIN 24 17 Q4 MIN 4 10 Adrian Peterson 35 yard TD run Longwell kick MIN 31 17 Q4 CHI 2 36 33 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Muhsin Muhammad Gould kick MIN 31 24 Q4 CHI 1 38 81 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Devin Hester Gould kick 31 31 Q4 MIN 0 00 Ryan Longwell 55 yard FG MIN 34 31 Week 7 at Philadelphia Eagles edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 3 31319Eagles 3 6 0716 at Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia Pennsylvania Game time 4 15 pm EDT 3 15 pm CDTGame weather 75 F 24 C Sunny Game attendance 67 806Referee Ed HochuliTV announcers Fox Dick Stockton play by play and Brian Baldinger color commentator Game summary edit The Eagles fell to the Chicago Bears in the closing seconds of the game The first three quarters were essentially a battle of field goals David Akers successfully converted all three of his first half field goal attempts the longest from 37 yards out Robbie Gould was one for two and the score was 9 3 Philadelphia at halftime The Bears took the ball to the Eagles one yard line on their first drive of the third quarter but settled for a field goal Gould connected for two more field goals early in the fourth quarter to tie the game then put the Bears ahead 12 9 On their ensuing possession Donovan McNabb guided the Eagles down the field and fired a touchdown pass to tight end Matt Schobel putting Philadelphia back on top 16 12 with less than five minutes to play The Eagles forced a three and out but their offense could not kill the clock Chicago got the ball back with less than two minutes left and Brian Griese with his headset broken commanded his own drive marching his team down the field completing the winning touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad with nine seconds remaining The Eagles fell short on their final opportunity as the Bears improved to 3 4 with the win Scoring summary edit Q1 PHI 1 01 David Akers 24 yard FG PHI 3 0 Q2 PHI 4 08 David Akers 33 yard FG PHI 6 0 Q2 CHI 1 46 Robbie Gould 31 yard FG PHI 6 3 Q2 PHI 0 22 David Akers 37 yard FG PHI 9 3 Q3 CHI 8 04 Robbie Gould 22 yard FG PHI 9 6 Q4 CHI 14 52 Robbie Gould 41 yard FG 9 9 Q4 CHI 9 21 Robbie Gould 45 yard FG CHI 12 9 Q4 PHI 4 57 13 yard TD pass from Donovan McNabb to Matt Schobel Akers kick PHI 16 12 Q4 CHI 0 09 15 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Muhsin Muhammad Gould kick CHI 19 16 Week 8 vs Detroit Lions edit Period 1 2 34TotalLions 0 13 0316Bears 0 0 707 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 1 00 pm EDT 12 00 pm CDTGame weather 51 F 11 C Sunny Game attendance 62 171Referee Peter MorelliTV announcers FOX Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan Game summary edit Coming off a last second road win over the Eagles the Bears went home for Week 8 donned their alternate uniforms and played an NFC North rematch with the Detroit Lions After a scoreless first quarter Chicago trailed as Lions kicker Jason Hanson got a 26 yard field goal while RB Kevin Jones got a 4 yard TD run Afterwards Hanson increased Detroit s lead with a 52 yard field goal In the third quarter the Bears got on the board with QB Brian Griese completing a 20 yard TD pass to rookie TE Greg Olsen for the only score of the period The Lions sealed Chicago s doom as Hanson nailed a 20 yard field goal while Detroit s defense held its ground and got the season sweep With the loss the Bears entered their bye week at 3 5 Scoring summary edit Q2 DET 14 56 Jason Hanson 26 yard FG DET 3 0 Q2 DET 1 53 Kevin Jones 4 yard TD run Hanson kick DET 10 0 Q2 DET 0 05 Jason Hanson 52 yard FG DET 13 0 Q3 CHI 5 26 20 yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Greg Olsen Robbie Gould kick DET 13 7 Q4 DET 14 42 Jason Hanson 20 yard FG DET 16 7 Week 10 at Oakland Raiders edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 3 01417Raiders 3 0 036 at McAfee Coliseum Oakland California Game time 4 15 pm EDT 1 15 pm PDTGame weather 62 F 17 C Sunny Game attendance 62 715Referee Mike CareyTV announcers FOX Matt Vasgersian and J C Pearson Game summary edit Coming off their bye week the Bears flew to McAfee Coliseum for a Week 10 interconference duel with the Oakland Raiders In the first quarter Chicago trailed early as Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 37 yard field goal for the only score of the period In the second quarter the Bears tied the game as kicker Robbie Gould kicked a 32 yard field goal for the only score of the period However during the period starting QB Brian Griese 10 14 for 97 yards had to leave the game as his left shoulder was injured during a sack It would mark the return of QB Rex Grossman After a scoreless third quarter Oakland regained the lead in the fourth quarter with Janikowski nailing a 52 yard field goal Chicago took the lead for good as Grossman completed a 59 yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian along with RB Cedric Benson getting a 3 yard TD run With the win not only did the Bears improve to 4 5 but it also marked their first road win against the Raiders since 1987 when playing in Los Angeles and first at Oakland since 1981 The Bears did beat them at Soldier Field in 2003 24 21 Scoring summary edit Q1 OAK 9 18 Sebastian Janikowski 37 yard FG OAK 3 0 Q2 CHI 6 51 Robbie Gould 32 yard FG 3 3 Q4 OAK 4 04 Sebastian Janikowski 52 yard FG OAK 6 3 Q4 CHI 3 11 59 yard TD pass from Rex Grossman to Bernard Berrian Gould kick CHI 10 6 Q4 CHI 1 35 Cedric Benson 3 yard TD run Gould kick CHI 17 6 Week 11 at Seattle Seahawks edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 10 7 0623Seahawks 7 10 7630 at Qwest Field Seattle Washington Game time 4 15 pm EDT 1 15 pm PDTGame weather 46 F 8 C Cloudy Game attendance 68 249Referee John ParryTV announcers FOX Matt Vasgersian play by play and J C Pearson color commentator Coming off their road win over the Raiders the Bears flew to Qwest Field for a Week 11 duel with the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of last year s NFC divisional game which took place in Chicago QB Rex Grossman made his first start since Week 3 In the first quarter Chicago took the early lead with RB Cedric Benson getting a 43 yard TD run while kicker Robbie Gould made a 31 yard field goal The Seahawks replied with QB Matt Hasselbeck completing a 19 yard TD pass to WR D J Hackett In the second quarter Seattle took the lead with RB Maurice Morris getting a 19 yard TD run The Bears regained the lead as RB Adrian Peterson got a 5 yard TD run The Seahawks tied the game prior to halftime as kicker Josh Brown made a 40 yard field goal In the third quarter Seattle retook the lead as Hasselbeck completed a 4 yard TD pass to WR Nate Burleson for the only score of the period In the fourth quarter Chicago tried to come back as Gould kicked a 47 yard field goal However the Seahawks pulled away with Brown kicking a 23 yard and a 46 yard field goal The Bears final response was Gould nailing a 48 yard field goal With the loss Chicago fell to 4 6 For Rex Grossman s first starting appearance in eight weeks he went 24 37 for 266 yards For Bernard Berrian in his last three games against the Seahawks he had a combined 315 receiving yards Week 12 vs Denver Broncos edit Period 1 2 34OTTotalBroncos 3 10 147034Bears 3 3 1414337 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 4 15 pm EDT 1 15 pm PDTGame weather 39 F 4 C Cloudy with Flurries and Drizzles Game attendance 62 148Referee Larry NemmersTV announcers CBS Greg Gumbel play by play and Dan Dierdorf color commentator We re going after it We re not going to kick away from him Hey we respect him and he s the best but we have guys on our coverage teams that are paid to make big tackles 79 Todd Sauerbrun s pregame quote on Devin Hester Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Seahawks the Bears went home for a Week 12 interconference duel with the Denver Broncos In the first quarter Chicago got the early lead as kicker Robbie Gould made a 24 yard field goal The Broncos tied the game as kicker Jason Elam made a 23 yard field goal In the second quarter Denver took the lead as RB Andre Hall got a 16 yard TD run Afterwards the Bears responded with Gould kicking a 44 yard field goal The Broncos ended the half with Elam kicking a 22 yard field goal In the third quarter the Bears tied the game with WR KR PR Devin Hester returning a punt 75 yards for a touchdown Denver responded with FB Cecil Sapp getting a 5 yard TD run but afterwards Hester went right back to work for Chicago as he returned the following kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown Afterwards the Broncos replied with QB Jay Cutler completing a 68 yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall In the fourth quarter Denver increased its lead with Cutler completing a 14 yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler Afterwards the Bears tied the game with RB Adrian Peterson getting a 4 yard TD run along with QB Rex Grossman completing a 3 yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian In overtime Chicago came out on top as Gould made the game winning 39 yard field goal With the win the Bears improved to 5 6 Devin Hester became the fifth player since 1970 to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same game Week 13 vs New York Giants edit Period 1 2 34TotalGiants 0 7 01421Bears 7 6 3016 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 4 15 p m ESTGame weather 46 F 8 C Chance of Showers Game attendance 62 244Referee Walt ColemanTV announcers FOX Joe Buck play by play Troy Aikman color commentator and Pam Oliver sideline reporter Coming off their overtime win over the Broncos the Bears stayed at home for a Week 13 intraconference duel with the New York Giants In the first quarter Chicago struck first with QB Rex Grossman completing a 1 yard TD pass to TE Desmond Clark for the only score of the period In the second quarter the Giants got on the board with RB Derrick Ward Afterwards the Bears ended the half with kicker Robbie Gould getting a 35 yard and a 46 yard field goal In the third quarter Chicago increased its lead with Gould nailing a 41 yard field goal for the only score of the period However in the fourth quarter New York took the lead with QB Eli Manning completing a 6 yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer along with RB Reuben Droughns The Bears did have one final attempt but it ended with a thud With the loss Chicago fell to 5 7 Week 14 at Washington Redskins edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 0 10616Redskins 0 7 71024 at FedExField Landover Maryland Game time 8 00 pm EDT 7 00 pm CDTGame weather 26 F 3 C Clear Game attendance 82 213Referee Jerome BogerTV announcers NFL Network Bryant Gumbel play by play and Cris Collinsworth color commentator Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Giants along with keeping any hope of a playoff spot alive the Bears flew to FedExField for a Thursday Night intraconference throwdown with the Washington Redskins After a scoreless first quarter Chicago trailed as Redskins QB Todd Collins completed a 21 yard TD pass to TE Todd Yoder for the only score of the second quarter In the third quarter the Bears continued to trail as Washington continued its night with FB Mike Sellers getting a 1 yard TD run Afterwards Chicago would get on the board with kicker Robbie Gould getting a 30 yard field goal while QB Brian Griese completed a 17 yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian In the fourth quarter the Redskins replied with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 23 yard field goal Afterwards the Bears responded with Gould kicking a 22 yard field goal Later Washington struck big as Collins completed a 16 yard TD pass to RB Ladell Betts Chicago would draw closer as Gould nailed a 21 yard field goal However a failed onside kick sealed their doom With the loss the Bears fell to 5 8 Starting QB Rex Grossman 2 of 6 for 14 yards left the game in the first quarter with a left knee injury Week 15 at Minnesota Vikings edit Period 1 2 34TotalBears 3 10 0013Vikings 0 6 6820 at Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis Minnesota Game time 8 30 pm EDT 7 30 pm CDTGame weather Game Played Indoors Domed Stadium Game attendance 63 800Referee Tony CorrenteTV announcers ESPN Mike Tirico play by play Ron Jaworski Tony Kornheiser color commentators Michele Tafoya amp Suzy Kolber sideline reporters Trying to snap a two game skid the Bears flew to the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 15 Monday night NFC North rematch with the Minnesota Vikings In the first quarter Chicago struck first as kicker Robbie Gould got a 29 yard field goal for the only score of the period In the second quarter the Vikings tied the game with kicker Ryan Longwell getting a 42 yard field goal Afterwards the Bears would take the halftime lead as Gould kicked a 47 yard field goal and FB Jason McKie managed to get a 1 yard TD run In the third quarter Minnesota started to creep closer as RB Adrian Peterson got a 1 yard TD run with a failed PAT for the only score of the period In the fourth quarter the Vikings took the lead with Peterson getting an 8 yard TD run Chicago tried to rally but Minnesota s defense was too much With their third straight loss not only did the Bears fall to 5 9 but they were knocked out of playoff contention On a positive note LB Brian Urlacher had a good day with 4 tackles 2 sacks and an interception It was also the first time since 2004 that Urlacher had a sack and an interception in the same game Week 16 vs Green Bay Packers edit Period 1 2 34TotalPackers 0 7 007Bears 3 10 15735 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 1 00 p m ESTReferee Jeff TripletteTV announcers FOX Joe Buck play by play Troy Aikman color commentator and Pam Oliver sideline reporter I ve been playing 17 years and that was the worst condition I ve ever played in Excuse No excuse It was but they handled it better than we did We have historically handled it well It s kind of our ace in the hole but today obviously it wasn t 80 Brett Favre commentating on the game s poor weather The Bears went into Week 16 knowing that any chance of a playoff berth was over but they still had the chance to end the season on a high with their rivals the Green Bay Packers traveling to Soldier Field The game was a must win for the Packers if they wanted to have any chance of getting the No 1 seed and gain home field advantage in the playoffs On a 16 degree afternoon in Chicago reserve RB Adrian Peterson ran for 102 yards from 30 attempts including and 8 yard run for a TD only the second 100 yard game of his career and his first since 2005 while Garrett Wolfe also gained 67 all purpose yards from the RB position However it was the Chicago special teams that really excelled in this game After Green Bay previously going 12 years 929 punts without a blocked punt the Bears blocked Jon Ryan twice on a slippery afternoon In the second quarter Darrell McClover got his hand onto a Ryan punt but more damaging was Charles Tillman s charge down midway through the third quarter which allowed Corey Graham to pick up the football and run in 7 yards for a TD to put the Bears up 28 7 Kyle Orton Lovie Smith s third choice QB went 8 for 14 for 101 yards including a 3 yard touchdown pass to Desmond Clark in the third quarter It was also a good day for LB Brian Urlacher who ran home an 85 yard interception early in the fourth quarter the first of his career Alex Brown starting for the injured Mark Anderson also got an interception which set up Clark s touchdown In the end it was a fairly comfortable win for the Bears who ran out 35 7 victors which meant that they completed the double over their arch rivals having previously beating them at Lambeau Field in Week 5 27 20 Also these 35 points were their most against Green Bay since a 61 7 win on December 7 1980 This game remains the most recent time the Bears have beaten the Packers by more than a one possession margin Week 17 vs New Orleans Saints edit Period 1 2 34TotalSaints 0 17 0825Bears 10 14 7233 at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Game time 1 00 p m ESTReferee Bill LeavyTV announcers FOX Dick Stockton Brian BaldingerReferences edit NFL com Chicago Bears Team Schedule Retrieved on April 4 2007 Chicagobears com Bears determined to complete unfinished business Archived 2007 04 14 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 4 2007 NBC5 com Tank Johnson Charged After Police Raid Home Archived 2007 05 21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 17 2007 CBS Chicago Tank Johnson Sentenced To 120 Days In Jail Archived 2007 03 17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 15 2007 Chicagosports com Tank s a free man again Retrieved on May 29 2007 Chicagobears com Will Tank Johnson be suspended Archived 2007 03 20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 17 2007 Chicagobears com NFL announces Tank Johnson suspension Archived 2007 06 06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on June 4 2007 Chicagobears com Bears say goodbye to troubled defensive tackle Archived 2007 06 28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on June 25 2007 Chicagobears com Bears designate Briggs as franchise player Archived 2007 02 18 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 17 2007 Chicago Sun Times Briggs to Bears Pay me or trade me permanent dead link Retrieved on March 3 2007 Fox Sports Bears Pro Bowler ready to sit out season Archived 2007 03 15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 17 2007 Chicagobears com Briggs remains in Bears plans for 2007 season Archived 2007 03 13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 17 2007 The Washington Times Gibbs acknowledges talks but Briggs trade unlikely Retrieved on March 31 2007 ESPN com Bears tell Redskins draft pick swap won t do Retrieved on April 3 2007 Chicagobears com Bears still negotiating with Redskins Archived 2007 04 07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 4 2007 Gano Rick Briggs agrees to 1 year deal with Bears Archived 2007 10 12 at the Wayback Machine July 25 2007 Yahoo Sports Retrieved on July 25 2007 a b ESPN Sources Bears to swap Jones for Jets draft pick Retrieved on March 3 2007 Chicagobears com Bears continuing their march to a championship Archived 2007 03 11 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 11 2007 Profootballweekly com Bucs net June No match for Fowler Titans sign WR Gage permanent dead link Retrieved on March 17 2007 Upi com Redskins trade safety Archuleta to Chicago Archived 2007 03 24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 20 2007 Chicagobears com Will Hester play on offense in 2007 Archived 2007 02 21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 18 2007 ESPN Adams will sign a four year contract with Bears Retrieved on March 25 2007 Chicagobears com Adams prepared to tackle new challenge with Bears Archived 2007 04 09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 8 2007 Yahoo Sports Bears agree to terms with G Brown DT Adams Retrieved on March 25 2007 Yahoo Sports Angelo Bears building not dismantling winner Archived 2007 03 17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 25 2007 Yahoo Sports Notes and Transactions Retrieved on April 8 2007 Associated Press Bears sign Vasher to five year deal Archived 2008 12 04 at the Wayback Machine June 25 2007 Yahoo Sports Retrieved on July 25 2007 Mayer Larry Tillman agrees to six year contract extension Archived 2012 02 08 at the Wayback Machine July 24 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on July 24 2007 Seligman Andrew Bears Walker agree on 5 year contract permanent dead link July 31 2007 Yahoo Sports Retrieved on August 1 2007 Mayer Larry Depth at safety made Harris expendable Archived 2007 09 29 at the Wayback Machine August 2 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on August 2 2007 McClure Vaughn For safety Brown it s all about staying in one piece Archived 2007 08 12 at the Wayback Machine August 7 2007 Chicago Tribune Retrieved on August 8 2007 Fox Sports Bears won t renew Rivera s contract Archived February 28 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 19 2007 ESPN Chicago doesn t plan to retain D coordinator Rivera Retrieved on February 19 2007 Yahoo Sports Bears named Babich defensive coordinator Archived 2007 02 22 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 19 2007 Chicagobears com Wilson leaves Bears for same job with Cowboys Archived 2007 02 25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 19 2007 ESPN Lovie Smith scores 22 million extension with Chicago Retrieved on March 1 2007 Chicagobears com Smith Angelo sign contract extensions Archived 2007 03 03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 28 2007 Chicagobears com Bears add Hamilton London to coaching staff Archived 2007 03 10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 11 2007 Chicagobears com Bears sticking with best player available approach Archived 2007 03 02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 28 2007 NFL com 2007 NFL Draft order Archived 2007 03 21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 17 2007 Yahoo Sports Bears acquire S Archuleta from Redskins Archived 2007 03 23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 31 2007 ESPN com Browns trade draft pick for Bears lineman Friedman Retrieved on April 29 2007 Yahoo Sports Bears select Miami TE Olsen with 31st pick Retrieved on April 28 2007 Chicagobears com Bears trade second round pick to Chargers Archived 2007 05 01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 28 2007 a b Chicagobears com Bears choose Wolfe Okwo in Round 3 Archived 2007 05 01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 28 2007 Chicagobears com Defensive end Bazuin a value pick in second round Archived 2007 05 02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 28 2007 Fox23news com Beekman Selected by Bears in 4th Round Retrieved on April 29 2007 Chicagobears com Bears boost secondary with safety cornerback Archived 2007 05 02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 29 2007 Chicagobears com Bears draft corner tackle in seventh round Archived 2007 05 02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 29 2007 Palm Beach Post Chris Leak to Chicago Bears Retrieved on April 29 2007 Chicagobears com Bears sign Leak six other undrafted rookies Archived 2007 05 02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 1 2007 Chicagobears com Bears sign six free agents release Currie Archived 2007 05 09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 7 2007 Mayer Larry Bazuin agrees to four year contract Archived 2007 09 26 at the Wayback Machine July 25 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on July 25 2007 WGN TV MLB Baseball St Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs April 22 2007 2007 Chicago Cubs season WFLD Fox Chicago Fox News at Nine May 4 2007 Chicagobears com Bears title quest begins with full squad minicamp Archived 2007 05 20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 18 2007 Chicagobears com Now healthy Dvoracek looks to make an impact Archived 2007 05 17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 29 2007 Yahoo Sports NFC team reports Camp work intensifies permanent dead link Retrieved on May 29 2007 ChicagoBears com Bears moving dynamic Hester to offense Archived 2007 06 05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 14 2007 Chicagobears com Bears announce 2007 training camp schedule Archived 2007 06 18 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on June 15 2007 Bearstrainingcamp info Bears Training Camp 2007 at Olivet Nazarene University Archived 2007 04 10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 14 2007 a b c d e NFL com NFL Game Center Box Score Chicago Bears at Houston Texans 2007 Archived 2008 01 04 at the Wayback Machine August 11 2007 Retrieved on August 21 2007 Mayer Larry Bears quarterbacks shine in preseason victory Archived 2007 09 26 at the Wayback Machine August 11 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on August 21 2007 Mayer Larry Toub All special teams mistakes are correctable Archived 2007 09 26 at the Wayback Machine August 13 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on August 21 2007 Yahoo Sports Super Bowl rematch highlights NFL exhibition schedule permanent dead link Retrieved on April 14 2007 Mayer Larry Revenge not part of equation in Super Bowl rematch Archived 2007 08 28 at the Wayback Machine August 20 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on August 21 2007 a b c d e f NFL com NFL Game Center Post Game Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts 2007 August 20 2007 Retrieved on August 21 2007 Mayer Larry Bears overcome miscues in preseason win over Colts Archived 2007 08 28 at the Wayback Machine August 20 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on August 21 2007 a b c d e Seligman Andrew Chicago 31 San Francisco 28 August 26 2007 Yahoo Sports Retrieved on September 9 2007 Mayer Larry Hester s whole season flashed before his eyes Archived 2007 09 05 at the Wayback Machine August 27 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on September 9 2007 Calculated by QB Rating Calculator Retrieved on September 9 2007 a b c d Seligman Andrew Cleveland 19 Chicago 9 August 31 2007 Yahoo Sports Retrieved on September 9 2007 Mayer Larry Hass spot on Bears 53 man roster well deserved Archived 2007 09 06 at the Wayback Machine September 4 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on September 9 2007 a b Mayer Larry Bears sign FB Polite place Okwo on injured reserve Archived 2007 09 11 at the Wayback Machine September 4 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on September 9 2007 Mayer Larry September 10 2007 Bears head back to the drawing board after loss chicagobears com Archived from the original on September 12 2007 Schefter Adam September 10 2007 Bears safety defensive tackle out for season NFL com Retrieved May 10 2018 Mayer Larry Bears receive prestigious community award Archived 2008 01 04 at the Wayback Machine September 17 2007 chicagobears com Retrieved on September 24 2007 Mayer Larry November 14 2013 Have Bears had two 1 000 yard receivers Chicago Bears Archived from the original on November 15 2013 Retrieved November 14 2013 The Denver Post Broncos risk being hurt by Hester Retrieved on November 25 2007 Chicago Tribune Favre struggles as Packers see hopes of top seed wiped out with 35 7 loss to Bears Retrieved on July 2014 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2007 Chicago Bears season Official Website 2007 Chicago Bears at www bearshistory com Historic Analysis of 2007 Opponents Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2007 Chicago Bears season amp oldid 1220205037, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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