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Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
was the franchise's 95th season in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, as well as the second under
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach ...
. The Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs after being eliminated from contention in week fourteen, their fourth consecutive season without making the postseason. The Bears entered 2014 with hopes of improving their 8–8 record in 2013. After losing the season opener to the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, the Bears won their next two games. However, this would be the only week of 2014 that the Bears had a winning record, as they fell to 3–5 upon reaching the bye week. The Bears lost three of those games by more than one touchdown, and allowed more than 50 points in consecutive games against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
and
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. The Bears won two straight games after the loss to the Packers, but ended the season with five consecutive losses, all but two (in the second games against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
and
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
) by more than two scores. The Bears ended the season 5–11, their first losing season since
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
and first season with more than ten losses since
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. General manager
Phil Emery Philip Allen Emery (born 25 June 1964) is a former Australian cricketer. A wicket-keeper and valuable left-handed batsman, he represented Australia internationally and New South Wales domestically. Born in St Ives, Sydney, Emery was educ ...
was fired on December 29, and Trestman was fired later in the day.


Offseason


Organizational changes

After the defense set franchise worsts in points (478), total yards (6,313) and rushing yards (2,583) allowed, defensive line coach
Mike Phair Mike Phair (born November 8, 1969) is the defensive line coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis ...
and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar were fired by the team on January 12. Head coach
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach ...
stated, "We need to improve in all areas defensively and that will be a focal point for us this offseason. The process starts with me as the head coach. Our search for a defensive line and linebackers coach has begun and we will be looking for the best candidates whose experience can bring the most out of our veteran and young players in both areas." On January 22,
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
linebacker coach
Reggie Herring Reginald Wayne Herring (born July 3, 1959) is an American football coach and former player and most recently the linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A former linebacker at Florida State University, h ...
was hired to take Tibesar's place, while former
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
defensive coordinator and
Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...
head coach
Paul Pasqualoni Paul Lucian Pasqualoni (; born August 16, 1949) is an American football coach. He most recently was the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers. Pasqualoni has served as the defensive coordinator of the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Detroit L ...
became the defensive line coach. On January 25, assistant defensive line coach Michael Sinclair was replaced by
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
defensive line coach
Clint Hurtt Clint Hurtt (born November 7, 1978) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bears The Chica ...
. On February 12, assistant offensive line coach Pat Meyer was promoted to offensive line, while martial artist Joe Kim was hired as assistant strength/skill development coach. On February 7, assistant head athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation Bobby Slater joined the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
after 15 years of service with the Bears.


Roster changes

The Bears enter the offseason with 27 players set to become free agents, 17 of whom are on defense, with safety Anthony Walters being a
restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...
, while guard
Taylor Boggs Andrew Taylor Boggs (born February 20, 1987) is an American football center who is a free agent. He was a walk on at Humboldt State in Arcata, California. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2011. College career Bo ...
and defensive lineman Cheta Ozougwu are exclusive rights free agents.
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
writer Joel Corry projected the Bears' salary cap to be $41,632,799, with an adjusted cap of $128,013,800, which ranked fourth in the league, behind the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
,
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
and
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. By February 22, the Bears' salary cap was approximately $2.7 million.


Acquisitions

The first acquisition of 2014 occurred on February 17, when defensive end Austen Lane was signed. The following day, cornerback Derricus Purdy was signed. On March 6, the Bears signed defensive end
Trevor Scott Trevor John Scott (born August 30, 1984) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2008 ...
. On March 11, the first day of free agency, the Bears signed defensive lineman
Lamarr Houston Frederick Lamarr Houston (born June 24, 1987) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas. Despite a promising start, H ...
, safety
Ryan Mundy Ryan Gregory Mundy (born February 11, 1985) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers in ...
and linebacker
Jordan Senn Jordan Senn (born June 11, 1984) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Portland State. Senn also played for the Carolina Panthers and Chi ...
. On March 12, the Bears signed cornerback
M. D. Jennings Melvin Delanie Jennings (born July 25, 1988) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Arkansas State and was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Early years Jennings was born in Grena ...
. On March 13, defensive end and wide receiver Willie Young and
Domenik Hixon Domenik Hixon (born October 8, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college foot ...
, respectively, were signed. Five days later, former Bears defensive end
Israel Idonije Israel Idonije (born November 17, 1980) is a retired Nigerian-Canadian defensive end in the National Football League and actor. Idonije was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns out of the University of Manitoba. A draft pi ...
and safety
Danny McCray Danny DeWayne McCray (born March 10, 1988) is a former American football free safety and special teamer. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Louisiana State University. He also p ...
were signed. On March 26, the Bears signed
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
star defensive end
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...
. On April 6, center
Brian de la Puente Brian Loomis de la Puente (born May 13, 1985) is a former American football center. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. De la Puente has also been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, ...
was signed. The following day, Chicago signed former
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
long snapper Chad Rempel.
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
receiver Josh Bellamy was acquired via waivers by the Bears, and tight end Matt Mulligan was signed, both on April 8. Thirteen days later, wide receiver
Josh Morgan Joshua Lewis Morgan (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. He also played for the Was ...
was signed, followed by running back
Shaun Draughn Kenneth Shaun Draughn ( "drone"; born December 7, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. He signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2011. In his ...
three days after. On June 3, receivers
Armanti Edwards Armanti Fredrico Edwards Sr. (born March 8, 1988) is an American gridiron football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Carolin ...
and
Micheal Spurlock Micheal Curtis Spurlock (born January 31, 1983) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the special teams quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Arizona ...
were signed, and two weeks later, Chicago signed quarterback
Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
. On June 19, defensive lineman Jamil Merrell and linebacker Conor O'Neill, both being undrafted free agents, were signed. Four days later, five-time
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
safety Adrian Wilson and tight end Jeron Mastrud were acquired, and were the final acquisitions by the Bears prior to Training Camp.


Departures

On March 5, the first departure of the year was punter
Adam Podlesh Adam Podlesh (born August 11, 1983) is a former American football punter. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and is the only player in school history to be on the All- Atlantic Coast Conference team for four years. His punti ...
. Five days later, running back
Michael Bush Michael Warren Bush, Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville. In addition to the Raiders, B ...
was waived. Eleven days after signing, tight end
Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for Oregon. He was also a member of the Miami ...
was released on March 10. On March 11, defensive end
Julius Peppers Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, ...
was released after the Bears were unable to trade him. He later signed a deal with the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. On March 18, receiver
Earl Bennett Earl Bryan Bennett (born March 23, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who is currently the director of player development at Vanderbilt. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played co ...
was waived after refusing to have his salary reduced. On April 15, the Bears released defensive end Cheta Ozougwu. On June 3, linebacker Tana Patrick was waived. On June 19, quarterback
Jerrod Johnson Jerrod Terrel Johnson (born July 27, 1988) is a former American football quarterback and current coach who is the quarterbacks coach with the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). After previously working for the Vikings in an ...
, tight end Fendi Onobun, defensive lineman
Israel Idonije Israel Idonije (born November 17, 1980) is a retired Nigerian-Canadian defensive end in the National Football League and actor. Idonije was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns out of the University of Manitoba. A draft pi ...
and safety
Sean Cattouse Sean Cattouse (born October 4, 1988) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at the University of California, Berkeley and attended Hubbard High School in Chicago, Illinois. He was also a member of the San Diego C ...
were waived. On March 12, unrestricted free agent quarterback Josh McCown signed a deal with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
. Six days later, defensive end
Henry Melton Henry James Melton (born October 11, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he was a running back for the 2005 National Championship team, and also played on special te ...
joined the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. On March 20, special teamer
Devin Hester Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest return specialist i ...
and defensive lineman
Corey Wootton Corey Andrew Wootton (born June 22, 1987) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern University. As a junior, he garnered first-team All-Big Ten Conferen ...
were signed by the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
and Vikings, respectively. Cornerback
Zack Bowman Zackary Bowman (born November 18, 1984) is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska and New Mexico Military Institute. He has a ...
joined the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
on March 31. On April 4, safety
Major Wright Major Wright (born July 1, 1988) is a former American football Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety. He played college football for the Florida Gators football, University of Florida, and was a member of a BCS National Champi ...
was signed by Tampa Bay. In May, Anthony Walters signed with the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
and Ozougwu joined the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
on May 14 and 18, respectively. From June 3–4, linebacker
Blake Costanzo Blake Costanzo (born April 14, 1984) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Lafayette. Costanzo has also played for the Buffalo Bills, Cle ...
was signed by the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, followed by
James Anderson James Anderson may refer to: Arts *James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor *James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer *James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor * James Anderson (filmmaker) ...
with the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. On June 20, long snapper Patrick Mannelly retired after 16 seasons in the NFL, all with the Bears.


2014 draft class

The Bears did not receive any compensatory picks for the draft. Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith wrote Chicago needed to draft players at four positions for the first round: defensive back, with first-round possibilities including
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Ha'Sean Treshon "Ha Ha" Clinton-Dix (born December 21, 1992) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Alabama and ...
and
Justin Gilbert Justin Rodrell Gilbert (born November 7, 1991) is an American football cornerback for the Sioux City Bandits of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the eighth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after playing col ...
; linebacker, such as C. J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier; defensive tackle, like
Aaron Donald Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American football defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh, where he received unanimous All-American honors, and ...
. Additionally, Smith wrote the Bears could target a running back or quarterback with mid- to late-round draft picks, such as
De'Anthony Thomas De'Anthony Marquies Thomas (born January 5, 1993) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Dr ...
and James White, and Tom Savage, respectively. With the 14th pick in the draft, the Bears selected
Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
cornerback
Kyle Fuller Kyle Brandon Fuller (born February 16, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played college ...
, who recorded 173 tackles, 4.5 sacks, six interceptions and 21 deflections during his college career. In round two, with the 51st pick,
LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
defensive lineman Ego Ferguson was drafted; Ferguson had started only one full season in 2013, recording a sack, but had his season end due to an injury, which had prevented him from participating in the
NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
. In the following round, Chicago drafted defensive tackle
Will Sutton William Sutton (born October 3, 1991) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State. As a member of the 2012 team, Sut ...
of
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
with the 82nd pick; Sutton recorded 20.5 sacks in his college career, while leading the
Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
with 10.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2012. The Bears held two fourth-rounders: the 117 and 131, the latter being acquired after a trade with the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. The former was used on
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
running back
Ka'Deem Carey Ka'Deem Carey (born October 30, 1992) is an American football running back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college foo ...
, the school's career-leading rusher, and was considered as the best running back available by numerous experts. The 131st pick was used on
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
safety Brock Vereen. As a result of the trade with Denver, the Bears did not have a fifth-rounder. In the sixth round, with the 183rd pick,
San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
quarterback
David Fales David Daniel Fales (born October 4, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State. Fales played high school football ...
was drafted, who holds every passing record in school history. The next round, with the 191st pick,
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
punter
Pat O'Donnell Patrick Michael O'Donnell (born February 22, 1991) is an American football punter for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where he served as ...
was drafted; O'Donnell led the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
and ranked second in the nation in punting average with 47.1 yards. The Bears' final pick, the 191st pick in the seventh round, was Boise State offensive lineman
Charles Leno Jr. Charles Leno Jr. (born October 9, 1991) is an American football offensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seven ...
, who started 36 consecutive games since 2011. Analysts gave above average grades for the draft class. James Neveau of
WMAQ-TV WMAQ-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Telemundo outlet WSNS-TV (chan ...
graded the offensive selections as an "A", considering Carey as the "best value pick" by the Bears. On defense and special teams, Neveau gave the picks a "B+", praising Sutton's selection, but doubted the decision to take Ferguson in the second round. NFL.com's
Bucky Brooks William Eldridge "Bucky" Brooks Jr. (born January 22, 1971) is a sportswriter and former professional American football player. He played for five National Football League (NFL) teams in a five-year career, primarily as a kick returner. Brooks i ...
wrote Carey was the biggest steal of the draft among NFC North draft picks, ultimately giving the Bears' class a "B". Foxsports.com, who gave the Bears a "B", praised Carey, while stating that despite playing well in 2012, Sutton had been too heavy in 2013, and must be "at the right playing weight in 2014 to make a difference in the big leagues". Chris Burke and Doug Farrar of ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' considered the Sutton and Carey selections as "a win for the team's Southwest area scout"; the two gave the class an "A−".
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
analyst
Mel Kiper Jr. Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks. Career Kiper said th ...
awarded the class a "B", believing the team performed well in focusing on team needs, and stating he is fine with Fuller's selection, as Gilbert is not "superior to Fuller", though Clinton-Dix would've been a good selection;
Todd McShay Todd Marshall McShay (born March 22, 1977) is an American football television analyst and commentator. Early life McShay attended North Shore Christian School in Lynn, Massachusetts and then Swampscott High School in Swampscott, Massachusetts, ...
, another ESPN analyst, considered Vereen as the best NFC North selection. All eight rookies were signed to four-year deals. Two days after the draft, on May 12, Vereen and Fales were signed. Ferguson, Carey, Fales, O'Donnell, and Leno were signed the following day, followed by Fuller the next day, and concluded with Sutton on May 15. The Bears were the first team to sign a draftee in 2014, and the first to complete signing their class. After the draft, the Bears signed nine undrafted free agents: quarterback
Jordan Lynch Jordan Lynch (born October 3, 1990) is a former American football quarterback and running back. After playing college football at Northern Illinois, where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2013, and going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, ...
of
Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by t ...
, who was listed as a running back; defensive tackles Brandon Dunn (
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
) and Lee Pegues (
East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its orig ...
); guards
Ryan Groy Ryan Groy (born September 30, 1990) is an American football center who is a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bears in 2014. He played college football at Wisconsin. College career Groy is a Wisconsin native. ...
(
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
) and James Dunbar ( TCU); tackle Cody Booth (
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
); and linebackers Tana Patrick (
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
), Christian Jones (
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
) and Devekeyan Lattimore ( USF). ;Notes * The Bears acquired an additional sixth-round selection (No. 183 overall) in a trade that sent
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
Gabe Carimi Gabriel Andrew Carimi ( ; born June 13, 1988) is a former American football guard. Carimi had 49 starts at left tackle in his four-year Wisconsin Badgers college career, which culminated at the 2011 Rose Bowl. He was awarded the 2010 Outland Tr ...
to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
. * The Bears traded their seventh-round selection (No. 229 overall) to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
in exchange for
tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for Oregon. He was also a member of the Miami ...
. * The
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
traded their fourth-round selection (No. 131 overall) and their seventh-round selection (No. 246 overall) to Chicago in exchange for Chicago's fifth-round selection (No. 156 overall) and 2015 fifth-round selection.


Offseason activities

The Bears began their offseason program on April 22, with a mandatory minicamp ending the program from June 17–19.


Rookie minicamp

The Bears began rookie minicamp on May 16, which lasted for three days, in the Walter Payton Center. Asides from the eight drafted rookies, the undrafted rookies signed after the draft, and 2013 rookies, 38 players were present for tryouts, including four Illinois-born players. At the end of the camp, punter Drew Butler was waived, while tryout players Senorise Perry, a running back from
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
, and
North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wor ...
safety Marcus Trice were signed.


Training Camp

Training Camp at
Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a private Nazarene university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location, Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930 ...
in
Bourbonnais, Illinois Bourbonnais ( ) is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,164 at the 2020 census. History The village is named for François Bourbonnais Sr., a fur trapper, hunter and agent of the American Fur Company, who ...
began on July 24, with the first practice the following day. The first two practices were held without pads; additional practices were held from July 27–28, and from July 30–August 1.
Kyle Long Kyle Howard Long (born December 5, 1988) is an American football guard who is a free agent. The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and the younger brother of former defensive end Chris Long. He played college football at ...
missed the seven practices due to a viral infection.
Chris Conte Christopher Michael Conte (born February 23, 1989) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at California. Early life Conte attended Loyola ...
and
Craig Steltz Craig Joseph Steltz (born May 7, 1986) is a former American football safety. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earned consensus All-American honors. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of ...
did not participate on the first day due to a shoulder and groin injury, respectively; both were later placed on the active physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list. The second day's practice featured
Tim Jennings Timothy DeShawn Jennings (born December 24, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Georgia, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Jennings has also played ...
and Willie Young having quadriceps injuries, the latter participating, but leaving prior to the end. The next day, Jennings and Young returned, but the former left after the first play.
Terrence Toliver Terrence Lee Toliver (born May 7, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. In 2011, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans and later played for the Detroit Lions that year. He played college football for the ...
didn't play due to a toe injury.
Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. As a member of the ...
, Toliver, Conte, and Steltz skipped July 28 practice, Jeffery due to a sore foot. After a day off on July 29, Jeffery returned, while Jennings participated in individual drills. During the day,
Eben Britton Eben Britton (born October 14, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected 39th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, he spent four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars fo ...
suffered a torn hamstring during a one-on-one drill with
Jeremiah Ratliff Jeremiah Jerome Ratliff (born August 29, 1981), formerly known as Jay Ratliff, is a former American football nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He played college football at Auburn Univ ...
. Despite being cleared to return, Long did not practice until Family Fest.
Roberto Garza Roberto Garza (born March 26, 1979) is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, and in 2005, joined the Chicago Bears, spending ten seasons with the team ...
skipped the August 1 practice for "personal reasons". The annual Family Fest at Soldier Field was held on August 2 in front of 27,000 spectators. Long made his return at the event, along with Garza, while
Shaun Draughn Kenneth Shaun Draughn ( "drone"; born December 7, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. He signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2011. In his ...
was not present for personal issues. Jared Allen and Ratliff were excused. Later practices were held in Bourbonnais from August 4–6, with the first preseason game on the following day. On August 4, Jeffery, Britton, Conte, Steltz, and Draughn did not practice, while
Lance Briggs Lance Marell Briggs (born November 12, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was select ...
bruised a knee; the first major injury of Training Camp was
Marquess Wilson Marquess Willis Wilson (born September 14, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football for Washington State University. College c ...
's broken clavicle. During the session, a fight between
Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second ...
and
Kyle Fuller Kyle Brandon Fuller (born February 16, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played college ...
occurred: while attempting to force Bennett to fumble, Fuller grabbed Bennett's shoulder pad, pulling him down. In retaliation, Bennett body-slammed Fuller, causing Lamarr Houston,
Matt Forte Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafted ...
and
Zach Miller Zach Miller may refer to: * Zach Miller (tight end, born 1984), NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears *Zach Miller (tight end, born 1985) Zachary Joseph Miller (born December 11, 1985) is a former ...
, along with offensive coordinator
Aaron Kromer Aaron Kromer (born April 30, 1967) is an American football coach who is the offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Kromer served as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints for the first six ga ...
to intervene. Head coach
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach ...
would end the practice earlier than scheduled. The next day, Bennett was indefinitely suspended by the team. August 5's practice featured Britton, Briggs, Allen, and Draughn being absent, while
Jordan Mills Jordan Michael Mills (born December 24, 1990) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana Tech University. E ...
injured his foot prior to the end of the workout. On August 6, Long, Isaiah Frey, Mills, Britton, Jennings, Steltz, Conte, and Allen did not practice. The final practices would be held from August 10 to 12. Bennett was reinstated and practiced on August 10, while Steltz and Conte returned to practice. However, Mills, Britton, Chris Williams, Frey, and Brian de la Puente did not practice. The five, Wilson, and Briggs did not work out the next day, with Briggs being given a day off. August 12's practice had Williams, Britton, Mills, Wilson, Frey, Dante Rosario, Tillman, and Ratliff out. On July 25, offensive lineman Dylan Gandy was signed, while Jamil Merrell was waived. James Dunbar was released two days later. On July 29, receiver
Dale Moss Dale Moss (born September 24, 1988) is an American former football wide receiver and reality television personality. He played college football for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. After being a member of the offseason and practice squad ...
was signed. Two days later, Toliver was released via an injury settlement, while offensive linemen Graham Pocic and
Dennis Roland Dennis Roland, Jr. (born March 10, 1983) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Roland has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals and Chicag ...
were signed. On August 6, Greg Herd was signed, while Conor O'Neil was released.


Preseason


Transactions


Schedule

The Bears' preseason opponents were announced on April 9, 2014. The Bears began the preseason at home against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, who had hampered the Bears' playoff chances in 2013 after a 54–11 win. The next two games would be away games against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
on
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, followed by the defending
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
champion
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. The Bears would end the preseason against frequent opponent
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, marking the eleventh consecutive preseason closer between the two teams.


Game summaries

In the preseason opener against the Eagles,
Craig Steltz Craig Joseph Steltz (born May 7, 1986) is a former American football safety. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earned consensus All-American honors. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of ...
,
Tim Jennings Timothy DeShawn Jennings (born December 24, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Georgia, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Jennings has also played ...
, Isaiah Frey,
Chris Conte Christopher Michael Conte (born February 23, 1989) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at California. Early life Conte attended Loyola ...
,
Eben Britton Eben Britton (born October 14, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected 39th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, he spent four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars fo ...
,
Jordan Mills Jordan Michael Mills (born December 24, 1990) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana Tech University. E ...
,
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...
,
Kyle Long Kyle Howard Long (born December 5, 1988) is an American football guard who is a free agent. The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and the younger brother of former defensive end Chris Long. He played college football at ...
, and
Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second ...
did not participate. On the Eagles' first possession,
Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft ...
was pressured by Willie Young and
Lamarr Houston Frederick Lamarr Houston (born June 24, 1987) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas. Despite a promising start, H ...
into having a pass intercepted by
Ryan Mundy Ryan Gregory Mundy (born February 11, 1985) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers in ...
. However,
Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...
's 41-yard field goal was blocked by
Damion Square Damion DaShon Square (born February 6, 1989) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama and signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. High school career He w ...
. On Chicago's next drive, the offense traveled 69 yards, culminating in
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
's ten-yard touchdown pass to
Zach Miller Zach Miller may refer to: * Zach Miller (tight end, born 1984), NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears *Zach Miller (tight end, born 1985) Zachary Joseph Miller (born December 11, 1985) is a former ...
. Foles, who had thrown only two interceptions in 2012, would be intercepted again after his pass intended for
Zach Ertz Zachary Adam Ertz (born November 10, 1990) is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft and later won Supe ...
was intercepted by Sherrick McManis. In the second quarter, Matthew Tucker's 4-yard and 1-yard touchdown runs gave the Eagles the 14–7 lead.
Jordan Palmer Jordan William Palmer (born May 30, 1984) is a former American football quarterback and the current director of quarterback development for the XFL. He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...
threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Miller, but
Josh Huff Josh Huff (born October 14, 1991) is a professional gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Huff played college football at Oregon. He also been ...
would return the following kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown to end the first half with the Eagles leading 21–14. In the third quarter,
Khaseem Greene Khaseem Greene (born February 4, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers. Early years ...
forced Tucker to fumble, with the Bears scoring on Gould's 26-yard field goal.
Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth roun ...
then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to
David Fluellen David Fluellen Jr. (born January 29, 1992) is a former American football running back. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Toledo. Early years Fluellen at ...
to increase the lead to 28–17, but the margin would be shortened with
Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
's 73-yard touchdown pass to Chris Williams; the Bears would fail to score on the two-point conversion after Clausen's pass was batted. Chicago would claim the lead after Clausen's 22-yard touchdown pass to
Micheal Spurlock Micheal Curtis Spurlock (born January 31, 1983) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the special teams quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Arizona ...
, followed by
Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for Oregon. He was also a member of the Miami ...
scoring on the two-point conversion to make the score 31–28. In the fourth quarter,
David Fales David Daniel Fales (born October 4, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State. Fales played high school football ...
threw a 41-yard pass to Josh Bellamy, but the drive ended after his pass for Bellamy was intercepted by
Jaylen Watkins Jaylen Watkins (born November 27, 1991) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football for the Florida Gators football, University of Florida. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2 ...
. The Bears would begin rushing to spend time, going 73 yards before Gould kicked a 25-yard field goal, the final points of the game. Against Jacksonville,
Marquess Wilson Marquess Willis Wilson (born September 14, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football for Washington State University. College c ...
, Steltz, Isaiah Frey, Conte, Britton,
Brian de la Puente Brian Loomis de la Puente (born May 13, 1985) is a former American football center. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. De la Puente has also been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, ...
, Mills, Williams, Rosario and Young were scratched from the game-day roster. The Jaguars scored first, off
Josh Scobee Joshua Taylor Scobee (born June 23, 1982) is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at L ...
's two field goals of 49 and 25 yards. On the latter play's ensuing kickoff,
Eric Weems Eric Grimes Weems (born July 4, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver, special teamer, and return specialist. He played college football at Bethune–Cookman and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 200 ...
fumbled, and the ball was recovered by
Will Blackmon William Edwards Blackmon (born October 27, 1984) is a former American football safety and return specialist. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Pack ...
; Jacksonville would capitalize on the recovery, with
Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman starti ...
's six-yard touchdown pass to
Marqise Lee Marqise Lee (born November 25, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC, where he was the 2012 Bilet ...
. In the second quarter, the Bears scored their first points of the game with Cutler's four-yard touchdown pass to
Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...
. Scobee would kick a 43-yard field goal, the last score of the half. The Bears' first drive of the second half ended with Clausen being intercepted by Josh Evans. Jacksonville would convert the takeaway into
Kasey Redfern Kasey Redfern (born September 26, 1991) is a former American football punter. He played college football at Wofford College. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2014. College career Redfern attended and playe ...
's 29-yard field goal, the lone score of the third quarter. On Chicago's first drive of the fourth quarter,
Ka'Deem Carey Ka'Deem Carey (born October 30, 1992) is an American football running back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college foo ...
scored on a one-yard run. With 50 seconds left in the game, Senorise Perry scored on a five-yard run, but failed the two-point conversion, making the score 20–19. With 27 seconds remaining,
C. J. Wilson Christopher John Wilson (born November 18, 1980) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional baseball pitcher. Wilson pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2011 and the Los Angeles Angel ...
intercepted Stephen Morris to clinch the victory. Wilson,
Kyle Fuller Kyle Brandon Fuller (born February 16, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played college ...
, Frey, Britton, de la Puente, Mills, Allen, and Williams were inactive in Seattle. The Seahawks scored touchdowns on their first four drives:
Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...
and
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played his first 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson is widely regarded ...
's seven-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter and Wilson's touchdown passes to
Jermaine Kearse Jermaine Levan Kearse (born February 6, 1990) is a former American football wide receiver. He played eight seasons in National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and later won Super Bo ...
and
Christine Michael Christine Lynn Michael Sr. (; born November 9, 1990) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Texas A&M, and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years A native o ...
of seven- and 29 yards, respectively, in the second quarter. For the Bears' four first quarter drives, three ended in punts; on the team's final possession of the second quarter, Cutler's 23-yard touchdown pass to Bennett was nullified when Bennett was downed at the one-yard line. Cutler would throw a two-yard touchdown pass to Rosario, but a pass interference call on Marshall overturned the play; Cutler would be intercepted by
Jeremy Lane Jeremy Rashaad Lane (born July 14, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Northwestern State University of Louisiana and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He b ...
; the Seahawks would convert the turnover into a Steven Hauschka 59-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a 31–0 lead. On Seattle's first drive of the second half, they failed to score for the first time of the game when Hauschka's 53-yard field goal hit the left upright; Gould would also miss a field goal, missing a 43-yarder wide right. Hauschka would record the only score of the third quarter, with a 38-yard field goal. In the final quarter, the Bears would reach the Seahawks' red zone, where Gould scored on a 30-yard kick. On Seattle's ensuing play,
Terrelle Pryor Terrelle Pryor Sr. (born June 20, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver and quarterback. Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was widely regarde ...
was intercepted by C. J. Wilson, leading to a Gould 38-yard field goal to make the final score 34–6. Visiting the Browns, the Bears sat their starters, having only 35 of 75 players participating, while the Browns kept their starters in the game. After the Bears scored on the opening drive off Gould's 39-yard field goal, the Browns took the lead off
Ben Tate Benjamin Franklin Tate (born August 21, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn. Tate also played for the Cleveland ...
's one-yard touchdown run; Gould would eventually miss a 52-yarder wide right. On Cleveland's next drive,
Terrance West Terrance West (born January 28, 1991) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Towson and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. West has also played for the Tennessee Ti ...
fumbled, allowing
M. D. Jennings Melvin Delanie Jennings (born July 25, 1988) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Arkansas State and was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Early years Jennings was born in Grena ...
to recover. Early in the second quarter, Fales threw a pass to
Santonio Holmes Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State University. In 2009, Holmes w ...
, who escaped
Justin Gilbert Justin Rodrell Gilbert (born November 7, 1991) is an American football cornerback for the Sioux City Bandits of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the eighth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after playing col ...
to score on the 32-yard play. The Bears scored again via Gould's 23-yard field goal, but the Browns took the 14–13 lead with
Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...
's one-yard touchdown pass to
Jim Dray James Russell Dray (born December 31, 1986) is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently the tight ends coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was dr ...
. The Browns extended the lead on their final drive with
Billy Cundiff William Ambrose Cundiff (born March 30, 1980) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for Drake University, and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002. College career Cundiff played for ...
's 22-yard field goal. On Cleveland's first drive of the third quarter, Cundiff scored on a 37-yarder, followed by 47- and 29-yard kicks to increase the margin by 13 points. In the fourth quarter, Fales would be intercepted by Robert Nelson. The Browns scored the final score of the game with Isaiah Crowell's 48-yard field goal, making the final score 33–13.


Regular season


Transactions


Buildup

Michael C. Wright and Jeff Dickerson of
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
made predictions regarding how the season goes for the Bears, believing the team will go 10–6 and 11–5, respectively. John McMullen of ''
The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
's extension was "a prudent move", and while he "might not be in the
Manning Manning (a.k.a. Mannion, Manning) is a family name. Origin and meaning Manning is from an old Norse word — manningi — meaning a brave or valiant man; and one of the first forms of the name was Mannin; another cartography was Mannyg ...
Brady Brady may refer to: People * Brady (surname) * Brady (given name) * Brady (nickname) * Brady Boone, a ring name of American professional wrestler Dean Peters (1958–1998) Places in the United States * Brady, Montana, a census-designated plac ...
Rodgers Rodgers is a patronymic surname of Old English origin derived from the Norman personal name "Roger", with the addition of the genitive suffix "-s" and meaning “son of Roger.” The intrusive “d” in Rodgers is either a Welsh or Scottish ...
class but is on the tier below". Regarding the running backs, McMullen wrote that while
Matt Forte Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafted ...
is one of the top running backs, there is not an impressive depth behind him, while the wide receiving corps may be "the best in the business", but
Marquess Wilson Marquess Willis Wilson (born September 14, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football for Washington State University. College c ...
's injury led to a lack of depth; behind tight end
Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second ...
, Zach Miller's injury led to
Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for Oregon. He was also a member of the Miami ...
and
Matthew Mulligan Matthew Ben Mulligan (born January 18, 1985) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at The University of Maine. Mulligan was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He has also been a membe ...
serving as backups, the former having "decent hands but just average speed", while the latter having "bounced around". The offensive line was considered the "most improved in 2013", with all five starters returning, while the defensive line has been refurbished with
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...
and
Lamarr Houston Frederick Lamarr Houston (born June 24, 1987) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas. Despite a promising start, H ...
's signings. For the linebackers,
Lance Briggs Lance Marell Briggs (born November 12, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was select ...
and D. J. Williams would return as starters, while Shea McClellin, who had converted to linebacker, being written by McMullen as a move that "has a chance if defensive coordinator
Mel Tucker Melvin Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he has held since 2020. Previously, Tucker served as the head football coac ...
lets McClellin go straight ahead as a disruptor and not expect the former Boise State star to play in space". The Bears did not have team captains for 2014, breaking a seven-year trend. Head coach Marc Trestman stated he intended to select captains weekly.


Schedule

The schedule was announced on April 23. ESPN ranked the Bears' schedule as the 15th strongest in the league, with opponents having a combined winning percentage of .496. The Bears will open the season with six away games from weeks 2–10, due to three conflicting events in the Chicago area: week 2 is unavailable due to a
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
race and PGA golf tournament, week 6 due to the
Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...
utilizing Soldier Field as a start/finish line, and week 9 due to a
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
game at Soldier Field on Saturday night. To resolve the situation regarding week 9, league schedulers created a bye week for the Bears. The Bears will also play five
prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
games, the most allowed by the league scheduling, and a Thanksgiving Day game during the season. In December, the Bears had three consecutive home games, the first since
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and the second since
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
. Although CBS, which airs AFC games against the Lions on Thanksgiving, held the rights to the game for 2014, the league's new "crossflexing" policy, which allows CBS and Fox to switch seven games, permitted the Bears to play Detroit.


Game summaries


Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills

The Bears opened the season at home against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, who had a record of 6–10 in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
. Entering the game, the Bears were 54–35–5 in season openers, the most wins of any team, and they had not lost an opening game since 2009, the most in the NFC and second-most in the NFL behind the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. The Bears were 7–4 against the Bills, with their last meeting being a 22–19 victory in Toronto in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, while winning 40–7 in the last game between the two at
Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...
; the Bears had won all five meetings between the two in Chicago. When comparing the two teams in 2013 statistically, the Bears had the advantage in three offensive categories (points scored, total offense, and passing offense), while the Bills had the second-best rushing offense, compared to the Bears' 16th-ranked rushing game. On defense, the Bears were outmatched in all three categories (total defense, rushing defense, and passing defense), but are one spot higher than Buffalo in turnover ratio (+5 to +3).
Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
's Jeremy Stoltz writes that one of the players the Bears must contain is the defensive tackle duo of
Mario Williams Mario Jerrel Williams (born January 31, 1985) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for North Carolina State University, and was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft. A four-time ...
and Marcell Dareus, who had a combined 139 total tackles, 18.0 sacks and two forced fumbles during 2013. While the Bears' offensive line boasted the fourth-least sacks, none of the five starters played in the preseason. As a result, to combat the rush, the Bears need
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
to release the ball quickly. For the Bears' defense, Stoltz stated all the Bears needed to do was stop Buffalo's running backs Fred Jackson and
C. J. Spiller Clifford "C. J." Spiller Jr. (born August 5, 1987) is an American football coach and former running back who is currently the running backs coach at Clemson University. He previously served as a graduate intern at Clemson in 2020. Spiller play ...
, as the Bills had the second-best rushing attack in the league. The Bears were favored to win by seven points, the third-largest spread of the week. Matt Forté,
Charles Tillman Charles Anthony Tillman (born February 23, 1981), nicknamed Peanut,Donnelly, MikeCharles Tillman - Not Your Typical 'Peanut'(January 18, 2007), nflplayers.com, Retrieved on July 25, 2007. is an American former professional football player who ...
, and
Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...
were the captains for the game.
David Fales David Daniel Fales (born October 4, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State. Fales played high school football ...
,
Kelvin Hayden Kelvin Darnell Hayden Jr. (born July 23, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Illinois and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. In Super Bowl XLI he returned ...
,
Tony Fiammetta Placido Anthony Fiammetta (born August 22, 1986) is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Carolina Pan ...
,
Khaseem Greene Khaseem Greene (born February 4, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers. Early years ...
,
Charles Leno Jr. Charles Leno Jr. (born October 9, 1991) is an American football offensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seven ...
, David Bass and
Cornelius Washington Cornelius Davis Washington (born September 10, 1989) is an American football coach and former defensive end who is currently the Recruiting Communications Coordinator for the Washington Huskies football team. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears ...
were inactive for the game. The Bears won the coin toss, and elected to kick. After Buffalo punted, Chicago scored on Cutler's 12-yard touchdown pass to
Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second ...
, which the Bills retaliated with
E. J. Manuel Erik Rodriguez "EJ" Manuel Jr. (born March 19, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to an ACC championship and Orange Bowl win in his senior year, and was drafted by ...
's two-yard touchdown run. On the Bears' first drive of the second quarter,
Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...
fumbled, with linebacker Preston Brown recovering; the Bills would score on
Dan Carpenter Daniel Roy Carpenter (born November 25, 1985) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing college football for the University of Montana. He has also played for ...
's 50-yard field goal. Afterwards, Cutler was intercepted by former Bear
Corey Graham Corey Dewayne Graham (born July 25, 1985) is a former American football free safety. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at New Hampshire. He played for the Baltimore Ravens, ...
after Bennett did not "turn to look for the ball in time", with the Bills again capitalizing on the takeaway, with Manuel's seven-yard touchdown pass to Spiller, and the half ended with Buffalo leading 17–7. On the Bears' first possession of the third quarter, Gould kicked a five-yard field goal, and on the Bills' first drive of the half,
Chris Conte Christopher Michael Conte (born February 23, 1989) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at California. Early life Conte attended Loyola ...
read a pass intended for
Marquise Goodwin Marquise Derell Goodwin (born November 19, 1990) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He also is an Olympic Games, Olympian who competed in the long jump in track and field. He was ...
, stepping in front of the pass to intercept the ball. On Chicago's ensuing drive, the offense rallied to tie the score on Cutler's 11-yard touchdown pass to Marshall. In the fourth quarter, the Bears drove from their own six-yard line to reach the Buffalo 34, but Cutler's forced pass intended for Bennett was intercepted by Kyle Williams; Carpenter would kick a 33-yard field goal, which the Bears responded with Gould's 37-yarder. The Bills would
kneel Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. Kneeling is defined as “to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor,” according to Merriam-Webster. Kneeling when only composed of one knee, an ...
to end regulation with a 20–20 score. After the Bears went three-and-out, the Bills started on their own 22-yard line, but drove to the Bears' 39. On the next play, Jackson found a hole in the line of scrimmage, getting past
Lance Briggs Lance Marell Briggs (born November 12, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was select ...
. Conte reached Jackson at the 20-yard line, but was stiff-armed; Conte attempted to tackle again, but was knocked down, with Jackson being pushed out of bounds at the one-yard line. Two plays later, Carpenter kicked the game-winning 27-yard field goal. Four of the Bears' offensive starters suffered injuries during the game:
Roberto Garza Roberto Garza (born March 26, 1979) is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, and in 2005, joined the Chicago Bears, spending ten seasons with the team ...
(right ankle) and
Matt Slauson Matthew Benjamin Slauson (born February 18, 1986) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, and Indi ...
(left ankle) did not play after the first half,
Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. As a member of the ...
(hamstring) departed in the third quarter, while Marshall (right ankle) was hurt after being tackled. Conte received scrutiny after the game for failing to tackle Jackson, but defended himself by saying, "It was a play where it's the end of the game – I've got to get the ball out or something. If I hit him, it's a field goal no matter what, so I've got to try and get the ball out. It's a desperation play where I've got to try and punch the ball or something."


Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers

In the previous meeting between Chicago and
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
at
Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 un ...
in
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, the 49ers won 32–7. Entering the game, the 49ers led the all-time series 32–29–1; while the Bears had won five of the last eight meetings between the two since
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, they had lost all eight road games against the 49ers since
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. Comparing the two teams' week one rankings, the Bears had more total and passing yards than the 49ers, 427–319 and 341–192, respectively, while the 49ers had more rushing yards (127–86). Defensively, the 49ers allowed more yards (382–360) and allowed two more sacks than the Bears in week one. Writing for
WBBM-TV WBBM-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. Owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, the station maintains studios on West Washington Stre ...
, Bears radio play-by-play commentator
Jeff Joniak Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...
stated the Bears' offense had a chance to utilize their running backs, as the 49ers had allowed the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
to record 100 rushing yards in week one, the first time in 18 games, and with linebackers
NaVorro Bowman NaVorro Roderick Bowman (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football linebacker who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the thi ...
and
Aldon Smith Aldon Jacarus Smith (born September 25, 1989) is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Missouri, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers seventh overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. Smith also played ...
inactive, the Bears had the chance to attack on the ground. For the Bears' passing game, recording short passes was important, while stating playing against the 49ers' defense "requires patience", with
Vic Fangio Victor Mick Fangio (born August 22, 1958) is an American football coach who is the defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio most recently served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the ...
utilizing
zone defense Zone defense is a type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area (a zone) to cover. A zone def ...
blitzes. Additionally, Jay Cutler had struggled against the 49ers during his career, being 0–2, with one touchdown, six interceptions, and a 59.2 passer rating. On defense, the Bears had to contain
Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt du ...
, who had thrown for two touchdowns the previous week and recorded his fourth-best passer rating (125.5), and in his first career start, had guided the 49ers to the victory over the Bears in 2012. The Bears also faced a challenge in 49ers' running backs
Frank Gore Franklin Gore Sr. (born May 14, 1983) is an American former American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A member of the San Francisco 49ers during most of his career, he ranks third ...
and rookie Carlos Hyde, the former having become the 29th player to record 10,000 career rushing yards the previous week, and the latter averaged 7.1 yards and scored a touchdown. Against San Francisco's receivers, while Anquan Boldin and
Michael Crabtree Michael Alex Crabtree Jr. (born September 14, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Texas Tech, where he was a two-time unanimous All-Am ...
were not fast, their physicality allows them to make blocks and "bully defensive backs". The 49ers were favorites to win, with every
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
analyst but former Bears head coach
Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka (born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. A member of both the College (1986) and the Pro (1988) Football Halls of Fame, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year i ...
to predict a 49ers victory.
Jermon Bushrod Jermon Terrell Bushrod (born August 19, 1984) is a former American football guard. He played college football for Towson UniversityTaft Coghill, Jr.,"Saints' Bushrod set to march into town," ''The Free Lance–Star'' (December 5, 2009). and was ...
,
Lamarr Houston Frederick Lamarr Houston (born June 24, 1987) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas. Despite a promising start, H ...
, and Sherrick McManis served as team captains. For the game,
Josh Morgan Joshua Lewis Morgan (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. He also played for the Was ...
, Khaseem Greene, Roberto Garza, Matt Slauson, Charles Leno Jr., David Bass, and Cornelius Washington were scratched. The 49ers won the coin toss, and decided to kick. On the Bears' first drive,
Pat O'Donnell Patrick Michael O'Donnell (born February 22, 1991) is an American football punter for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where he served as ...
's punt was blocked by Aaron Lynch, and the 49ers scored on Kaepernick's three-yard touchdown pass to Crabtree, the first score in Levi's Stadium history after the play stood via review. On the 49ers' next drive, Kaepernick was intercepted by Charles Tillman, but the pick was overturned;
Phil Dawson Philip Drury Dawson (born January 23, 1975) is a former American football placekicker. He played for the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2012 and holds their franchise record for most field goals made, passing Hall of Famer Lou Groza in 2010. He pl ...
would kick a 27-yard field goal, the final score of the first quarter. On San Francisco's second drive of the second quarter, Kaepernick's pass for Boldin would be intercepted by a diving Chris Conte, though the Bears failed to take advantage, being forced to punt. Gore would then score on a 54-yard run, which was nullified by a holding call on Boldin, and two plays later, Kaepernick was stripped by
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...
, and the ball was recovered by
Danny McCray Danny DeWayne McCray (born March 10, 1988) is a former American football free safety and special teamer. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Louisiana State University. He also p ...
, but the Bears would again be forced to punt. The 49ers extended the lead by ten points on Gore's eight-yard touchdown run, but the Bears managed to score for the first time in the half on Cutler's 17-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, who caught the pass with one hand. In the second half, the 49ers scored on Dawson's 24-yard kick, culminating a drive that took 9:04. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Marshall, narrowing the score to 20–14. On the first play of San Francisco's next drive, Kaepernick's pass for Crabtree was pulled away by
Kyle Fuller Kyle Brandon Fuller (born February 16, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played college ...
, with the Bears scoring on the first play with Cutler's three-yard touchdown to Martellus Bennett to give the Bears the 21–20 lead. Kaepernick was intercepted again by Fuller on the next drive after Fuller reached his pass intended for
Derek Carrier Derek Carrier (born July 25, 1990) is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. Carrier played college football at Beloit College. Early years Carrier attended Edgerton High School in Edgerton, Wisconsin where he started f ...
, the Bears converting the pick into a Cutler three-yard touchdown to Marshall, increasing the lead by eight. On San Francisco's final drive, the offense reached Chicago's 17-yard line, but on 4th down, Kaepernick's pass to Crabtree fell incomplete, and Cutler kneeled twice to end the game. The game featured 26 penalties, 10 by the Bears for 58 yards, and 16 by the 49ers for 118 yards. Late in the second quarter, Cutler, who had completed only 8 of 18 passes for 38 yards, was hit by Quinton Dial, and after the hit, Cutler completed 15 of 16 passes for 138 yards and four touchdowns. Fuller became the first rookie in Bears history to record two interceptions in a game since Chris Harris against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
.


Week 3: at New York Jets

The Bears traveled to
East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.
to play the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
on ''
Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
'', the Bears having won the last three meeting between the two since 2001, the last being a 38–34 win in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, and the Bears led the all-time series 7–3. When comparing the two teams, Brad Gagnon of CBSSports.com stated they are "complete opposites", with
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach ...
being a pass-first coach, while
Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...
prefers running first; as a result, while the Bears were ranked higher in passer rating (9th to 25th) and QB rating against (4th to 26th), the Jets had the advantage in yards per carry (5th to 23rd) and yards per carry against (3rd to 28th). In the running game, Gagnon writes the Bears' 23rd-ranked rushing offense would have trouble against the third-ranked Jets run defense, which had allowed only 2.8 yards per carry. He adds that as a result, the Bears would be forced to throw – 71 percent of Chicago's offensive plays had been passing, the most in the league, which Gagnon states is not a "good thing", as the five teams with the highest passing percentage in the NFL in 2013 had losing records. Additionally, the passing attack would have to defend against the rush, with the Jets blitzing 75 percent of the time; New York had recorded 47 sacks since week one of 2013, tied for the 10th most in the league, while
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
ranked
Muhammad Wilkerson Muhammad Hassan "Mo" Wilkerson (born October 22, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Temple Owls, and was selected by the N ...
and
Sheldon Richardson Sheldon Adam Richardson (born November 29, 1990) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Missouri, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Richardson has ...
as the top 12 pass-rushing 3–4 defensive ends in the NFL, with
Quinton Coples Quinton Kyle Coples (born June 22, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams. He played co ...
having the most QB pressures of a 3–4 OLB with ten. However, Jay Cutler had completed 67 percent of passes under pressure, the second-most in the NFL. the Bears led the league in completions of four yards or more on first down with 21, and despite injuries to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, the passing game could have a chance against a secondary that struggled in the previous week against the Packers. Matt Forte would also be a viable passing option, but the Jets had the fifth-fewest receiving yards by an RB allowed with 28.5 On defense, the Bears would have to stop the Jets' rushing game, which led the league with 358 total rushing yards, while tying for third in the NFL with 33 runs of four yards or more, and averaged 5.54 yards on first down.
Chris Ivory Christopher Lee Ivory (born March 22, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2010 and also played for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills. He ...
also had the highest rushing average with 6.3 yards, while the Jets averaged 5 yards offensively, and the Bears were allowing 5.3 yards per carry, while allowing a total of 320 yards and four touchdowns on 60 carries. On special teams, the Bears had promoted
Rashad Ross Rashad Ahmad Ross (born February 2, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans following ...
, who averaged 32 return yards with the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in the preseason, from the practice squad, which appeared to be an improvement over Senorise Perry, who had returned only two of eleven kickoffs in the first two games of the season. The betting line for the game was New York by -2.5. The Bears' captains were Cutler, Lance Briggs, and
Danny McCray Danny DeWayne McCray (born March 10, 1988) is a former American football free safety and special teamer. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Louisiana State University. He also p ...
, while Sherrick McManis, Shea McClellin, Roberto Garza, Matt Slauson, Charles Leno Jr., and
Trevor Scott Trevor John Scott (born August 30, 1984) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2008 ...
were not active. The Bears won the coin toss, and deferred until the second half. On the second play of the Jets' first drive, Smith's fake
screen pass A screen pass is a play in gridiron football consisting of a short pass to a receiver who is protected by a screen of blockers. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is b ...
was intercepted by
Ryan Mundy Ryan Gregory Mundy (born February 11, 1985) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers in ...
, scoring on a 45-yard return. After the Jets punted, the Bears also were forced to punt, but
Jalen Saunders Jalen Saunders (born September 30, 1992) is a gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fou ...
muffed the punt, which was recovered by
Ahmad Dixon Ahmad D'shaad Dixon (born September 5, 1991) is an American football Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety for the Philadelphia Stars (2022), Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (2022), United States Footbal ...
. Four plays later, Jay Cutler threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett, with New York scoring the final points of the first quarter via
Nick Folk Nicholas Alexander Folk (born Niklaus Aleksandre Faulke, November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona, where he received first-tea ...
's 43-yard field goal. Both teams exchanged field goals on their first drives of the second quarter. On the Jets' next drive, Smith connected with
Jeremy Kerley Jeremy Dashon Kerley (born November 8, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football at TCU and was drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft and has also had s ...
on a 19-yard pass to make the score 17–13. On the Bears' following possession, Cutler was stripped by David Harris, with
Demario Davis Demario Davis (born January 11, 1989) is an American football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football a ...
scoring on the return. However, the officials had believed Cutler was downed prior to losing the ball, and while a challenge ruled the play as a fumble, the touchdown was not recorded. Despite the takeaway, the Jets would be forced to punt. The half would end with no additional scoring. On Chicago's first drive of the second half, Cutler threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bennett. After both teams traded punts, Smith and the Jets reached the Bears' 18-yard line, but was his pass intended for David Nelson was intercepted by Kyle Fuller in the endzone. The Jets would later kick a 22-yard field goal. In the final quarter, Folk kicked a 42-yarder, with Robbie Gould kicking one of 45 yards on the next drive, the score becoming 27–19. On New York's final drive of the game, the offense reached the Bears' nine-yard line, but on 4th and 5, Smith's pass for Kerley was defended by rookie Brock Vereen, and despite catching the ball, Kerley was out of bounds. The Bears kneeled three times to end the game. The game marked the first time since week 16 of
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
that the Bears allowed fewer than 20 points in a game. Fuller, who was making his first career start, became the first NFL player in the last 20 years to record three interceptions and two forced fumbles in the first three games.


Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers

For week four, the Bears donned their 1940s throwbacks when they hosted the 1–2
Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the thi ...
, the Bears having led the all-time series 93–89–2, but the Packers had won 9 of the previous 11 games. On offense, the Bears' worst-ranked rushing game (64 yards per game) had a chance to produce against the Packers, who were ranked 30th by allowing 156 yards per game, while opponents had run a league-most 37.3 times per game while scoring an also league-high five rushing touchdowns. Also, Matt Forte had recorded 336 yards and four touchdowns against the Packers in his last two games. The offense also was challenged by the pass defense, with defenders
Sam Shields Samuel George Shields III (born December 8, 1987) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at the University of Miami. Shields was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He won Super Bo ...
and
Tramon Williams Tramon Vernell Williams Sr. (born March 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana Tech, and was signed by the Houston Texans as an un ...
, who were stingy in man coverage. For the Bears' defense, the Packers had also struggled on the run, ranking 26th in the league with a 78-yard rushing average and the longest run being of 17 yards, while having averaged only 3.63 yards per carry. Additionally, Green Bay was ranked 28th in the league in yards. However, the team faced the Packers' passing attack, which featured the receiving duo of
Jordy Nelson Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Kansas State, where he ...
and Randall Cobb. The former led the league in targets (37) and first downs (16), while ranking second in receiving yards (351), while the Bears had struggled with covering
slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant d ...
and dig routes, both of which Nelson excelled at. The latter had three touchdowns in 2014, but was used primarily for hitch and stick routes. The Packers were two-point favorites. Sherrick McManis, Shea McClellin, Roberto Garza, Matt Slauson, Jared Allen, Charles Leno Jr., and
Jeremiah Ratliff Jeremiah Jerome Ratliff (born August 29, 1981), formerly known as Jay Ratliff, is a former American football nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He played college football at Auburn Univ ...
were inactive.
Kyle Long Kyle Howard Long (born December 5, 1988) is an American football guard who is a free agent. The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and the younger brother of former defensive end Chris Long. He played college football at ...
, Alshon Jeffery, and Ryan Mundy served as team captains for the game, while the honorary captains were Dick Butkus and
Kurt Becker Kurt Frank Becker (born December 22, 1958) is a former American football player. He played college football as an offensive guard at the University of Michigan from 1978 to 1981, was selected as a first-team All-American in 1981, and played profe ...
. The Packers won the coin toss, and decided to kick. On the first drive, the Bears scored on Jay Cutler's six-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, which the Packers responded with
Eddie Lacy Edward Darwin Lacy Jr. (born June 2, 1990) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a member of three BCS National Championship teams in the 2009, 2011, and 2012 seasons. He was drafted by ...
's two-yard touchdown run. During Chicago's next drive, on 4th and 1, Cutler fumbled the snap, and upon picking up the ball, recorded a 16-yard run on an accidental
fumblerooski In American football, the fumblerooski is a trick play in which the football is intentionally and stealthily placed on the ground (fumbled) by an offensive player, usually the quarterback. The offensive team then attempts to distract and confuse th ...
. The drive continued into the second quarter, ended with Robbie Gould kicking a 23-yard field goal. The two teams exchanged touchdowns on the final three plays:
Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
' three-yard pass to Nelson, Cutler's eight-yard pass to Jeffery, and Rodgers' 22-yard pass to Cobb. The Bears reached the Packers' nine-yard line by the final play of the first half; on the play, Cutler's pass for Bennett was ruled short of a touchdown. During the television review, Micah Hyde covered the camera angle, preventing the touchdown and ending the half with the Packers leading 21–17. In the third quarter, the Packers drove to the Bears' 34-yard line, where Rodgers completed a touchdown pass to
Davante Adams Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the s ...
, which would be nullified by a holding penalty on center Corey Linsley; Crosby would eventually kick a 53-yard field goal. Afterwards, Cutler's pass for
Josh Morgan Joshua Lewis Morgan (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. He also played for the Was ...
would be tipped by Williams and intercepted by Clay Matthews, with Green Bay capitalizing on the takeaway with Rodgers' 11-yard touchdown pass to Nelson. On the next drive, Shields intercepted Cutler, and Crosby kicked a 23-yard field goal; however, a holding penalty on
Jon Bostic Jonathan Earl Bostic II (born May 5, 1991) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Bostic has also been a me ...
led to Rodgers' three-yard touchdown pass to Cobb. On Chicago's next drive, Williams intercepted Cutler, but the play would be nullified; the Bears would subsequently punt. On the Packers' next drive, they would reach the Bears' 20-yard line before Crosby's field goal was blocked by Willie Young, the first block by the Bears in over a year.
Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
replaced Cutler on the final drive, and the Bears ran out the clock to end the game. The Bears recorded 496 yards, the first time since 1979 against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
that the Bears recorded such yardage and lost. The last time the team recorded more than 496 yards and lost occurred in
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
against the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
and
Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...
. Additionally, the rushing attack recorded 102 yards in the first quarter, the first time Chicago recorded at least 100 rushing yards in the first quarter since
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. The game was only the second in NFL history to have no total punts.


Week 5: at Carolina Panthers

In week five, the Bears, looking to go 3–0 on the road for the first time since
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, visited the 2–2
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, the Bears having led the all-time series 5–3, and also having won the most recent meeting in 2012 23–22. The Bears had been plagued by inconsistency during the season, for example in the passing attack, with Jay Cutler, playing in his first away game with Chicago against Carolina, completing 67.5 percent in the two home games with four touchdowns and four interceptions while posting an 84.7 rating. On the road, he had completed 63.9 percent of passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions, along with a 106.3 rating. In two games against the Panthers, Cutler had thrown a touchdown and two picks with a 69.5 passer rating. The Bears had to protect Cutler from a Panthers defense that recorded 60 sacks in 2013, and despite missing
Greg Hardy Gregory McKarl Hardy (born July 28, 1988) is an American former football defensive end, mixed martial artist and professional boxer who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played ...
, featured defending Defensive Player of the Year
Luke Kuechly Luke August Kuechly (; born April 20, 1991) is an American former professional football middle linebacker who played all eight seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He is generally recognized a ...
and Star Lotulelei. However, Panthers' cornerback
Antoine Cason Antoine Brandon Cason (born July 9, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Arizona where he was recognized as a consensus All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers ...
was struggling during the year, having allowed three touchdowns. Additionally, the Panthers' had allowed 75 points the last two games, compared to 21 in the first two weeks, and while allowing an average 201.7 passing yards in the first three games, the team permitted the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
' Joe Flacco to throw for 327 passing yards in their last game. On the ground, the Bears had an advantage against the Panthers' 27th-ranked rushing defense, which allowed 140.8 rushing yards per game, 264 rushing yards two games prior against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
, and a total 391 rushing yards in the last two games. The Bears also had a chance to capitalize on the Panthers' worst-ranked red zone offenses and defenses, with Chicago boasting a second- and sixth-ranked red zone offense and defense, respectively. The Panthers were the -2.5 favorite for the game's betting line. The Bears' inactives were Sherrick McManis, Ahmad Dixon, Shea McClellin, Roberto Garza, Charles Leno Jr., and Jeremiah Ratliff, while Matt Slauson, D.J. Williams, and Robbie Gould were the captains. After the Bears won the toss and kicked off, the Panthers punted on their drive, and on the punt return,
Santonio Holmes Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State University. In 2009, Holmes w ...
fumbled the ball out of bounds. The Bears would also be forced to punt, and on the return,
Philly Brown Corey "Philly" Brown (born December 16, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played college football at Ohio State Buckeyes footbal ...
was tackled by Teddy Williams before receiving the ball, and while both teams were attempting to recover the ball, Brown picked up the ball and scored on the 79-yard return. On the Bears' next drive, despite reaching the Panthers' seven-yard line, Cutler's pass for Brandon Marshall went into double coverage and was intercepted by
Roman Harper Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl invitation (fir ...
, who returned the pick 44 yards to the Bears' 49-yard line, but was ruled down by challenge, and as a result, the Panthers started the drive from their own eight-yard line. Three plays later, Isaiah Frey forced
Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for ...
to fumble, recovering the loose ball at Carolina's 28-yard line. The Bears would score on Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte; Chicago would then capitalize on another turnover during the Panthers' next drive: after Willie Young strip-sacked
Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
, Lamarr Houston recovered at Carolina's 18-yard line, and on the Bears' ensuing drive, Cutler scored on a ten-yard run, the first rushing touchdown for Cutler since
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
and the first for the team in 2014. The Bears' next drive lasted into the second quarter, and ended with the Bears extending the score to 21–7 after Cutler threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. The Panthers then drove to Chicago's 25-yard line, but the drive ended after Newton's pass was intercepted by a diving Lance Briggs. However, the Bears failed to take advantage of the pick, with Gould missing a 35-yard field goal. On the final drive for Carolina, Newton threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen to make the score at halftime 21–14. After the Bears punted on their first drive of the second half, the Panthers reached the Bears' seven-yard line, and a penalty on Kyle Fuller moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Chris Ogbonnaya scored on a one-yard run to tie the game. Gould would give the Bears the lead again via a 45-yard field goal. The two teams exchanged punts five times in the fourth quarter, and on Chicago's third possession of the quarter, Cutler's pass for Holmes was overthrown and intercepted by Thomas DeCoud, which set up a
Graham Gano Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free ag ...
44-yard field goal. On the Bears' next play, Forte was stripped by Cason, and
Kawann Short Kawann Arcell Short (born February 2, 1989) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue. Early years Short ...
recovered. Six plays later, Cam Newton threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Olsen to take the 31–24 lead. On the Bears' final drive, the offense faced 4th-and-21 from their own 34-yard line when Cutler fumbled while being sacked by Short, and Charles Johnson recovered. Carolina kneeled twice to end the game. The Bears had three turnovers in the fourth quarter, the second team to do so in 2014, after the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, while committing two turnovers in consecutive possessions during the fourth quarter. In comparison, the team had only one in the first four games. In the passing game, poor production on short passes led to Cutler's struggles on longer throws, completing only one of five passes of 15 yards or more during the game, including two interceptions; entering the game, he was ranked 31st of 33 quarterbacks in completion percentage for such throws with 24 percent. However, the Bears had managed to score multiple passing touchdowns against the Panthers, the fourth time this had happened to the Panthers in 2014; the Panthers had only two games allowed in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
.


Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons

The Bears played the 2–3
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
in week six, the Bears leading the all-time series between the two 13–12, 5–2 since 2001, and having won the most recent meeting in 2011, 30–12. Among the players the Bears faced was former returner and receiver
Devin Hester Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest return specialist i ...
, who had recorded 19 his NFL-record 20 return touchdowns with the team. Atlanta entered the game with the second-best passing offense in the league, with the receiver duo of
Julio Jones Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones Jr. (; born February 8, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falco ...
and
Roddy White Sharod Lamor "Roddy" White (born November 2, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver who played his entire professional career with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at UAB, and was drafted by the Falcons in the first ...
having combined for 56 catches for 765 yards and five touchdowns. The former also led the league with 40 receptions and 552 yards. Hester, despite being 23rd in the NFL with 15.1 yards on 14 receptions, was one the Bears had to be prepared when he was used as a slot receiver. Among the goals the Bears' defense had was to rush Matt Ryan, who – despite being pressured often and tied with Jay Cutler with 130 pass attempts – was one of five quarterbacks with an average of eight yards per pass. Altogether, the Falcons had the third-best offense in yards gained, first in yards per play with 6.58, second in red zone touchdown percentage, and third with 29 points per game. However, the Bears offense could attack the Falcons' 28th-ranked rushing defense, which had been allowing 147.6 yards per game; the Bears had been recording 116 rushing yards each game. In addition, Atlanta had allowed a league-leading ten rushing touchdowns and six yards per play, while having the second-worst sacks per pass attempt with 2.47 percent, and was one of five teams allowing 400 yards per game. On special teams, Chicago would have to watch out for Hester, who recorded one of the league's four punt return touchdowns in 2014, while recording an average of 14.4 yards off eight punt returns, and was ranked eighth in the league with a kick return average of 24.2 yards. The Falcons were predicted by every CBSSports.com analyst to win, and were the -3.5 favorite. Brandon Marshall, Danny McCray, and Tim Jennings served as the Bears' captains, while Sherrick McManis, Ahmad Dixon, Shea McClellin, Lance Briggs, Jon Bostic, D. J. Williams, and Jermon Bushrod were inactive. After the Bears won the coin toss, elected to receive, and punted on the first drive, the Falcons scored on their first drive with
Matt Bryant Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A ...
's 52-yard field goal. After the Bears punted again, Jones was stripped by Kyle Fuller, but recovered; the Falcons would also punt. On Chicago's next drive, Cutler, after spiking the ball, was drilled by Paul Worrilow, allowing the Bears to gain a first down at the Falcons' 14-yard line; the drive lasted into the second quarter, and ended with Robbie Gould's 25-yard field goal; the Bears extended the lead on their next drive via Cutler's three-yard touchdown pass to Josh Morgan. The Falcons would be forced to punt again, with Chicago scoring off Gould's 28-yard field goal, the final scoring play of the first half, the Bears leading 13–3. After receiving the ball in the second half, the Falcons drove to Chicago's 41-yard line, where Ryan threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to
Antone Smith Antone Smith (born September 17, 1985) is a former American football running back. He played high school football for Pahokee. Smith was considered an All American 5 star running back and was named Mr.Florida. He went on to play college footbal ...
, and the Falcons tied the game on their next possession off Bryant's 54-yard field goal. On Chicago's drive, the Falcons failed to provide safety assistance at the right side of the field, leading to Cutler throwing a 74-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery, completing it to the Falcons' five-yard line, with Matt Forte scoring on the next run, though Gould's extra point would be blocked by Ra'Shede Hageman. Now down by six, the Falcons failed to score, and were forced to punt. In the final quarter, the Bears reached the Falcons' eight-yard line, where Cutler threw a touchdown pass to Jeffery. However, the score would be nullified by Jeffery stepping out of the endzone on the play. On the next play, Martellus Bennett fought to the nine-yard line, where Forte scored on the rushing touchdown. The Bears then scored on the two-point conversion with Cutler's pass to Bennett, putting the Bears up by 14 points, 27–13. On Atlanta's next drive, Jared Allen recorded his first sack as a Bear, and would later be forced to punt, and the Bears would also punt. Afterwards, Ryan's pass for Jones would be intercepted by
Demontre Hurst Demontre Hurst (born March 24, 1991) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Oklahoma Sooners football, Oklahoma and signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and has also played for the Tenn ...
, though the Bears would have to punt. The Falcons' final drive ended with a turnover on downs, and Cutler would kneel thrice to end the game. The Bears became the first team to win 750 total games. It took only 4 road games for the Bears to match their road win total from last season (the Bears were 3–5 on the road during the 2013 season). The 13 points allowed by the Bears were the fewest that they had ever allowed in a game under Marc Trestman. It was also fewest that they allowed in a game since Week 12 of the 2012 season when they held the Vikings to 10 points. When the Bears held a two-touchdown lead, Falcons fans began leaving the Dome, with Bears fans forcing the Falcons to utilize silent counts and had to call a timeout due to crowd noise and a ticking play clock.


Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins

The Bears, seeking to avoid going 0–3 at home for the first time in ten years, hosted the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in week seven, trailing the all-time series 4–7, though the Bears won the most recent game in 2010 16–0. The Bears had struggled at home during the season, scoring a total of 37 points and a -4 turnover differential; in contrast, the Bears had an average score of 26.5 and a +6 turnover difference on the road. In addition, Jay Cutler had nine passing touchdowns, two interceptions and a 104.6 passer rating in away games, while having four touchdowns, four interceptions (three of which occurred in the second half) and a rating of 84.7 at home, with a rating of 58.1 after halftime. Chicago had to protect Cutler from the defensive line duo of Cameron Wake and
Olivier Vernon Olivier Alexander Vernon (born October 7, 1990) is an American football defensive end and outside linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft and has also played for the New Yor ...
, both recording 1.5 sacks each in the previous week against the Packers. In addition, the Dolphins were ranked second in the league in sacks on third and fourth downs with 10. However, the Bears' receivers posed a size threat to the Miami secondary, though Miami was ranked third in yards per pass attempt allowed with 6.09, one of only eight teams allowing less than seven yards in 2014. The Dolphins also allowed only 3.8 yards per carry and yards allowed per play with 4.7 yards. On defense, the Bears would have to prepare for a
Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...
-led zone-read option offense, which has an average drive length of 3:08, third-fastest in the league. However, Tannehill could make mistakes, as he had thrown 35 interceptions in 37 career starts. The Dolphins also had the second-fewest completions of at least 20 yards with 11. The Bears would also have to watch the run game, which ranked third in the NFL with 4.97 yards per carry. Entering the game, the Bears' defense was tied for the fourth-most sacks (15), third-most interceptions (eight), and third in points recorded off turnovers (49). The Bears were the favorite by -3. Terrance Mitchell, Ahmad Dixon, Chris Conte, Lance Briggs, Jon Bostic, Charles Leno Jr., and Trevor Scott were scratches for the game, while Jermon Bushrod, Brandon Marshall, Robbie Gould, Ryan Mundy and Jeremiah Ratliff were team captains. The Dolphins won the toss, and elected to receive. On the first play from scrimmage, Tannehill was sacked by Ratliff for a loss of five yards; Ratliff would finish the game with a career-high 3.5 sacks. After both teams punted on their first drives, the Dolphins scored first on Tannehill's 13-yard touchdown pass to Charles Clay. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler fumbled on his own 38-yard line, but
Ka'Deem Carey Ka'Deem Carey (born October 30, 1992) is an American football running back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college foo ...
recovered the ball; the Bears would punt three plays later. Miami's eventual drive lasted into the second quarter, but ended with
Caleb Sturgis Caleb James Sturgis (born August 9, 1989) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at Florida, setting team records for field goals completed in a season and a career, and was recognized as an All-American. He was ...
missing a 50-yard field goal wide right. The Bears would reach the Dolphins' 37-yard line, but Cutler's pass for Martellus Bennett was intercepted by
Reshad Jones Reshad Monquez Jones (born February 25, 1988) is a former American football strong safety. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia. Early years Resha ...
, who returned the pick to the Bears' 29-yard line, and was stripped by Brandon Marshall, Koa Misi recovering at the 23-yard line. The fumble was subsequently challenged, but was upheld. Miami would drive to the Bears' eight-yard line, and two plays later, Tannehill threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to
Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...
. Both teams would exchange punts at the end of the half, Miami leading 14–0. On their first drive of the second half, the Bears scored their first points of the game with Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte, though the Dolphins retaliated on their next possession with Lamar Miller's two-yard touchdown run. The Bears' drive lasted into the fourth quarter, but ended at their own 24-yard line when Wake strip-sacked Cutler, recovering it at Chicago's 16. The Dolphins would go three-and-out on the drive, resorting to Sturgis' 33-yard field goal. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler threw a pass to
Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for Oregon. He was also a member of the Miami ...
, who fumbled after being stripped by
Cortland Finnegan Cortland Temujin Finnegan (born February 2, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Samford, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Finnegan also played for the ...
,
Randy Starks Randolph Starks, Jr. (born December 14, 1983) is a former American football defensive end who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played ...
recovering at the Bears' 35-yard line. However, the Dolphins failed to take advantage of the takeaway, Sturgis' 37-yard field goal being blocked by Lamarr Houston. Starting from their own 27, the Bears reached the Dolphins' 44, and a defensive pass interference penalty on Jason Taylor brought the Bears to the five-yard line. Three plays later, Forte scored on a one-yard run. The Dolphins would score on their next drive via Miller's four-yard run, but was nullified by holding penalty on Clay; Sturgis would kick a 19-yard field goal to make the score 27–14. Chicago's final drive reached Miami's 15-yard line, but the offense failed to gain ground, Cutler first throwing an incomplete pass, then fumbling but recovering, and finally throwing two more incomplete passes. Tannehill would kneel twice to end the game. The Bears fell to 0–4 in games where Cutler throws an interception. After the game, in the Bears' locker room, there were reports of shouting and players being pulled out of the room, with Marshall calling out Cutler, and Kyle Long criticizing the fans. Former Bears linebacker
Blake Costanzo Blake Costanzo (born April 14, 1984) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Lafayette. Costanzo has also played for the Buffalo Bills, Cle ...
was also critical, stating Marc Trestman had "made the Bears soft". In an interview, Gould stated, "Everyone's trying to make this a story out of something that really wasn't that big of a deal. Obviously everyone's frustrated. Everyone wants to win. Our fans want to win. Coaches want to win. The players want to win. And everyone's obviously frustrated."


Week 8: at New England Patriots

The Bears visited Gillette Stadium in week eight to take on the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, the first game in Foxborough for the Bears since 2006, which had ended in a 17–13 loss. Chicago had never won in Foxborough, where the Patriots had won twelve consecutive games. The Bears trailed the all-time series 3–8 entering the series, and lost the most recent meeting at home in 2010, 36–7. A target the Bears could attack was the Patriots' run defense, which had allowed a season-high 218 rushing yards against the Jets, a combined 398 in losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Dolphins, and was ranked 24th in the league by allowing 126.3 rushing yards per game on 28.7 attempts, by utilizing Matt Forte, the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL with 448 yards and league-leading 52 receptions for 436 yards. In addition, New England did not have defenders Jerod Mayo and Chandler Jones, and had allowed fifteen drives lasting at least ten plays in 2014, all but one culminating in a score. However, the Patriots' pass defense was more stingy, forcing quarterbacks to throw three interceptions on passes longer than 21 yards with a 37.1 passer rating, the sixth-worst in the league. On defense, the Bears had to contain Tom Brady, who had thrown for 964 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in three games against the Bears. Likewise, tight end Rob Gronkowski was among the targets of Brady, whose 42 of 68 targeted throws were to tight ends, seventh-most in the NFL. 71 percent of Gronkowski's catches had resulted in first downs, though he had caught only 31 of his 56 targets, and while Brady had never completed less than 60 percent of passes in his career, Miami and New York forced him to complete less than 55 percent. While the Bears could blitz Brady, they would have to prepare for the Patriots' no-huddle offense and Brady's quickie release. However, the Patriots' rushing offense was ranked only 26th in yards per carry with 3.75, though they had recorded 4.76 yards per first down rush. Like in week two, Mike Ditka was the lone ESPN analyst to predict a Bears victory. Terrance Mitchell, Danny McCray, Ahmad Dixon, Lance Briggs, Jon Bostic, Jordan Mills, and Charles Leno Jr. were inactive for the game. After winning the coin toss, New England kicked off. The Bears punted on their first drive, while the Patriots scored on their first possession with Brady's six-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. The Bears would punt on their next two drives, while the Patriots scored on their following drives in the second quarter, with Stephen Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal and Brady's one-yard touchdown pass to Tim Wright (American football), Tim Wright. On the Bears' ensuing possession, Jay Cutler's pass for Martellus Bennett was intercepted by Devin McCourty, though it would be nullified by Brandon Browner's illegal contact penalty. The Patriots would score three times in 57 seconds: with 1:52 left in the second quarter, Brady threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski; the Bears punted on the next drive, the Patriots returning it 42 yards to the Bears' 19-yard line, and a holding penalty on Trevor Scott moved the ball to the nine, where Brady threw a touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell with 1:07 remaining. On the Bears' next play, Cutler fumbled, and Rob Ninkovich recovered, scoring on the 15-yard return with 55 seconds left in the half. The Bears' final drive of the half ended with Cutler's pass for Brandon Marshall being intercepted by Darrelle Revis at the Patriots' five-yard line. On New England's first drive of the second half, they extended the lead to 45–7 with Brady's 46-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. After the Bears failed to convert on 4th-and-10 from the Patriots' 26, the Patriots were forced to punt for the first and only time in the game. The Bears would score on the following possession with Cutler's 20-yard touchdown pass to Bennett, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Dante Rosario being completed. The Patriots' next drive would last into the fourth quarter, and ended with Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal. Chicago would then score on their following drive with Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, followed by Cutler's two-point conversion pass to Matt Forte, decreasing the deficit to 25 points. Patriots' backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo substituted for Brady on their next drive, and five plays later, Lamarr Houston sacked Garoppolo, his first sack of the year. However, when he was celebrating, Houston tore his ACL, and would be out for the rest of the season. Gostkowski would kick a 39-yard field goal to make the score 51–23. Jimmy Clausen replaced Cutler on the Bears' last drive, ending with the Bears failing to convert on 4th down. Garoppolo would kneel once to end the game. Until the week ten game against the Packers, the 38 points allowed in the first half were the most in team history.


Week 9: Bye week

The Bears entered the bye week with a 3–5 record, tied with the 2014 Minnesota Vikings season, Vikings for last in the NFC North, two games behind the Packers, and four behind the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. The last time the Bears had been 3–5, yet made the playoffs was in 1979, and had also performed the feat in 1977 Chicago Bears season, 1977, while the last time that Chicago had made the playoffs after having a record of two games below .500 occurred in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, when the team was 1–3, but finished the regular season 11–5. On offense, the Bears were tied for seventh in the league in passes per game with 37.4 and 27th in rushing attempts per game with 23.5. The offense had also regressed in points scored per game; in 2013 Chicago Bears season, 2013, the team averaged 27.8 points, while after eight games in 2014, had scored only 22.4, despite having all 11 starters from 2013 returning. In their first three games, the Bears had a +4 turnover margin with eight turnovers forced and four turnovers allowed, but in their last five games, the margin was -7 with four takeaways and 11 giveaways, including -5 in the previous two games with no forced turnovers and five allowed turnovers; this marked the first time that the Bears had failed to force a turnover in consecutive games since
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. Despite these struggles, the Bears' offense had the league's fifth-best red zone scoring percentage with 88.5.


Week 10: at Green Bay Packers

The Bears played the Packers for the second time in the season, this time on the road at Lambeau Field, where the Packers had won all three of their home games in 2014 with a league-high 37.0 points per game at home. The game was broadcast on ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', the ninth consecutive year that a Bears-Packers was held in
prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
. Entering the game, Jay Cutler had struggled against the Packers, with a 67.0 passer rating, the lowest against any team. He also had thrown 13 touchdowns against 19 interceptions, and heading into the game, led the league in turnovers with 12, which led to 44 total points by opponents. However, the Bears' rushing attack took on the Packers' worst-ranked run defense, which had allowed 153.5 yards per game on 32.1 rushing attempts. The offense had to avoid long-distance drives, as they were ranked 29th in the NFL in points scored outside the red zone with 31. On defense, the Bears' rushing defense faced a Green Bay rushing game that was one of ten teams in the NFL to average less than 100 yards per game with 97.5 yards on 24.3 attempt, which ranked 26th, ahead of the Bears by one spot. However, the Packers also averaged 4.02 yards per carry and 4.3 yards per carry on first down. The Bears' pass defense also had to face Aaron Rodgers, who ranked third in the league with 8.22 yards per pass. In addition, the team had to be wary in the event they attempted to blitz; Rodgers had the highest passer rating against the blitz with 130.71, along with eight touchdowns and one interception. Over their previous five games, the Packers had scored an average of 33.6 points, while the Bears had allowed 32 average points in their last five games. The Packers were seven-point favorites, and the game's over/under of 53.5 points is the highest total of week ten games. Terrance Mitchell, Khaseem Greene, Darryl Sharpton, Eben Britton, Blake Annen, David Bass, and DeDe Lattimore were the inactives for the game. The Bears won the coin toss, and received, but punted after their first drive. From their own 29-yard line, the Packers drove to the Bears' one, where Rodgers threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Bostick. On the second play of the Bears' next drive, Cutler was intercepted by Micah Hyde, and the Packers converted the turnover into a Rodgers' four-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Quarless. After the Bears were forced to punt again, the Packers' drive (which lasted into the second quarter) ended with Rodgers throwing a 73-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, and scored again after the Bears punted for the fourth consecutive time, this time on Rodgers' 40-yard touchdown pass to Nelson. On Chicago's next possession, the offense reached the Packers' four-yard line, but on 4th down, Cutler's pass to Alshon Jeffery was incomplete, and from their own five-yard line, the Packers eventually scored on Rodgers' 56-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Lacy. Chicago's next drive again led to zero points, with Cutler being sacked on 4th down by Morgan Burnett. The Packers reclaimed the ball on their 43-yard line, but two plays later, reached the Bears' seven-yard line after Tim Jennings was flagged for pass interference of 53 yards. However, Randall Cobb fumbled after being stripped by Lance Briggs, Ryan Mundy recovering in the endzone. However, the Bears would give the ball back with Cutler being strip-sacked by
Julius Peppers Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, ...
at the Bears' 37-yard line. The Packers would extend their lead to 42–0 with Rodgers throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Cobb. The Bears ended the first half with a kneel. In the third quarter, the Packers punted for the first time in the game, the ball being returned for no gain at the Bears' 30-yard line, but would be pushed back to the 15-yard line due to Teddy Williams' personal foul penalty. After the Bears went three-and-out, Pat O'Donnell's punt was kicked by Jarrett Boykin and recovered by O'Donnell; the block was officially recorded as a fumble, and as a result, the Bears were considered to have turned the ball on downs. The Packers would score on Mason Crosby's 20-yard field goal. Despite a chance to tie the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a game, Rodgers was pulled for the Packers' third drive of the quarter for Matt Flynn. The Bears scored their first points of the game off Cutler's 45-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. Crosby would kick another field goal, this time a 52-yarder, to make the score 48–7. After both teams exchanged punts, the Bears' drive, which went into the final quarter, reached the Packers' 18-yard line, but Cutler's pass for Matt Forte hit Kyle Long's head, and bounced into Casey Hayward's hands, who scored on the 82-yard return. On the ensuing kickoff, with blocking along the Bears' sideline, Chris Williams scored on the 101-yard return to make the score 55–14. After the Packers punted again, Jimmy Clausen replaced Cutler for the Bears' final drive, but was sacked by Sam Barrington on 4th down; the Packers would run out the clock to end the game. The 42 points allowed in the first half was a franchise record, and the six touchdown passes allowed in the half was an NFL record. By allowing 51 and 55 points against the Patriots and Packers, respectively, the Bears became the first team since the 1923 1923 Rochester Jeffersons season, Rochester Jeffersons to allow at least 50 points in two consecutive games.


Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Chicago hosted the 4–5 Vikings in week eleven, the Vikings leading the Bears-Vikings rivalry, all-time rivalry 53–51–4, though the Bears had won six consecutive games at Soldier Field between the two teams, dating back to 2007 Chicago Bears season, 2007. Jeff Joniak stated the Bears must "play smart"; for instance, on offense, the Bears would have to watch for pressure from a blitz-happy Mike Zimmer-led defense, which ranked third in the league in sacks with 30, 20 of which were in their last four games, and was also ranked third in the NFL in hurries with 60, and forced offenses to commit a league-leading 13 holding penalties. The pass rush would try to attack Jay Cutler, who was tied for the most turnovers with 15, and was sacked 23 times. On first down, the Vikings blitzed 32 percent of the time, and 38 percent on third down. The Vikings also ranked fourth against the pass, allowing 213.6 yards per game. The Vikings had also improved on points allowed, allowing 18.3 points in their last four games after permitting 30.0 in the previous four. However, the Vikings' rush defense was allowing 5 yards per carry on first down. Defensively, the Bears were struggling, allowing a league-most 30.8 points per game while ranking 28th against the pass, allowing 268.6 yards per game. Despite Vikings' star running back Adrian Peterson being suspended for the game, Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon had seven runs of 20 yards or more, and the latter averaged 5.0 yards per carry. In the passing game, the Vikings struggled without tight end Kyle Rudolph, but he made his return in week eleven. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was average in terms of accuracy and arm strength, having completed 53.9 percent of his passes, including 66 percent on third down, and while Greg Jennings had caught 60 percent of targets, Cordarrelle Patterson only caught 46 percent. The Vikings' third down offense also struggled without Rudolph and Peterson, with a 36.5 conversion percentage, and at the line, Matt Kalil had allowed a league-high 12 sacks. Both teams had struggled in moving the ball downfield, with the Bears and Vikings having 32 and 33 drives start inside their own 20-yard lines, respectively, and the latter being the second-most in the NFL. On such drives, Chicago had a touchdown, 14 points, and six turnovers, while Minnesota had no touchdowns, 6 points, and four turnovers. Josh Morgan, Terrance Mitchell, Darryl Sharpton, Eben Britton, Jordan Mills, Trevor Scott, and Blake Annen were the Bears' inactive players. The Bears won the toss, and elected to defer. On their opening drive, the Vikings scored on Blair Walsh's 50-yard field goal. During the Bears' next drive, a play was whistled dead because Minnesota wanted to challenge whether a previous play was a fumble, and when Cutler voiced his complaints to the referees, he was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct; the ruling eventually stood, costing the Vikings their first timeout. The Bears later attempted to tie the score with Robbie Gould's 47-yard field goal, but missed the kick wide right. Later in the quarter, the Vikings extended their lead by ten with Bridgewater's seven-yard touchdown pass to Rhett Ellison. The Bears' next drive lasted into the second quarter, and ended on the fourth play of the quarter with Cutler's 27-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. After both teams exchanged punts, the Bears were pinned on their own 27-yard line after a 20-yard illegal block penalty on Christian Jones. However, the Bears were able to reach the Vikings' 44-yard line, where Cutler threw a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, who outjumped Robinson for the catch; the score gave the Bears the 14–10 lead, the first time the Bears had led since week six against the Falcons, snapping a 207-minute, 11 second lead-less streak. After the Vikings punted again, the Bears' final possession of the first half ended after three plays: with 15 seconds remaining, the Bears called their final timeout of the half, and on the next play, Cutler was intercepted by Xavier Rhodes on a long pass to Jeffery. Bridgewater kneeled once to end the half. In the second half, the Bears started on their own 17-yard line, but reached the Vikings' one-yard line on 12 plays. On 4th and 1, Cutler attempted a Sweep (American football)#QB sweep, quarterback sweep, but was tackled for no gain by Tom Johnson (defensive tackle, born 1984), Tom Johnson. After the Vikings punted, the Bears' following drive was ended when Cutler, attempting to avoid pressure from Johnson, had his pass for Martellus Bennett intercepted by Harrison Smith (American football), Harrison Smith, who returned the pick 52 yards to the Chicago 27-yard line. However, the Vikings failed to capitalize on the takeaway, and at the Bears' 20-yard line, Walsh's field goal sailed wide right. The Bears' responding drive went into the final quarter, and ended with Cutler's four-yard touchdown pass to Marshall, killing 7:35 on the game clock on the possession. Minnesota attempted to respond with a scoring drive, and drew within eight points with Walsh's 26-yard field goal. On Chicago's next drive, the offense ran exclusively running plays for Matt Forte, which forced the Vikings to use all three of their timeouts, and the Bears would later be forced to punt, ending a drive that burned 2:01 off the clock. On the Vikings' first play of their final drive, Bridgewater was sacked by Willie Young for a five-yard loss, though the clock was stopped by the two-minute warning. The Vikings then recorded two consecutive first downs on Bridgewater's passes of 21 and 14 yards to Charles Johnson (wide receiver, born 1989), Charles Johnson and McKinnon, respectively, and the next pass to Johnson resulted in a seven-yard gain to the Bears' 36-yard line. With less than a minute remaining, Bridgewater attempted to throw a pass to Johnson in the endzone, but was intercepted by Ryan Mundy. Cutler kneeled once to seal the 21–13 victory. The win was the first at Soldier Field for the Bears of the 2014 season, and the first in eleven months, dating back to the October 9, 2013 game against the 2013 Dallas Cowboys season, Dallas Cowboys.


Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bears' game against the 2–8 2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers marked the return of Bucs head coach Lovie Smith, who had served as Bears
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
from 2004 to 2012; his staff also featured seven former Bears' assistants: special teams coordinator Kevin O'Dea, cornerbacks coach Gill Byrd, wide receiver coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker, linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson, defensive line assistant
Mike Phair Mike Phair (born November 8, 1969) is the defensive line coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis ...
, safeties coach Mikal Smith, and running backs coach Tim Spencer (American football), Tim Spencer. The Bucs also featured three former Bears starters in quarterback Josh McCown, cornerback Isaiah Frey, and safety
Major Wright Major Wright (born July 1, 1988) is a former American football Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety. He played college football for the Florida Gators football, University of Florida, and was a member of a BCS National Champi ...
. The Bears entered the game leading the all-time series 36–18, and won the last meeting 24–18 in
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
. The Bears' 13th-ranked offense (19th rushing and 10th passing) had to prepare for a 27th-ranked Tampa Bay defense (22nd rushing and 30th passing) that was tied for fourth in forcing plays of negative yardage with 75, 45 of which were runs, the third-most in the league. To prevent such incidents, the team would have to contain Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, who recorded three pick-sixes (tied for the most in the league), 15 turnovers and 45 points on these plays. On defense, the Bears would have to apply pressure: when blitzed, the Buccaneers' quarterbacks have the second-worst statistics in the league, consisting of a 57.6 passer rating, four touchdowns, seven interceptions (McCown being responsible for four) and nine sacks. While the Bears' pass defense is ranked 15th compared to Tampa's 19th-ranked passing attack, and the cornerbacks are undersized compared to the Bucs' receiving tandem of Mike Evans (wide receiver), Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, both of whom are , the defensive backs are accustomed to such disadvantages in practice. Rushing-wise, Tampa was struggling productively, being ranked 28th, and had the NFL's second-least carries, and averaged only 3.2 yards on first down. ESPN, Yahoo!, ''USA Today'', Fox Sports, and CBS Sports' majority panels predicted a Bears victory. Terrance Mitchell, Khaseem Greene, Darryl Sharpton, Eben Britton, Jordan Mills, Trevor Scott and Chris Williams were inactive. The Buccaneers won the coin toss, but decided to kickoff. After the Bears went three-and-out, Marcus Thigpen muffed the ensuing punt but recovered. Tampa turned the ball over anyway when McCown was intercepted by Chris Conte, though Jay Cutler was also responsible for a turnover of his own after being hit by McCoy and fumbling with Clinton McDonald. McCown later connected with Evans for a 19-yard touchdown. After two drives of punts, Robbie Gould missed a 54-yard field goal while Patrick Murray (American football), Patrick Murray made a 32-yard kick. The Bears improved in the second half as Cutler threw a two-yard score to Alshon Jeffery, followed by two Forte touchdowns for 21 unanswered points. The Bucs would commit three turnovers in the second half as McCown lost a fumble on a David Bass sack and threw an interception to Ryan Mundy, and Jackson was stripped by Tim Jennings. Tampa added a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but could not rally as the Bears won. The Bears were the second team in 2014 to win despite recording less than 205 total yards.


Week 13: at Detroit Lions

;NFL on Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day game The Bears played their first NFL on Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day game in ten seasons against the 7–4
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. The two Bears-Lions rivalry, rivals have played 15 games on Thanksgiving, with Chicago holding the lead 8–7, but the Bears have been 1–4 in their last five Thanksgiving Day games, the most recent win coming in 1993 Chicago Bears season, 1993 against the Lions. The previous Thanksgiving game for the Bears was a 21–7 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. The Lions entered the game with one of the best run defenses in the league that allowed fewer than 71 yards per game and a league-best 3.2 per carry; Detroit's defense also led the league in negative-yardage rushing plays with 16.7 percent. Jeff Joniak wrote "running on the edges of the Lions defense with the tackle sweeps and toss plays to Matt Forte could prove to be effective" in defeating them. Offensively, Joniak noted the Lions were similar to the Bears in featuring elements of the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
in their offensive thanks to coordinator Joe Lombardi's ties to the team. Although the Lions had failed to score a touchdown in eight consecutive quarters entering thirteen, running back Reggie Bush made his return to the team from injury. Overall, Joniak concluded the Bears had to capitalize on the Lions' two-game losing streak to win. Terrance Mitchell, Darryl Sharpton, Lance Briggs, Eben Britton, Trevor Scott, Chris Williams, and Jeremiah Ratliff sat out the game. Chicago, who had struggled in the first quarter as they were outscored 41–0 in the period in their last six games, saw early success as they forced a Detroit punt before scoring on their opening drive with Jay Cutler's ten-yard touchdown to Alshon Jeffery. Matt Prater made a 46-yard field goal, but a
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...
forced fumble on Matthew Stafford led to Cutler throwing a six-yard score to Jeffery to put the Bears up 14–3. However, the Lions responded with 21 consecutive points in the second quarter with two Stafford touchdown throws to Calvin Johnson and a Joique Bell run, completing series of 78, 86, and 64 yards. Chicago attempted to respond with a 63-yard drive that ended with Robbie Gould's 35-yard kick, but the Lions engineered a 95-yard possession with Bell's one-yard score in the fourth quarter. Trailing 31–17, the Bears switched to a vertical passing attack, only for Cutler's pass to Brandon Marshall to be tipped by Darius Slay and intercepted by Glover Quin, which set up a 40-yard kick by Prater. Getting the ball with 1:55 remaining in the game, the Bears reached the Lions' 14-yard line before Cutler was picked off by James Ihedigbo on the final play.


Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys

On Thursday night, the Bears and 2014 Dallas Cowboys season, Dallas Cowboys met for the 25th time in week fourteen. The Bears had won the last three meetings between the two, including a 45–28 victory in 2013. In his pre-game preview, Jeff Joniak described the upcoming game as "tug of war with the clock" as both teams sought to control time of possession: in 2014, the Bears were ranked tenth in time of possession, while the Cowboys were ahead in fifth, and in their 2013 game, the Bears held the ball for 36 minutes. The Cowboys defense also struggled on first down, being ranked 29th in the NFL with 4.9 yards per carry allowed on such downs. Conversely, Dallas' offense featured one of the top offensive lines as DeMarco Murray led the league in carries and rushing yards, while quarterback Tony Romo had just eight interceptions and a passer rating of 125 against blitzes. However, the Cowboys had lost 12 of 18 fumbles, a weakness that Joniak emphasized. Robbie Gould, who suffered a quad injury, was among the seven Bears inactive for the games as he joined Terrance Mitchell, Khaseem Greene, Darryl Sharpton, Eben Britton, Jeremiah Ratliff, and Cornelius Washington. To take Gould's place, the Bears signed Jay Feely, who made 30 of 36 kicks in 2013 with the 2013 Arizona Cardinals season, Arizona Cardinals. Four consecutive punts and a scoreless first quarter began the game before both teams traded touchdowns: after Murray scored a one-yard touchdown run, Jay Cutler threw a 12-yard score to Martellus Bennett, which Dallas answered on Romo's 13-yard pass to Cole Beasley. In the third quarter, the Cowboys scored three touchdowns to complete a 13-minute stretch between the second and third periods in which they scored 28 unanswered points: after Matt Forte lost a fumble to Sterling Moore, Romo threw a 24-yard touchdown to Beasley, followed by a six-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Escobar and Joseph Randle's 17-yard touchdown run. The Bears opened the fourth quarter with Cutler's 27-yard touchdown to Alshon Jeffery, though Feely's extra point was blocked. Chicago then attempted an onside kick that Beasley recovered, with Anthony Walters suffering an offside penalty. The Cowboys would drive to the Bears' 17 where Dan Bailey (American football), Dan Bailey converted a 35-yard field goal. Forte later ran for a one-yard touchdown and scored on the two-point conversion; the Bears' Dante Rosario recovered the ensuing onside for the team's first successful onside kick since 2003 Chicago Bears season, 2003. Assisted by a roughing the passer penalty on Tyrone Crawford, the Chicago offense reached the Dallas ten, where Cutler ran for the score. A third onside kick attempt failed as DeDe Lattimore was penalized for being offsides and Dez Bryant recovered; Bailey later made a 27-yard kick. Down 41–28, the Bears attempted to rally and reached the Cowboys' red zone before Cutler was intercepted by Orlando Scandrick in the end zone. The Cowboys ended the game with scores on seven consecutive drives, with three exceptions being the first two punts and the final possession in which Romo kneeled twice to end the game. With the Lions' win over the Buccaneers three days later, the Bears were officially eliminated from playoff contention.


Week 15: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week fifteen saw a battle of 5–8 teams as the Bears hosted the 2014 New Orleans Saints season, New Orleans Saints; the Bears entered the game with a 15–13 advantage in the all-time series, though they dropped their last meeting in 2013 26–18. With the Saints allowing 271 rushing yards in their previous game against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
and 183 rushing yards per game in the last five weeks, Jeff Joniak stressed a run-heavy offense with Matt Forte who had just 18 combined carries and 31 total yards in his last two games. The Saints defense was also allowing 398 yards per game and eight yards per pass, among the worst in the NFL, while their 359 total points allowed were the second-most in the NFC behind the Bears' 378. For the Bears defense, Joniak focused on containing Mark Ingram II, who had four 100-yard rushing games in 2014, and Drew Brees, who was completing 69.3 percent of his throws and was close to breaking 4,000 passing yards for the ninth straight year. Chris Conte, Robbie Gould, Michael Ola, Trevor Scott, David Fales, Brandon Dunn, and Terrance Mitchell were inactive. After a scoreless first quarter in which Jay Cutler was intercepted by Patrick Robinson (cornerback), Patrick Robinson on the opening drive, Nick Toon lost a fumble to Jared Allen, and Shayne Graham missed a 51-yard field goal, the Saints scored 24 unanswered points across the second and third quarters. The points came via Brees' eight- and nine-yard touchdown throws to Josh Hill (American football), Josh Hill and Marques Colston in the second, followed a second Brees-to-Hill score for seven yards and Graham's 25-yard kick in the third. Against a blitz-heavy Saints defense, Cutler was sacked a season-high seven times as the offense recorded just 278 total yards. He was also intercepted two more times by Pierre Warren in the second and third quarters. During the first quarter, on 4th-and-3 from their own 39 and with only ten players on the field, the Bears attempted to fake the punt by directly snapping to Danny McCray; McCray would gain only two yards on the play. The Bears were then penalized for not having seven players on the line of scrimmage, missing a lineman. Chicago would not score points until the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown pass to Marquess Wilson. After the two-minute warning, Ingram recorded a 15-yard touchdown run, which the Bears answered with a seven-yard throw from Cutler to Alshon Jeffery to complete a 71-yard drive. The Saints' Benjamin Watson recovered the onside to end the game. With the loss, the Bears fell to 5–9, their first losing season since 2009.


Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions

With the Bears struggling, Jay Cutler was benched for backup
Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
against the Lions in week sixteen; at the time of his benching, Cutler led the league in turnovers with 24. It was Clausen's first start since his rookie year with the 2010 Carolina Panthers season, 2010 Carolina Panthers, during which he went 1–9 as a starter; in 2014, he appeared in three games with the Bears, during which he completed three of nine passes for 42 yards. At the time of his benching, Cutler led the league in turnovers with 24. Robbie Gould, David Fales, Terrance Mitchell, Chris Conte, Kyle Long, Trevor Scott, and Will Sutton were unavailable as all but Mitchell and Scott were dealing with injuries. After two punts, the Lions scored first on Reggie Bush's 13-yard touchdown run. Although the Bears drove to Detroit's one-yard line, they were unable to score as Clausen's fourth-down pass to Eben Britton, who had reported in as an eligible receiver, fell incomplete. Chicago would get the ball back on the following series after Matthew Stafford's pass was intercepted by Brock Vereen, but they could not capitalize on the takeaway and punted. Stafford would be intercepted again, this time by Ryan Mundy, at the Bears' one-yard line, though the Chicago offense yet again failed to score. On the ensuing punt, returner Jeremy Ross muffed the punt at the Lions' 11 and Sherrick McManis recovered. On the next play, Clausen threw an 11-yard touchdown to Forte. After Matt Prater made a 39-yard field goal on the first drive of the second half, Clausen answered with a 20-yard score to Alshon Jeffery to give the Bears the 14–10; the score was aided by a roughing the punter while the Bears were punting on fourth-and-23. In the fourth quarter, Prater's 37-yard attempt was blocked by Jeremiah Ratliff, but the Lions would score ten unanswered points in the period via Joique Bell's 17-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard kick by Prater. The go-ahead touchdown by Bell was created with help from a defensive pass interference on Tim Jennings while covering Corey Fuller (wide receiver), Corey Fuller, resulting in a 46-yard gain for the Lions. Down by six points with 2:35 remaining, the Bears reached their 45 before Clausen's fourth-down throw was intercepted by Glover Quin. Clausen ended his day with 23 of 39 passes completed for 181 yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and a passer rating of 77.0. Prior to the fourth quarter in which he completed just four of ten throws for 25 yards and the pick, he was 19 of 29 for 156 yards and two touchdowns for a 102.1 passer rating. He suffered a concussion in the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Ziggy Ansah, forcing him to miss the season finale in Minnesota.


Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings

With Jimmy Clausen out, Jay Cutler started the 2014 season finale against the Vikings. In his pre-game keys, Jeff Joniak discussed protecting Cutler from Mike Zimmer's blitzes; although Cutler recorded 330 passing yards in their first meeting, he was hit five times, while the Vikings were ranked in the top ten in sacks and forcing offensive linemen to commit holding penalties. On defense, he emphasized the ability to "compete with fire" to stop Teddy Bridgewater, who had four straight games with at least 70 percent of his passes completed, and Matt Asiata, who was second in the league with nine rushing touchdowns. Joniak concluded his article by noting the overall message should be maintaining effort as the Bears completed "one of the most frustrating and perplexing seasons in recent franchise history with unfulfilled expectations devolving into uncertainty for 2015." Clausen, Robbie Gould, Al Louis-Jean, Chris Conte, Charles Leno Jr., Austen Lane, and Brandon Dunn did not dress for the game. In a low-scoring affair, the Vikings scored the only points of the first quarter with Blair Walsh's 37-yard field goal; Bridgewater had thrown a 35-yard touchdown to Greg Jennings early in the drive, but the pass was ruled incomplete. Jay Feely made a 48-yard kick on the Bears' final drive of the first half. Every other series in the half ended with a punt. The second half began with Bridgewater being intercepted by Kyle Fuller, who returned the pick to Minnesota's nine-yard line. However, the offense could not score the touchdown and had to settle for Feely's 25-yard field goal. The Vikings answered with a 44-yard touchdown pass by Bridgewater to Adam Thielen. Following a 44-yard field goal by Walsh in the fourth quarter, Marc Mariani returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to the Vikings' 35, but the offense once again could not capitalize, leading to a 35-yard kick by Feely. Minnesota would reach Chicago's three on the next series, but were stopped on fourth down; the Bears also suffered the same fate when Cutler's fourth-and-nine pass to Martellus Bennett fell short by a yard. The offense struggled mightily as the Bears failed to score a touchdown for the first time under Marc Trestman. Although Cutler completed 23 of 36 passes in the game for a career-best 66 percent, he had just 172 passing yards and just one pass that exceeded 20 yards. With the loss, the Bears ended the season with their fifth consecutive loss, the first such losing streak since 1989 Chicago Bears season, 1989, and their first last-place finish in the division since 2007 Chicago Bears season, 2007.


Standings


Division


Conference


End of season

The Bears ended 2014 with a 5–11 record, their first losing season since
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
and the first with more than ten losses since
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. After the week fourteen loss to Dallas, Jay Cutler described the year as the "No. 1" disappointment of his career; he noted that "expectations coming into this [season] were extremely high and since the first game we haven't done a good enough job week-in and week-out. So it adds up." Offensively, the team recorded the highest completion percentage in team history with 65 percent, and ranked second among all Bears teams in completions (396), passing attempts (609) and passing touchdowns. Cutler broke the team record for the most completions with 370, along with career highs in completion percentage (66 percent) and passing touchdowns (28). Despite these milestones, he tied the 2014 San Diego Chargers season, San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers for the most interceptions in the league with 18, while his 24 total turnovers also led the NFL. The offense also regressed from being the second-ranked scoring unit in the NFL in 2013 with 445 points to just 319 in 2014, while the team failed to score at least 30 points in a game for the first time since
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. The Bears also featured the heaviest passing attack in 2014 as they threw on 63.1 percent of their plays. On defense, the Bears' adjusted line yards defense, which "measures a defense's control of the line of scrimmage", ranked 30th in the league, a two-spot improvement from 2013. In runs toward the offensive linemen, the team ranked 29th or worse in runs marked left tackle, middle/guard and right tackle. The 30th-ranked defense allowed 381.5 yards per game and a league-most 28.6 points per game. The struggles were compounded by tensions in the locker room and the staff's difficulties in managing the situation; after losing to Miami, reports surfaced of the team arguing with one another. In December, offensive coordinator
Aaron Kromer Aaron Kromer (born April 30, 1967) is an American football coach who is the offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Kromer served as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints for the first six ga ...
anonymously criticized Cutler before apologizing; Trestman's actions surrounding the matter drew concern from players, with reports claiming Kromer received "basically a slap on the wrist" as discipline for his comments. The roster was also reportedly "confused and uncomfortable" when Cutler was benched for the week sixteen game against the Lions. In his 2014 season report card, ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright wrote "Trestman undoubtedly fractured the relationship with the quarterback, but the move called into question general manager
Phil Emery Philip Allen Emery (born 25 June 1964) is a former Australian cricketer. A wicket-keeper and valuable left-handed batsman, he represented Australia internationally and New South Wales domestically. Born in St Ives, Sydney, Emery was educ ...
's skills as a personnel evaluator." After Trestman's firing, an anonymous player revealed in a 2015 interview with Bleacher Report writer Mike Freeman (columnist), Mike Freeman that Jeremiah Ratliff was named a team captain days after Ratliff pushed an assistant coach and damaged a practice clock; although Trestman defended the decision, the player explained it created discord among his teammates. Trestman and Emery were fired on December 29. Coordinators Kromer and
Mel Tucker Melvin Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he has held since 2020. Previously, Tucker served as the head football coac ...
were not retained by new head coach John Fox (American football), John Fox.


Awards and records


Awards

On December 23, Kyle Long was named to the 2014 Pro Bowl, the only Bear invited. This was his second consecutive
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
invitation, making him the first Bear since
Devin Hester Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest return specialist i ...
to make the all-star game in his first two seasons, and the tenth in Bears history. On January 2, 2015, Long was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team, again the lone Bear; he had received five votes, and was named to the second team. In 2014, he didn't allow a single sack. On January 13, 2015, Pat O'Donnell and Kyle Fuller were named to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie Team. On April 7, Matt Slauson was awarded the NFL's Ed Block Courage Award.


Monthly awards

* On October 2, Kyle Fuller was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.


Weekly awards

* In week two against San Francisco, Kyle Fuller was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week on September 17.


Records


Game

* In week ten against the Packers, the Bears set a franchise record for the most points allowed in a half with 42 and the most touchdown passes allowed in a half with six.


Individual


=Season

= * In week fourteen against the Cowboys, Martellus Bennett set a franchise record for the most receptions by a tight end with 77. * In week seventeen against the Vikings, Matt Forte set the NFL record for the most receptions by a running back with 102.


Staff


Final roster


References


External links

*
Chicago Bears Report at ESPN Chicago

Chicago Bears Team Page on NFL.com


{{2014 NFL season by team 2014 National Football League season by team, Chicago Chicago Bears seasons 2014 in sports in Illinois, Bear 2010s in Chicago 2014 in Illinois