2013 Chicago Bears
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The 2013 season was the
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
' 94th in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) and their first under
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American professional 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 of the T ...
after
Lovie Smith Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach. He has served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL) and the Illinois Fighting Illini. Smith has be ...
was fired on December 31, 2012. The
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
played at
Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, 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 from the National ...
for the 11th season since its reconstruction in
2001 The year's most prominent event was 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. The United States led a Participan ...
. For the sixth time in seven years since the
Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2006 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2006 Chicago Bears season, Chicag ...
loss in the
2006 NFL Season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006. The season began with the reigning Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeati ...
, they failed to qualify for the playoffs with an 8–8 record. For the first time since 1999, linebacker
Brian Urlacher Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, earning co ...
was not on the opening day roster. The Bears won their first three games in the regular season against the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
,
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
, and
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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, before losing in weeks four and five to 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
and
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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
. After defeating 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, the Bears faced a challenge when quarterback
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...
suffered a groin injury in a loss to 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
. The Bears entered the
bye week In sport, a bye is the preferential status of a player or team that is automatically advanced to the next round of a tournament without having to play an opponent in an early round. In knockout (elimination) tournaments, byes may be assigned ei ...
at 4–3. With Cutler out,
Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...
stepped in 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in week nine and led the Bears to victory. Cutler returned for the next game 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, although he was unable to play due to an ankle injury leading McCown to fill in for the next four games. During the four-game span under Josh McCown, the Bears went 2–2 while
Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...
excelled, throwing thirteen
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
s and one
interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
.
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...
returned to full health and the starting lineup in Week 15 against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
despite McCown's play. The Lions lost the day after the Bears defeated the Browns, allowing the Bears the opportunity to clinch the
NFC North The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and toug ...
in Week 16, needing a victory over 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and both the
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They are the third ...
and Lions to lose. Both division rivals lost, but the Bears also lost 54–11 against the Eagles. Chicago still had an opportunity to win the division in Week 17, but they were eliminated from playoff contention with a 33–28 loss to the Packers.


Offseason


Organizational changes

On December 31, 2012, nine-year head coach
Lovie Smith Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach. He has served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL) and the Illinois Fighting Illini. Smith has be ...
was fired. After Smith's firing, the Bears requested interviews with thirteen coaches, twelve from the NFL plus
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
, of the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
, head coach
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American professional 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 of the T ...
. The hunt later narrowed down to Trestman,
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
offensive coordinator
Darrell Bevell Darrell Wayne Bevell (born January 6, 1970) is an American football coach who is the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as offensive coordinator for ...
, and
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
offensive coordinator
Bruce Arians Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the h ...
. Ultimately, Trestman was hired on January 15, 2013. Trestman then hired
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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
offensive line coach
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 gam ...
as offensive coordinator. 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
later reported that Joe DeCamillis, who had been among the Bears' 13 head coaching candidates, would join the Bears as the team's assistant head coach/special teams coordinator. Trestman also hired Andy Bischoff and Michael Sinclair as tight ends and defensive line coaches, respectively. Both coaches worked with Trestman in Montreal. Alouettes offensive coordinator Pat Meyer also joined the Bears as offensive line coach, along with Purdue defensive coordinator and colleague of Trestman, Tim Tibesar, as linebackers coach. Former Alouettes coaches Brendan Nugent and Carson Walch were hired as offensive quality control assistants. On January 15, special teams coordinator
Dave Toub David Toub (born June 1, 1962) is an American professional football coach who is the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Playing career College Toub played offens ...
announced that he was leaving the Bears for the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. Two days later, it was announced defensive coordinator
Rod Marinelli Rodney Henry Marinelli (born July 13, 1949) is a former American football coach. For 48 consecutive years, he had been a defensive coach for several college and professional teams, serving primarily as a defensive line coach when not assigned as ...
would not return to the team either. Eight assistants were also dismissed: quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, running backs coach Tim Spencer, wide receivers coach Darryl Drake, tight ends coach
Mike DeBord Mike DeBord (February 7, 1956 – April 15, 2025) was an American college football coach who was a longtime assistant for the Michigan Wolverines and a head coach for the Central Michigan Chippewas. He was the offensive coordinator for the Wol ...
, offensive line coach
Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning more ...
, linebackers coach Bob Babich, defensive backs coach Gill Byrd, and offensive coordinator
Mike Tice Michael Peter Tice (born February 2, 1959) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL as a tight end. Tice played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and play ...
. To replace Bates and Spencer, Chicago hired
Matt Cavanaugh Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh (born October 27, 1956) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback, winning two Super Bowl titles. He played college football for the ...
and
Skip Peete Skip Peete (born January 30, 1963) is an American football coach who is the running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to the Buccaneers, he coached running backs for the Los Angeles Rams, Chica ...
as quarterbacks and running backs coach, respectively. To take Marinelli's place, the Bears hired
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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
' defensive coordinator
Mel Tucker Melvin Gene Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Michigan State University from 2020 to 2023. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the Na ...
. On February 21, Trestman's staff was completed after the Bears hired
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...
coach Mike Groh as wide receivers coach. On January 19, Bears director of physical development Rusty Jones announced his retirement after 28 years in the NFL. He was eventually replaced by Mike Clark. On January 28, Chicago hired former Bears safety Chris Harris as defensive quality control, with
Sean Desai Sean Desai (born April 21, 1983) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He is the first NFL coordinator of Indian descent. He previously served as the ...
serving the same position, along with Dwayne Stukes as assistant special teams coordinator. On May 3, Bears pro scouting director Chris Ballard, who had been hired by 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 national cricket team, Australia internationally and New South Wales cricket team, New South Wa ...
, left the team for the Chiefs and was replaced by assistant director of college scouting Kevin Turks. Regional scout James Kirkland was also let go. On May 6, executive director and
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...
overseer, Ted Monago, joined the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
. On the same day, Kevin Turks and
Dwayne Joseph Dwayne Joseph (born June 2, 1972) is an American football executive and former player who is the director of scouting for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Playing career College Joseph was a letterman in his college car ...
were promoted to director of pro personnel and assistant director of pro personnel, respectively.


Roster changes

The Bears entered free agency with 16 unrestricted free agents that season.


Acquisitions

The Bears acquired free agents
Cheta Ozougwu Chetachi Ozougwu (born January 4, 1988) is an American former professional American football, football linebacker. He played college football at Rice Owls football, Rice and was selected with Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick of the seventh round ...
, Brittan Golden, Matt Blanchard,
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 LS ...
, Patrick Trahan, Brody Eldridge, Fendi Onobun, Lawrence Wilson, Cyhl Quarles, Tom Nelson, and LeQuan Lewis in the pre-free agency signing period. NFL free agency opened on March 12, with the Bears signing
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
tight end
Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a tight end for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies f ...
and
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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
offensive lineman
Jermon Bushrod Jermon Terrell Bushrod (born August 19, 1984) is a former American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Towson TigersTaft Coghill, Jr.,"Saints' Bushrod set to mar ...
. From March 20 to 24, the Bears signed at least one player per day, starting with Turk McBride. Steve Maneri, D. J. Williams, Tom Zbikowski, James Anderson,
Matt Slauson Matthew Benjamin Slauson (born February 18, 1986) is an American former professional football guard. He was selected 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 Ch ...
, Andre Fluellen,
Kyle Moore Kyle Moore (born October 25, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California. He was als ...
, Taylor Boggs, Eben Britton, and Austin Signor followed. The only signing in May was undrafted rookie Maurice Jones on May 12. On June 10, the Bears signed Devin Aromashodu, Jerrell Jackson and Tony Fiammetta, followed by Sedrick Ellis the next day.


Departures

The first departure of the team was receiver Johnny Knox on February 12, who had suffered a serious injury in 2011 and missed the entire 2012 season. On March 13, tight ends Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth were waived. There was only one departure in April, occurring on April 2, with the release of defensive lineman Matt Toeaina. On June 9, offensive lineman and the team's first-round draft pick in 2011,
Gabe Carimi Gabriel Andrew Carimi ( ; born June 13, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). Carimi had 49 starts at left tackle in his four-year Wisconsin Badgers college career, whic ...
, were traded to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
for a sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft. The following day,
Evan Rodriguez Evan Junior Rodriguez (born September 21, 1988) is an American former professional football tight end. He played college football for Temple. Rodriguez grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey and played football at North Bergen High School. Prof ...
,
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 rost ...
and Demetrius Fields were waived. Eleven of the Bears' UFAs did not return, nine of whom joined other teams, starting with linebacker Geno Hayes' signing with 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
on March 13. The Bears lost another linebacker in Nick Roach on March 15, when he joined the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, and another defensive player was lost when cornerback D. J. Moore was signed by 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
four days later. On March 20, eight-time
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
er and 13-year linebacker
Brian Urlacher Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, earning co ...
was not retained for the 2013 season. Six days later,
Jason Campbell Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Washington Reds ...
was signed by the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, and the next day, Lance Louis joined the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
.


2013 draft class

The Bears entered the draft with needs at positions including offensive lineman, linebacker, defensive lineman, and cornerback. In the first round, with the twentieth pick, the Bears selected
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
Kyle Long. In the second round, with the fiftieth pick, the Bears selected
Jon Bostic Jonathan Earl Bostic II (born May 5, 1991) is an American former professional American football, football linebacker. He played college football at Florida Gators football, Florida and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of th ...
, a
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
from
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. Two rounds later, the Bears used their 117th overall pick on
Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...
linebacker
Khaseem Greene Khaseem Greene (born February 4, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Chicago Bea ...
and in the fifth round, the Bears traded down ten spots with 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
to draft
Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – Hig ...
offensive tackle Jordan Mills. In the sixth round, Chicago selected
Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...
defensive end Cornelius Washington. Using a seventh-rounder acquired in the trade with Atlanta, the Bears drafted
Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
wide receiver Marquess Wilson. The Bears draft class received average grades, with questions from some graders questioning the selections of Long and Bostic, including Jason Cole of
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...
, who gave the class a grade of "C+".
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. stated he "wasn't in love with the value" of Long's talent, classifying the draft class as a "C+", while ''
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 a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' writer Chris Burke asked why Chicago selected Bostic over
Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...
linebacker
Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ...
. However, Burke praised Washington's selection as a potential steal, giving a grade of "B−". Thad Novak of the ''
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
'' gave Long the lowest grade of the players drafted by Chicago with a "C−", considering him a "raw" player; Mills was awarded a "C+", due to not blocking against many top defenders in college. Washington and Wilson were given a "B−" and "B+", respectively. Novak noted the former, despite being a linebacker, could adjust into the Bears' 4-3 defense. Linebackers Bostic and Greene were given an "A" and "A+", the latter being considered a steal who could add depth to the linebacking corps. Vinny Iyer of ''
Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' gave the class a "C", stating Long should start as a guard before switching to tackle, which would be filled by Mills; Iyer also considered Bostic a "textbook replacement" for Brian Urlacher, while stating that Greene could replace Nick Roach as a strong-side linebacker. After the 2013 season, Kiper improved the Bears' class to a "B". All six drafted players agreed to four-year contracts. Mills and Washington were the first players to sign on May 1, followed by Greene and Wilson the following day. Bostic was the next player to sign, agreeing to a contract on May 9, and Long was the final player to sign, signing his contract on May 17. Notes * The team traded its third-round selection along with a
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
third-round selection to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
in exchange for
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
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 selected by ...
. * The team traded its seventh-round selection to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
in exchange for
defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
Brian Price.


Undrafted free agents

After the draft's conclusion, the Bears announced they had contracted ten undrafted free agents:
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
running back Michael Ford and center P. J. Lonergan,
Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...
receiver Mark Harrison,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
cornerback Demontre Hurst and punter Tress Way,
Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...
receiver Josh Lenz, Montana State linebacker Zach Minter,
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...
receiver Marcus Rucker, Georgia Southern defensive tackle Brent Russell, and
NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...
cornerback C. J. Wilson.


Preseason


Transactions


Schedule

The Bears' pre-season opponents and schedule were announced on April 4. Chicago opened the preseason on the road 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
, followed by an
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
-televised game against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
. The Bears then visited the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, for whom head coach
Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American professional 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 of the T ...
, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach
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 gam ...
, and running backs coach
Skip Peete Skip Peete (born January 30, 1963) is an American football coach who is the running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to the Buccaneers, he coached running backs for the Los Angeles Rams, Chica ...
worked during their run to
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...
, before ending the preseason against frequent preseason opponent
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, the tenth consecutive meeting between the two teams.


Game summaries

Against the Panthers, the Bears' defense forced three turnovers in the first half, which included a 51-yard interception return for touchdown by
Jon Bostic Jonathan Earl Bostic II (born May 5, 1991) is an American former professional American football, football linebacker. He played college football at Florida Gators football, Florida and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of th ...
, followed by Zack Bowman intercepting Derek Anderson and
Sherrick McManis Sherrick Terravis McManis (born December 19, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a cornerback and special teamer for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for ...
forcing
Kenjon Barner Kenjon Fa'terrel Barner (born April 28, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Ducks, earning consensus College Football All-America Team ...
to fumble; the Bears recorded a total of four takeaways in the game. However, the offense allowed seven sacks and had three turnovers, one of which was a fumble by
Armando Allen Armando Allen, Jr. (born April 30, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back for two seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for th ...
. Panthers cornerback
Josh Norman Joshua Ricardo Norman (born December 15, 1987) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. ...
had two interceptions, one of which set up the first score of the game via
Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...
's three-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell early in the game. Bostic's pick-six tied up the game, followed by
Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III ( ; born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He p ...
's 35-yard field goal in the second quarter. With 18 seconds left in the first half, Carolina scored again on
Kenjon Barner Kenjon Fa'terrel Barner (born April 28, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Ducks, earning consensus College Football All-America Team ...
's 5-yard touchdown run; the Panthers scored the lone points of the third quarter after Norman intercepted Matt Blanchard, scoring on the 60-yard return. Though the Bears retaliated after Blanchard threw a 58-yard pass to Marquess Wilson to Carolina's 4-yard line, followed by Michael Ford's touchdown run,
Graham Gano Graham Clark Gano (; born April 9, 1987) is a Scottish–American professional football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was signed by the B ...
's 50-yard field goal was the final score of the game, as the Panthers triumphed 24–17. Playing San Diego, Chicago opened with touchdowns by
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 selected by ...
and Matt Forte and led 20–0 late in the second quarter. The defense forced four turnovers in the first half off Chris Conte's interception, Major Wright's fumble recovery,
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 was also a member of the Buffalo Bills, Clev ...
recovering a muffed punt, and Corvey Irvin's recovery of a blocked punt. The Chargers began to rally, scoring on
Fozzy Whittaker Foswhitt Jer'ald "Fozzy" Whittaker (born February 2, 1989) is an American former professional football player and current college football color analyst. Whittaker was a running back and kick returner for six seasons in the National Football L ...
's rushing touchdown in the second quarter, followed by two more touchdowns in the third quarter, which Chicago countered with Michael Ford's 100-yard kickoff return to San Diego's 4-yard line. Afterwards,
Michael Bush Michael Warren Bush Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He p ...
ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and while San Diego managed to score two more touchdowns, but the Bears held on to win 33–28. Against Oakland, the Bears scored 23 unanswered points in the first half, along with outgaining the Raiders 222 yards to 34 with a little over 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Bears scored first off Forte's 32-yard touchdown, followed by Bush scoring two rushing touchdowns of ten and one yard each, and the first half ended with a 27–3 lead for Chicago. Meanwhile, the defense forced four turnovers off Tim Jennings and Isaiah Frey intercepting
Matt Flynn Matt or Matthew Flynn may refer to: * Matt Flynn (American football) (born 1985), American football player * Matt Flynn (Australian footballer) (born 1997), Australian rules footballer * Matt Flynn (politician) (born 1947), American politician * ...
and C. J. Wilson and Jerry Franklin intercepting Matt McGloin. As for Oakland, Terrelle Pryor replaced Flynn in the second half, and led the Raiders to two touchdowns and a field goal to narrow the gap to 27–20. The Bears retaliated with Michael Ford scoring a 15-yard touchdown, and the Raiders responded with McGloin's 5-yard touchdown pass to Jaime Olawale, but failed the two-point conversion, and the Bears sealed the game with Franklin's interception to win 34–26. In Cleveland, the Bears started strong after Demontre Hurst intercepted
Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league hi ...
's pass, which led to
Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III ( ; born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He p ...
's field goal, followed by Jordan Palmer's touchdown pass to Joseph Anderson, which Cleveland retaliated with
James-Michael Johnson James-Michael Johnson (born August 20, 1989) is an American former professional football linebacker. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He played college football at Nevada. Professional career ...
intercepting Trent Edwards and scoring. Late in the game, the Bears led 16–9, and
Sherrick McManis Sherrick Terravis McManis (born December 19, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a cornerback and special teamer for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for ...
intercepted Hoyer, who made up for the pick by throwing a touchdown pass to Dan Gronkowski. Later, Armonty Bryant forced Harvey Unga to fumble, which was recovered by Cleveland's L. J. Foyt, which led to Spencer Lanning kicking the go-ahead field goal to put the Browns up 18–16. With a little over a minute left in the game, Gould missed a 57-yard kick wide left, giving Cleveland the win.


Regular season


Transactions


Schedule

The Bears' schedule was released on April 18, 2013. Aside from the six games against their NFC North rivals, the Bears had the
AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was created after the NFL realign ...
and
NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It has four members: the Dallas Cowboys, New Yo ...
on the schedule, along with two intraconference games against opponents with the same division placing as the Bears in the previous season. As a result, the Bears were assigned the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
and
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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
. NFL.com ranked the Bears' schedule as the sixteenth-strongest in the league, with all opponents having a combined record of 128–127–1, and a winning percentage total of .502.


Game summaries


Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bears kicked off the regular season at home against the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
. The two teams entered with defenses that ranked in the top six in 2012. However, the Bears were ranked 16th in scoring at 23.4 points per game and 28th overall on offense, while the Bengals had an average score of 24.4 PPG and were 22nd in total offense. The Bears' offensive line allowed 44 sacks in 2012, and as a result, changed the line by adding veterans
Jermon Bushrod Jermon Terrell Bushrod (born August 19, 1984) is a former American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Towson TigersTaft Coghill, Jr.,"Saints' Bushrod set to mar ...
and
Matt Slauson Matthew Benjamin Slauson (born February 18, 1986) is an American former professional football guard. He was selected 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 Ch ...
to supplement
Roberto Garza Roberto Garza (born March 26, 1979) is an American former professional football center. He was selected 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 ...
on the left, while rookies Kyle Long and Jordan Mills joined Garza on the right side, marking the first time the Bears offensive line featured two rookies since
Jim Covert James Paul "Jimbo" Covert (born March 22, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the ...
and Rob Fada in
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
. The Bears team captains for the season, starting with the Bengals game, were Cutler and
Roberto Garza Roberto Garza (born March 26, 1979) is an American former professional football center. He was selected 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 ...
on offense,
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
Julius Peppers Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he ...
on defense and
Patrick Mannelly Patrick Mannelly (born April 18, 1975) is an American former professional football long snapper who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils and was selected by Chica ...
on special teams. 2013 was Mannelly's sixth consecutive season as captain, the fifth season for Cutler, third for Garza, fourth for Peppers and first for Briggs. Chicago struck first with Charles Tillman intercepting Dalton, which was followed by Cutler's eight-yard touchdown pass to
Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a tight end for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies f ...
, which the Bengals responded to with a two-yard touchdown pass to Green. On the Bengals' first drive of the second quarter, Green was stripped by Tim Jennings, but the fumble went out of bounds. However, Dalton would be intercepted again by Tillman, his career-high second pick of the game, but the Bears failed to capitalize, and the Bengals scored again on Dalton's 45-yard touchdown pass to Greene. The Bears'
Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III ( ; born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He p ...
connected on a team record 58-yard field goal to close out the first half. In the second half, the Bengals scored again, after Tillman was penalized for pass interference, via BenJarvus Green-Ellis' 5-yard touchdown run, which the Bears retaliated with
Matt Forté 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 ...
's one-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Cutler was intercepted by Vontaze Burfict, but the Bears got the ball back after Jennings forced Mohamed Sanu to fumble. On the next drive, the Bears converted a fourth down and Cutler threw the go ahead and eventual game-winning 19-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 selected by ...
with 8:06 remaining. The Bengals failed to score on the next drive with 6:38 left, and the Bears clinched the game after Rey Maualuga was called for a personal foul after
Michael Bush Michael Warren Bush Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He p ...
was stopped on third down. The Bears were able to run out the clock due to Cincinnati misusing its time-outs. With the win, Trestman became the fourth head coach in franchise history to win his head coaching debut, after
George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (February 2, 1895 – October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear", was an American professional football end, coach, and executive. He was the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), ...
,
Neill Armstrong Neill Ford Armstrong (March 9, 1926 – August 10, 2016) was an American football player and coach whose career spanned more than four decades at both the college and professional levels. Notably, Armstrong served as the head coach of the ...
and
Dick Jauron Richard Manual Jauron (; October 7, 1950February 8, 2025) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety, five with the Detroit Lions and three with t ...
. The Bears comeback in the second half marked the first time since
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
the Bears came back from an 11-point deficit to win with two touchdown drives of 80 yards or more. The offense allowed zero sacks, the first time the Bears did not allow a sack in a season opener since
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
.


Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings

In week two, the Bears played
rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, in the second home game of the season. The Bears fell behind early after
Cordarrelle Patterson Cordarrelle Patterson ( ; born March 17, 1991), nicknamed "Flash", is an American professional American football, football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). As a versatile utility player, he is also ...
's 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Devin Hester attempted to respond on the ensuing kickoff, but was pushed out of bounds at the Vikings' 32-yard line. The Bears fought back with a one-yard touchdown pass by Jay Cutler to Martellus Bennett. Chicago added to it with Cutler's touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. In the second quarter, Jared Allen stripped the ball from Cutler, and Brian Robison returned the fumble 61 yards for a touchdown with 7:34 to go in the half. Afterwards, Hester returned the kickoff 80 yards to Minnesota's 23-yard line. The Bears offense later reached Minnesota's one-yard line, but Cutler had his pass intercepted by Kevin Williams in the end zone for a touchback. The Vikings failed to capitalize on the turnover after Tim Jennings intercepted
Christian Ponder Christian Andrew Ponder (born February 25, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, and was selected by the ...
and scored on a 44-yard interception return. Minnesota retaliated with Ponder's 20-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph with 1:11 remaining, and the half ended with the Bears settling for a field goal. In the second half, the Vikings scored two field goals from
Blair Walsh Blair Richard Walsh (born January 8, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. Walsh played college football for t ...
to take the 30–24 lead. However, the Bears scored on Cutler's 16-yard touchdown pass to Bennett, and ultimately prevailed after recovering an onside kick. The win marked the second time in franchise history that the Bears won their first two games after trailing in the fourth quarter, the first being in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
. During halftime, the team honored the 1963 Bears, two days following the death of running back
Rick Casares Richard Jose Casares (July 4, 1931 – September 13, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for twelve seasons during the 1950s and 1960s. ...
, who was the team's leading rusher until
Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American professional American football, ...
surpassed him. When asked about Casares, defensive end Ed O'Bradovich stated, "Oh my God, I think when you talk to my fellow teammates over here, what was all right, true and good about professional football was embodied in Rick Casares. Nobody loved the game more than him."


Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Bears travelled to
Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium, formerly (and still colloquially) known as Heinz Field, is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Foot ...
to face the winless
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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in their first ''
NBC Sunday Night Football ''NBC Sunday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''SNF'') is an American weekly television broadcast of National Football League (NFL) games on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock in the United States. It began airing on August 6, 2006, w ...
'' matchup of the season. Pittsburgh had lost the previous week to Cincinnati to fall to 0–2 for the first time in 11 years. In the last game between the two in 2009, the Bears triumphed 17–14. Chicago started the game with Robbie Gould's field goal, followed by Matt Forté and Michael Bush's touchdown runs to take a 17–0 lead in the first quarter. Pittsburgh then scored on Shaun Suisham's 27-yard field goal, but the Bears then scored after Major Wright returned Roethlisberger's interception 38 yards for a touchdown for the 24–3 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Steelers began to rally with Roethlisberger throwing two touchdown passes of 33 and 21 yards to
Antonio Brown Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. During his first nine seasons with t ...
, followed by Suisham kicking two more field goals to narrow the margin to 27–23. However, Jay Cutler threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett; the pass was initially ruled incomplete but was reversed. Eventually,
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 ...
stripped Roethlisberger, and
Julius Peppers Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he ...
returned the fumble 42 yards for a touchdown. Although the eventual extra point by Gould was blocked by
Troy Polamalu Troy Aumua Polamalu (; born Troy Benjamin Aumua; April 19, 1981) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). An eight-time ...
, the Bears finished the game with Chris Conte intercepting Roethlisberger with 1:39 left in the game for the fifth takeaway by Chicago on the night and the 40–23 win, dropping the Steelers to 0–3 for the first time since
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
.


Week 4: at Detroit Lions

The second divisional game of the year for the 3–0 Bears, looking for their first 4–0 start in seven seasons, took place at
Ford Field Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL), the Mid-Americ ...
against the 2–1
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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
. The Bears defense, ranked 19th in scoring defense with 24.7 points per game and 25th in yards allowed with 383.0, had to keep up with the Lions' 4th-ranked offense, who recorded 410.7 yards per game 27.3 PPG, sixth in the league. Neither team scored a touchdown in the first quarter, instead both scoring field goals, which extended into the first score of the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Matt Forté scored on a 53-yard run, allowing the Bears to take the 10–6 lead. However, after a
David Akers David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Wa ...
field goal, the Lions would score three unanswered touchdowns, all within 3 minutes, 26 seconds:
Micheal Spurlock Micheal Curtis Spurlock (born January 31, 1983) is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He is the running backs coach for the University of Southern Mississippi, a position he has held since 2024. He was signed by the Arizona Car ...
's 57-yard punt return led to Matthew Stafford's 1-yard run, while Jay Cutler was intercepted by Glover Quin, which set up Stafford's 2-yard pass to
Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr. (born September 29, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Megatron" after the ''Transforme ...
; finally, the Lions scored after Reggie Bush found a hole and hurdled over Bears' safety Major Wright en route to a 37-yard touchdown. The 27 points scored in the quarter was the most by the Lions since September 30, 2007 against the Bears. The Bears ended the half with a field goal, but continued to trail 30–13. After the Bears kicked a field goal in the third quarter, Cutler was intercepted again, this time by
Louis Delmas Louis Delmas (; born April 12, 1987) is a Haitian-born former professional American football safety. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Western Michigan. He was also a mem ...
. However, Chicago regained possession after Stafford's pass to Johnson was kicked and caught by Wright. Three plays later, Cutler was sacked by
Ndamukong Suh Ndamukong Ngwa Suh ( , born January 6, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football ...
, and fumbled; the ball was picked up by
Nick Fairley Nicholas Lachester Fairley (born January 23, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn University, where in 2010 he was recog ...
, who ran four yards for the touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Akers kicked another field goal to put the Lions up 40–16. Afterwards, the Bears began to mount a charge, with Cutler throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to
Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, earning first-team All-Americ ...
with less than four minutes in the game, followed by a two-point conversion on another pass to Jeffery. With 43 seconds remaining, a ten-yard pass to Earl Bennett and a two-point conversion off a throw to Brandon Marshall drew the Bears within eight points, but the eventual onside kick was recovered by Lions receiver Kris Durham, allowing the Lions to clinch the 40–32 victory. Statistically, the Bears offense struggled. Cutler completed 27 of 47 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions and a 65.6 passer rating. Cutler's three interceptions and fumble tied his turnover amount in the first three games. The offense also had trouble on third down; despite being ranked ninth in third down efficiency, the Bears failed to convert until there were 47 seconds left in the game to end the game converting just 1 of 13 third downs.


Week 5: vs. New Orleans Saints

The Bears entered week six against the undefeated
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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
, the team Marc Trestman and 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 gam ...
worked for. The previous meeting between the two teams occurred in 2012, with the Saints winning 30–13. As a result, offensively, the two teams were similar conceptually. After the Bears punted, Garrett Hartley kicked a 47-yard field goal. On the ensuing possession,
Malcolm Jenkins Malcolm Jenkins (born December 20, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-Am ...
forced Jay Cutler to fumble, and Cameron Jordan recovered the loose ball and reached the Bears' 6-yard line. After failing to score a touchdown, Hartley kicked a 19-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Saints scored off Drew Brees' two-yard
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 ...
to Pierre Thomas to increase the lead to 13 points. On Chicago's next drive, the offense traveled 70 yards within eight plays, which ended in Jay Cutler's three-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. The final score of the half was by Thomas, who caught a 25-yard pass from Brees. In the third quarter, after Hartley kicked a 36-yard field goal, the Bears traveled 71 yards to the Saints' 5-yard line. However, a penalty on Kyle Long for being an ineligible downfield player, followed by three consecutive incomplete passes forced Robbie Gould to kick a 27-yard field goal. Early in the following quarter, Chicago reached New Orleans' 25-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after Cutler's pass to Earl Bennett on 4th and 2 was dropped. On the Saints' next drive, a neutral zone infraction penalty by Lance Briggs on 4th and 1 allowed Hartley to kick a 48-yard field goal to extend the Saints' lead to 26–10. However, the Bears attempted to rally, with Cutler throwing three consecutive passes to Jeffery, the final throw going 58 yards to the Saints' 2-yard line, where Brandon Marshall scored. Matt Forté's two-point conversion allowed the Bears to narrow the gap to eight points, but the onside kick was recovered by the Saints. Although the Saints were forced to punt, with 21 seconds remaining, Cutler could only manage to throw a pass to Jeffery which reached the Bears' 41-yard line, as time ran out, giving the Saints the 26–18 win. The win marked the first time the Saints defeated the Bears in an away game since
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, although that game occurred at Memorial Stadium in
Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...
. Jeffery broke the franchise record for most receiving yards in franchise history with 218, which surpassed
Harlon Hill Harlon Junius Hill (May 4, 1932 – March 21, 2013) was an American professional football end who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Hill played for the Chicago Bears, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Detroit Lions. ...
's 214 yards against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the 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 ...
in
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
. Meanwhile, Marshall was targeted only five times during the game (15 percent of targets on the Bears), the lowest since Marshall's arrival in Chicago; the Bears fell to 0–4 in games when Marshall's target percentage was less than 20 percent.


Week 6: vs. New York Giants

In week six, the Bears and the winless
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
met on Thursday night. On the third play from scrimmage, Zack Bowman intercepted Manning's pass intended for
Rueben Randle Rueben Jacob Randle (born May 7, 1991) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), and was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. ...
at New York's 36-yard line and reached the 12-yard line, but Jay Cutler threw an incomplete pass to Brandon Marshall on fourth-and-two, giving the ball back to the Giants. On the eventual drive for the Giants, Tim Jennings intercepted Manning and scored the first touchdown of the night on a 48-yard interception return. The Giants eventually scored on
Brandon Jacobs Brandon Christopher Jacobs (born July 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New York Giants. He played college football for the Auburn Tig ...
' 4-yard run after an 80-yard drive. On the Bears' next possession, Marshall scored on a 10-yard touchdown catch, which New York answered with Randle's 37-yard touchdown reception. Afterwards, Marshall caught a 3-yard pass to increase the score to 21–14, which was extended by Robbie Gould's 40-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the half. On the first possession of the second half, Gould scored on a 52-yarder, his twelfth-consecutive 50+-yard field goal, tying Viking
Blair Walsh Blair Richard Walsh (born January 8, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. Walsh played college football for t ...
's record. New York later engineered a 91-yard drive, which ended in Jacobs scoring on a 1-yard run. Jacobs ended the night with 106 rushing yards, his first 100-yard rushing game since week fourteen of
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
. After getting the ball back, the Giants reached the Bears' 35-yard line, but with 1:35 to go, Manning's pass to
Brandon Myers Brandon Myers (born September 4, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the ...
was overthrown, and was tipped off his fingers towards Jennings for Manning's third interception of the night. The Bears ran out the clock to claim the victory, snap their two-game losing streak and gave the Giants their first 0–6 start since
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. The Bears recorded a season-high 26 first downs, and allowed neither a sack nor a turnover in a game for the first time since December 23, 2007 against Green Bay.


Week 7: at Washington Redskins

In week seven, the Bears traveled to
Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the ...
's
FedExField Northwest Stadium is an American football stadium in Landover, Maryland, U.S., located east of Washington, D.C.. It is the home stadium of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 until 2010, it had the NFL's ...
to play the 1–4
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
. Since 2001, the Redskins had won five of the previous seven meetings, including the last four games. However, the Redskins were 0–2 at home in 2013, and were hoping to avoid going 0–3 at home since
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
. The Redskins struck first with
Kai Forbath Kai August Forbath (born September 2, 1987) is an American former professional football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus All-American honors and winn ...
's 38-yard field goal, which was answered by Robbie Gould's 47-yarder. On Washington's ensuing drive, Griffin was intercepted by Charles Tillman, who returned the pick to the Redskins' 10-yard line, which set up Matt Forté's two-yard touchdown run. In the following quarter, Roy Helu scored on a 14-yard run to tie the game, and Washington pulled ahead after Brian Orakpo intercepted Cutler, scoring on the 29-yard return. Cutler later tore a groin muscle after getting sacked by Chris Baker, and
Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...
took his role. Afterwards, Devin Hester returned a punt 81 yards for the touchdown, tying
Deion Sanders Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American American football, football coach with the Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders is also a former professional football and baseball player, having played in the N ...
' record for the most return touchdowns all-time with 19. However, the Redskins ended the first half as the leader after Griffin threw a three-yard touchdown pass to
Jordan Reed Jordan Reed (born July 3, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators football, Florida Gators and was dr ...
. On the Bears' first drive of the second half, Gould missed a field goal wide right, but Chicago compensated for the miss with Forté's 50-yard touchdown run. Washington ended the third quarter with Helu's three-yard touchdown run to lead 31–24. On Chicago's next drive, the Bears were forced to kick a field goal after blitzes rendered the Bears unable to score a touchdown. Afterwards, the Bears successfully converted an onside kick, but were offsides, and were forced to kick off. Forté scored again on a six-yard run, which Griffin answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass to
Aldrick Robinson Aldrick Robinson (born September 24, 1988) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and was selecte ...
. The Bears then pulled ahead with McCown's seven-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett. With 3:57 left, the Redskins successfully reached the Bears' three-yard line, where Helu scored again with 45 seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, McCown was sacked by Barry Cofield and Ryan Kerrigan, ending the game with a 45–41 loss. The game marked the first time in team history that the Bears have allowed 21 points or more in their first seven games, and the first time since
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
that Chicago has allowed at least 40 points in two consecutive away games. Cutler was projected to be out for the next four weeks, with McCown serving as his replacement. Statistics-wise, Cutler struggled, completing 3 of 8 passes for 28 yards with one interception and an 8.3 passer rating, while McCown completed 14 of 20 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and a 119.6 passer rating. On the ground, Forté became the first Bears running back since Rashan Salaam to score three rushing touchdowns in a game. On defense, James Anderson was the only Bear to record a sack.


Week 8: Bye week

The Bears entered their
bye week In sport, a bye is the preferential status of a player or team that is automatically advanced to the next round of a tournament without having to play an opponent in an early round. In knockout (elimination) tournaments, byes may be assigned ei ...
in third in the division behind Green Bay and Detroit. The team was attempting to recover from the injuries suffered by seven players in the previous week against the Redskins. Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs were projected to be out for four weeks, while Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Charles Tillman, Major Wright and
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 was also a member of the Buffalo Bills, Clev ...
, the other five players hurt, used the bye to heal. Marc Trestman preferred to use the week to rest his players, stating, "I think we did a good thing by letting these guys rest. They came back with a lot of energy
t practice Monday T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is de ...
There was very little rust in terms of executing and getting through the practice." During Trestman's tenure with the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
, the Alouettes were 5–4 () in games after bye weeks, and 3–1 () in the postseason after byes. At practice on October 28, rookie
Khaseem Greene Khaseem Greene (born February 4, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Chicago Bea ...
filled in for Briggs, and was expected to start against the Packers. Greene and fellow rookie
Jon Bostic Jonathan Earl Bostic II (born May 5, 1991) is an American former professional American football, football linebacker. He played college football at Florida Gators football, Florida and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of th ...
eventually started for the Bears against the Packers. Lorin Cox of Pro Football Central predicted the Bears would finish the second half of the season with a 4–5 record, and a final record of 8–8.


Week 9: at Green Bay Packers

Coming off their bye week, the Bears traveled to
Lambeau Field Lambeau Field () is an outdoor athletic stadium in the East North Central states, north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 Green ...
to play the Green Bay Packers in the 189th meeting between the two
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
. The Bears had struggled regarding scoring against Green Bay in the last nine games between the two prior to 2013, and including the
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
NFC title game, had scored 127 points, an average of 14.11 points. The two teams entered with among the top three scoring offenses, with Chicago and Green Bay ranked second and third, respectively, with 30.4 and 30.3 points per game, both of which rank behind the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. On the Packers' first drive, Rodgers failed to recognize the Bears'
zone defense Zone defense is a type of defensive system, 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. ...
, having expected a
man-to-man defense Man-to-man defense, or man defense, is a type of defensive system used in team sports such as American football, association football, basketball and netball, as in which each player is assigned to defend and follow the movements of a single play ...
, and Shea McClellin escaped Don Barclay's block and, along with Isaiah Frey, pulled Rodgers down, who landed on his shoulder and injured his left collarbone, and was replaced by Seneca Wallace for the remainder of the game. Afterwards, Mason Crosby kicked the 30-yard field goal to give the Packers the lead. On Chicago's first drive, McCown escaped pressure from Mike Neal and threw towards Brandon Marshall for the 7–3 lead. Once the Packers got the ball back, Wallace's pass for
Jordy Nelson Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders. He played ...
was tipped and intercepted by Julius Peppers, and was returned 14 yards to Green Bay's 45-yard line, but after the Bears failed to convert on third down, Adam Podlesh's punt was blocked by
Jamari Lattimore Jamari Lattimore (born October 6, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Middle Tennessee, and signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Early life Lattimore was born in Miami, ...
. Eventually, James Starks ran 32 yards for the touchdown. However, the Bears traveled 60 yards on two plays, and Forté scored on the 1-yard run. The Bears ended the first half with Robbie Gould's 24-yard field goal to expand the lead to 17–10. In the third quarter, the Packers forced the Bears to punt, and Lacy ran 56 yards to the Bears' 1, and scored on the ensuing play. On the eventual kickoff, the Packers successfully attempted a surprise
onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff (under American and Canadian rules) or punt (under Canadian rules only) deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a t ...
, which was recovered by Lattimore. Crosby kicked a 23-yarder on the drive. On the Bears' next drive, McCown threw a six-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery, whose size kept the ball from being knocked away by Davon House. After both teams exchanged punts in the fourth quarter, on the Bears' next drive, began attempting to run out the clock. On 4th and 1 at the Bears' 32 with 7:50 remaining, Forté ran three yards for the conversion and continuing the drive, which ended with Gould's 27-yard field goal. The drive lasted 18 plays and took up 8:58, leaving only 50 seconds remaining in the game. Despite a 15-yard pass by Wallace to Nelson, sacks by Corey Wootton and McClellin ended the game with a 27–20 victory for the Bears. McCown ended the night completing 22 of 41 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while Wallace completed 11 of 19 for 114 yards and an interception. The win marked the first time the Packers lost at home to an NFC North opponent since
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, and the first win for the Bears at Lambeau Field since 2007.


Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions

Week ten featured the Bears attempting to avoid suffering the first sweep by the Lions since
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, while also trying to claim the division lead; the last time the two teams faced each other in a late-season game for the division lead was in
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
, which ended in a Chicago 20–10 win. However, the Bears had won the last five games against the Lions at Soldier Field. Chicago scored first after Cutler's 32-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall capped a 65-yard drive that took just 2:23. However, the Lions would travel 85 yards to tie on Matthew Stafford's 5-yard pass to Kris Durham. In the following quarter, the Bears reached the Lions' 4-yard line, but Cutler's pass was tipped by Ndamukong Suh, and intercepted by
DeAndre Levy DeAndre Levy (born March 26, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the ...
in the endzone; both teams would fail to score in the quarter. During the quarter, Cutler began showing signs of struggling due to an ankle injury. In the third quarter, the Lions would score on Stafford's four-yard touchdown to Johnson. Afterwards, the Bears were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal, narrowing the gap to one point. In the fourth, Stafford was intercepted by Chris Conte, who reached Detroit's 9-yard line, and Cutler would then throw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, which was eventually nullified. After an incomplete pass, Gould kicked a 32-yard field goal to draw the score to 14–13. However, Johnson would catch a 14-yard pass from Stafford to increase the lead to 21–13, and with 2:22 remaining, Josh McCown entered the game in favor of Cutler, and guided the Bears' offense 74 yards, culminating in McCown's 11-yard touchdown pass to Marshall with 40 seconds to go. On the two-point conversion, McCown's pass to tight end
Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is an American former professional football tight end. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football at Oregon. He was also a member ...
fell incomplete, but Willie Young was penalized for roughing the passer, allowing the Bears a second chance, which failed after Matt Forté was tackled by Nick Fairley in the backfield. The Bears' onside kick would backfire, as
Joique Bell Joique Dewayne Bell Jr. (born August 4, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wayne State Warriors. Bell was signed by the Buffa ...
recovered, sealing a season sweep for the Lions. Despite stating he was "100 percent" healthy after the groin injury suffered two games prior, it appeared the injury was still lingering; after throwing a pass during the third quarter, Cutler fell down and grabbed his groin, before standing back up. Regarding the injuries, Cutler stated, "It held up OK. It's all on the same leg so I think that was a problem. But the groin, you take the ankle out of the equation and I would have been fine, I think." Cutler ended the game having completed 21 of 40 passes for 250 yards with a touchdown, interception and a 69.8 passer rating. Despite x-rays on his ankle being negative, Cutler was ruled out of the next week's game against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
with a
high ankle sprain A high ankle sprain, also known as a syndesmotic ankle sprain (SAS), is a sprain of the syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula in the lower leg, thereby creating a mortise and tenon joint for the ankle. High ankle sprains are desc ...
. During the second quarter, Charles Tillman was also injured, suffering a torn right
triceps brachii muscle The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of three parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. All three heads cross the elbow jo ...
, and was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, allowing him to practice after six weeks and play in games two weeks after; as a result, Tillman missed the entire regular season.


Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in week twelve, the Bears wore their 1940s alternate uniforms. The Bears last played the Ravens in 2009, which ended with a Baltimore 31–7 victory. The Ravens opened the game with
Ray Rice Raymell Mourice Rice (born January 22, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers ...
gaining a 47-yard run, his longest of the year up to that point (his previous highest in 2013 was 14 yards), which led to Rice's 1-yard run with 9:58 in the first. The Ravens added to the score with
Justin Tucker Justin Paul Tucker (born November 21, 1989) is an American professional football kicker. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012, spending 13 seasons with the ...
's 52-yarder, bringing the score to 10–0. With 4:51 left in the first quarter, the game was suspended due to inclement weather, which included a
tornado watch A tornado watch ( SAME code: TOA) is a statement issued by weather forecasting agencies to advise the public that atmospheric conditions in a given region may lead to the development of tornadoes within (or near) the region over a period of seve ...
, which was eventually elevated to a
tornado warning A tornado warning ( SAME code: TOR) is a public warning that is issued by weather forecasting agencies to an area in the direct path of a tornado, or a severe thunderstorm capable of producing one, and advises individuals in that area to take c ...
. Fans were ordered to evacuate the stands and enter the covered
concourse A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space. The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or t ...
s, while the teams returned to the locker rooms. The evacuation marked the first time
Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, 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 from the National ...
had an evacuation since the stadium's opening in 1921. The game resumed play at 3:25 pm. ET, after a 1-hour, 53-minute-delay. In the second quarter, Robbie Gould kicked a 20-yard field goal, and eventually, rookie defensive end David Bass escaped a chop block by Rice and intercepted Flacco, scoring on a 24-yard return and tying the game. The Ravens eventually scored on
Torrey Smith James Torrey Smith (born January 26, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by ...
's five-yard touchdown catch, and after Flacco had a pass intercepted by Jon Bostic, Gould ended the half kicking a 46-yarder. After a scoreless third period, Matt Forté caught a 14-yard pass from McCown and scored with 10:33 in the fourth, the Bears finally taking the lead 20–17. Now behind by three, the Ravens engineered an 82-yard drive to Chicago's 2-yard line, but Rice failed to score twice, and a botched snap from Gino Gradkowski slowed down the Ravens, and Flacco's pass towards Smith was overthrown. As a result, the Ravens resorted to a 21-yard field goal with three seconds in regulation to force overtime. In overtime, Flacco's pass for Tandon Doss fell incomplete, and the Ravens punted to the Bears. McCown then completed a 43-yard pass to Martellus Bennett, and Gould kicked the game-winning 38-yard field goal with 8:41 remaining to win the game 23–20, which lasted five hours, 16 minutes.


Week 12: at St. Louis Rams

The Bears visited
Edward Jones Dome The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and the Edward Jones Dom ...
in St. Louis to play the
Rams In engineering, reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS)Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Bradford attended Putnam City North High School, where he starred ...
, and instead had
Kellen Clemens Kellen Vincent Clemens (born June 7, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the New ...
as backup. The Bears had won four consecutive games against the Rams. St. Louis scored first on Austin's 65-yard run, and would reclaim the ball after
James Carvalho James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince James ...
stripped Matt Forté, leading to Stacy's one-yard touchdown run. The Bears would then score on McCown's seven-yard touchdown pass to Bennett, but the Rams ended the quarter with a 21–7 lead after Clemens' six-yard touchdown pass to
Jared Cook Jared Alan Cook (born April 7, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Tennessee Tit ...
. In the second quarter, McCown threw an incomplete pass, which appeared to be a fumble, and after Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson picked up the ball, Bears fullback Tony Fiammetta pulled him to the ground by the facemask. Kyle Long would then be involved in an incident with Rams defensive lineman William Hayes, which led to Long kicking Hayes, causing Long's brother
Chris Long Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and older brother of NFL ...
to restrain Kyle, who would then be penalized for a personal foul. McCown and Fiammetta would also be penalized, for intentional grounding and facemasking, respectively. Halfway through the quarter, Chicago scored after McCown threw a three-yard pass to Marshall, but Greg Zuerlein would score on a 29-yard field goal to give the Rams a 24–14 lead at halftime. The lone score of the third quarter was Zuerlein's 40-yard kick. Early in the fourth quarter, Hester recorded a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown, which was overruled by Craig Steltz's holding penalty. The Bears reached the Rams' one-yard line, but required eight plays: Michael Bush's run went for no gain; McCown's pass to Jeffery was incomplete, but a holding penalty on Brandon McGee gave the Bears a first down; Bush lost two yards on the following run; McCown's touchdown pass to Bennett was nullified by Jermon Bushrod's holding penalty; McCown's 13-yard touchdown pass to Forté was also nullified, after Forté failed to break the plane, instead placing the Bears back on the one-yard line; McCown was then sacked by
Michael Brockers Michael Seth Brockers (born December 21, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers football, LSU T ...
, but Brockers was penalized for roughing the passer; Bush failed to gain a yard on the next play; the Bears finally scored on the drive on Bush's one-yard run. On the Rams' ensuing drive,
Benny Cunningham Benjamin Corey Cunningham (born July 7, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and was signed by ...
gained 27 yards, while the offense gained 48 yards from Clemens' 19 and 29 yards passes to
Chris Givens Chris Givens (born December 6, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He played college football at Wake Forest. Early life Givens atten ...
and Cook, respectively. Four plays later, Cunningham scored on a nine-yard run, while
Isaiah Pead Isaiah D'Vaughn Pead (born December 14, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Pead was selected by the St. L ...
scored on the two-point conversion. Devin Hester would fumble on the following kickoff but recovered at the Bears' ten-yard line. After the Bears' offense reached their own 39-yard line, Quinn stripped McCown and scored on the following fumble return. The game marked the third time the Bears allowed 40 points during the season for the first time since
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
. McCown set the team record for most completions with 36, two greater than Jim Miller's and
Brian Griese Brian David Griese ( ; born March 18, 1975) is an American professional football coach and former player who was the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). A former quarterback in the NFL, he play ...
's 34 set on November 14, 1999 and September 30, 2007, respectively. Forté recorded 77 yards in the game, adding to 6,178 career rushing yards, surpassing
Neal Anderson Charles Neal Anderson (born August 14, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. Anderson played ...
to become the second-highest rushing leader in team history. The Bears' defense recorded the second-worst defensive output in 2013, with a negative-11.4, making the team's defense the second-worst in the NFL.


Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

In week thirteen, the Bears visited the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League's (NFL) ...
to play the Vikings, whom the Bears trailed 50–53–2 in the all-time series. Josh McCown was given the start for the third straight week, with an expectation that Jay Cutler would return the following week. McCown entered the game having a 65.5 completion percentage for 1,106 yards, seven touchdowns, an interception, and a 100.8 passer rating. As a result, McCown had an advantage over the Vikings' pass defense, which ranked 29th in the league with 282 passing yards allowed, while also allowing quarterbacks to record a 65 completion percentage, 40 attempts per game, and a 97.7 passer rating. Also, the Vikings allowed 31.5 points per game, the worst in the NFL, while recording only 14 turnovers. However, the Bears' defense was a weakness, ranking last in rushing yards allowed per game (145.2), total yards (1,597), and first-downs allowed (89); the defense was 31st in the NFL in yards per carry (4.9), first-down percentage (27.1) and 20-plus yard runs (12). Additionally, the defense allowed running backs in the previous five games to rush for 999 yards, average 5.8 yards per carry, and 197 yards per game. Adrian Peterson ran for an average of 108 yards per game in his career against the Bears, including 120.6 in the last three meetings between the two. Minnesota's rushing game also ran for a year-best 232 yards in the previous week. Cutler, Lance Briggs, Major Wright, Anthony Walters,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
, Jonathan Scott, and Cornelius Washington were inactive for the Bears. In the first quarter, McCown had a pass intercepted by Chad Greenway, but an offsides penalty on Robert Blanton nullified the play; the drive would end with the only score of the first quarter via Robbie Gould's 30-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Cordarrelle Patterson's 33-yard touchdown run gave the Vikings the lead; Gould would subsequently kick a 40-yard field goal. Before the half ended, Christian Ponder suffered from symptoms of a concussion and left. On the Bears' first drive of the second half, McCown threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. After the Vikings responded with Blair Walsh's 32-yard field goal, Jeffery caught a 46-yard touchdown pass over Viking cornerback Chris Cook to give Chicago the lead 20–10; Cook would eventually be ejected from the game for shoving
side judge Side judge, or assistant judge, is a judicial position unique to the U.S. state of Vermont. There are two side judges in each of Vermont's 14 counties. Like lay judges, side judges are usually not legal professionals. Duties and responsibilities ...
Laird Hayes Dr. Laird Hayes (born October 3, 1949) is a former American football official in the National Football League (NFL). He was in the NFL for 23 years between 1995 and 2017. He wore uniform number 125. For the 2017 NFL season, Hayes was the side ju ...
. On Minnesota's first possession of the final quarter, Matt Cassel threw an eight-yard touchdown to
Greg Jennings Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is an American sports television personality and former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with ...
, and on Chicago's next drive, McCown's flip pass for Kyle Long was deflected and stripped by
Audie Cole Audie Raymond Cole (born June 1, 1989) is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football at NC State and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL draft. Early life Cole playe ...
, with Marvin Mitchell recovering. Despite starting the drive in the Bears' red zone and reaching the six-yard line, Cassel's pass for Rhett Ellison was tipped and intercepted by
Khaseem Greene Khaseem Greene (born February 4, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Chicago Bea ...
. After the Bears punted, Cassel fumbled on the first play, but recovered. Afterwards, the Vikings drove from their own six-yard line to the Bears' 12, where Walsh tied the game with a 30-yard field goal, making the score 20–20. On the final play of regulation, Gould's attempted 66-yard field goal fell short. In overtime, the Bears' opening drive ended after McCown was sacked by Jared Allen and fumbled, with Jermon Bushrod recovering, prompting the Bears to punt. On the Vikings' first drive of the period, Walsh's 39-yard field goal was overruled by Ellison's facemasking penalty; Walsh would miss the eventual 57-yarder. The Bears would reach the Vikings' 29-yard line, and on second down, Gould missed the 47-yard kick wide right. The Vikings would reach Chicago's 16-yard line, allowing Walsh to kick the game-winning 34-yard field goal. Marc Trestman received criticism for calling Gould to attempt the 47-yard field goal on second down, with the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' calling the choice "an indefensible case of playing scared." Trestman responded by stating he did not want to lose a fumble or suffer a penalty. Jeffery set the team record for the most receiving yards in one game with 249, surpassing his previous record set against the Saints in week 5.


Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Bears announced on May 24, 2013, that they would retire former tight end and head coach
Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka ( ; born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former professional American football, football player, coach, and television commentator. During his playing career, he was UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year, UPI NFL R ...
's number 89 jersey at the Bears-
Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
halftime ceremony. The number was the last to be retired by the organization, with team chairman George McCaskey stating, "If there is going to be a last one, there is no more appropriate one than 89." During the ceremony, players from the 1985 Bears congratulated Ditka through messages on the videoboard. Ditka concluded his speech by saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Go Bears!" The two teams had split their meetings 2–2 since 2004, Dallas winning in 2004 and 2007, and Chicago winning in 2010 and 2012. Dallas opened the game with a 12-play, 75-yard drive ending with
Tony Romo Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Eastern Illinois Pan ...
's 2-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. The Bears scored the final touchdown of the first quarter on Josh McCown's 4-yard pass to Earl Bennett, the result of a 78-yard drive. With 8:58 left in the first half, McCown scored on a 7-yard run to take the lead 14–7, which the Cowboys answered with Romo's 10-yard pass to Jason Witten. After Robbie Gould kicked a 27-yard field goal, the Bears scored again after McCown threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, who caught the ball over B. W. Webb in the back of the endzone with 0:17 left in the half. On the first drive of the third quarter, Gould kicked a 34-yard field goal, which was bolstered by
Matt Forté 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 ...
's 5-yard touchdown catch and Brandon Marshall scoring on a 2-point conversion to increase the score to 35–14. In the fourth quarter, Michael Bush scored on a 17-yard touchdown reception, and the Cowboys responded with a 9-yard touchdown catch by Cole Beasley. Gould eventually kicked a 23-yarder, while the Cowboys scored Joseph Randle's 1-yard run with six seconds to go. On the ensuing
onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff (under American and Canadian rules) or punt (under Canadian rules only) deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a t ...
, the ball was recovered by Marshall, and McCown ran the clock out to seal the 45–28 win.


Week 15: at Cleveland Browns

Jay Cutler made his return to action against the 4–9
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, a move that was criticized by fans. In November, a poll conducted by the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' revealed that fans favored Josh McCown with 66.87 percent, with Cutler earning 29.31 percent. On December 9,
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
analyst Skip Bayless tweeted, "As much as I've supported Vanderbilt Commodores football, Vanderbilt's own Jay Cutler, I must admit Josh McCown runs this offense like he owns it." Bleacher Report's Dilan Ames stated that although Cutler is the better quarterback, his injury tendencies and inability to play a full season since 2009 had affected him, along with the statistics comparison between the two quarterbacks: Cutler has recorded 1,908 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while McCown has thrown for 1,809 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception. However, Brandon Marshall defended Cutler's status as the starter, stating: McCown also acknowledged his backup position on the team, and told the ''Chicago Tribune'', "The way that I serve my team is to play when the starter is not healthy. Jay is our starting quarterback, there is no doubt about that." The Bears' opening drive ended at Cleveland's 14-yard line when Cutler had his pass tipped in the endzone by T. J. Ward and intercepted by Tashaun Gipson. The Browns then scored on Billy Cundiff's 35-yard field goal, which was tied by Robbie Gould kicking a 23-yarder. Eventually, the Bears reached the Browns' 24-yard line on another drive, and after a penalty on Alshon Jeffery forced the Bears to kick a 46-yard field goal, the score was nullified by Corey Wootton's holding penalty, forcing Chicago to punt. With 8:01 in the first half, Cutler was again intercepted by Gipson, who returned the pick 44 yards for a touchdown and the 10–3 lead. With 24 seconds remaining in the half, Cutler connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass with Marshall to close the half at 10–10. Cutler ended the first half with 13 of 19 passes completed for 168 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Early in the third quarter,
Jason Campbell Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Washington Reds ...
's pass for Greg Little (wide receiver), Greg Little was intercepted by Zack Bowman and returned 43 yards for the score. Cleveland's Edwin Baker (American football), Edwin Baker eventually scored his first career NFL touchdown on a 2-yard run, and the Browns added to the score when Billy Winn (American football), Billy Winn punched the ball from Martellus Bennett, and Ward returned the fumble 52 yards for the 24–17 advantage. Eventually, Cutler guided the Bears from their own 5-yard line, culminating in a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jeffery after Gipson made an ill-timed leap and Julian Posey being unable to interrupt the play with 10:59 remaining. With 5:41 left in the game, Cutler threw a 5-yard pass to Earl Bennett to take the 31–24 lead, which was extended by Michael Bush on a 40-yard touchdown run. Cutler's touchdown pass to Bennett was the twenty-ninth passing touchdown of the season, which ties the team record set in 1947 Chicago Bears season, 1947 and 1995 Chicago Bears season, 1995. With 1:03 to go, Campbell threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon, but the Bears recovered the ensuing
onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff (under American and Canadian rules) or punt (under Canadian rules only) deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a t ...
to seal the victory, 38–31. The win marked the third time since 1970 Chicago Bears season, 1970 that the Bears won all four games against an AFC division, and the first since 1986 Chicago Bears season, 1986. The following night, the Bears would jump to first place of the NFC North after the Lions were defeated by the Ravens. The Bears had the opportunity to clinch the division in week sixteen by defeating 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, in addition to losses by the Packers and Lions.


Week 16: at Philadelphia Eagles

Chicago entered week sixteen with a chance to clinch the NFC North in the event that the Packers and Lions lost. The Packers and Lions eventually lost to the Steelers and Giants, respectively, putting the Bears in position to win the division by defeating the Eagles. The last game between the Bears and Eagles was in 2011, when the Bears won 30–24; the Bears also lead the all-time series 30–12–1, though the Eagles had won six of the last ten meetings. The Bears fell behind early in the first quarter when Nick Foles threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper with 9:54 to go, followed by Devin Hester getting the ball stripped on the ensuing kickoff and Cary Williams recovering the loose ball. LeSean McCoy eventually scored on a 1-yard run with 7:44 in the first, and Philadelphia added to the scoring with Foles throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brent Celek. After Alex Henery kicked a 49-yard field goal, the Bears scored their first points of the game with Robbie Gould's 50-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. In the second half, the Eagles scored off a safety after Cedric Thornton tackled Matt Forté. Philadelphia scored again after McCoy recorded another rushing touchdown. The Bears scored their first touchdown after Jay Cutler threw a 6-yard pass to Brandon Marshall, followed by a two-point conversion off Cutler's pass to Earl Bennett. With 11:19 remaining, Chris Polk scored on a 10-yard run to increase the score to 40–11, added by Brandon Boykin intercepting Cutler and scoring on a 54-yard return. Afterwards, Josh McCown filled in for Cutler. The Eagles scored again after Bryce Brown ran 65 yards for the touchdown to make the final score 54–11, the biggest blowout since a 47–0 loss to the History of the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers in 1977 Chicago Bears season, 1977 and the second-most points allowed in team history, behind a 55–20 loss to Detroit in 1997 Chicago Bears season, 1997. The Bears failed to score 18 points for the first time in 2013, while allowing a season-high five sacks. Chicago also allowed two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time since 1976 Chicago Bears season, 1976 against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
, with Norris Weese (120 yards) and Otis Armstrong (116 yards) guiding the Broncos to 28–14 win. After the game, Marc Trestman stated, "We are a team that was ready to play this game and we played a terrible football game for lack of a better word. I'm not going to use any word other than that. We were terrible in all three phases. We didn't play well in any phase of football."


Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers

In the season-ender against the Packers for the NFC North title, Aaron Rodgers made his return to action for the first time since week 9 against the Bears, who intend to sweep the Packers for the first time since
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
. The Packers had fallen to 2–5–1 without Rodgers, and entered the game with a 7–7–1 record. After the Bears punted on the opening drive, the Packers reached Chicago's five-yard line, but Rodgers was intercepted by Chris Conte. Chicago scored on the following possession with Forté's four-yard run. In the second quarter, Rodgers was intercepted by Tim Jennings. After the Packers scored on Mason Crosby's 33-yard field goal, Devin Hester fumbled on the kickoff, but recovered; the Bears would be forced to punt. After Green Bay reached Chicago's 17-yard line, Rodgers was hit by Julius Peppers, with the ball leaving his hand as his arm went forward; the players did not attempt to recover the ball, as if it was an incompletion, but the referees did not consider the play dead. Jarrett Boykin subsequently picked up the ball, and scored on the play. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler's pass to Alshon Jeffery was stripped by Tramon Williams, and was recovered by Morgan Burnett. Crosby scored the final score of the first half with a 27-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Bears regained the lead with Forté's five-yard touchdown run. Both teams exchanged scores on the next two drives of the game, with the Packers scoring on Rodgers' seven-yard touchdown throw to Randall Cobb (American football), Randall Cobb, followed by Forté's one-yard touchdown run, ending the quarter with the Bears leading 21–20. On the first play of the final quarter, Cutler threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, which the Packers retaliated with Eddie Lacy's six-yard touchdown run. After the Bears punted, the Packers reached the Bears' 48-yard line with 48 seconds left. Defensive coordinator
Mel Tucker Melvin Gene Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Michigan State University from 2020 to 2023. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the Na ...
called a blitz, but Conte failed to apply man-to-man coverage, allowing Cobb to score the game-winning touchdown. However, the Packers failed the two-point conversion, making the score 33–28. The Bears received the ball with 38 seconds left, and reached the Packers' 45-yard line, where Cutler's Hail Mary pass for Marshall was intercepted by Sam Shields as time expired. The season marked the sixth time in the previous seven years the Bears missed the playoffs. Despite forcing two turnovers, the Bears defense allowed the Packers to record 473 yards, convert 9 of 18 third down plays, a 35:09 time of possession and run 76 plays in comparison to Chicago's 49.


Standings


Division


Conference


Statistics

Statistically, the Bears offense greatly improved from its 2012 counterpart. The 2013 offense ended the year with the second-best scoring offense with 445 points, behind the 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos; the previous year the Bears offense ranked 16th at 375 total points and 23.4 PPG. The 2012 team also was ranked 29th in passing yards with 2999, while the 2013 team improved to fifth with 4,281 yards. The offense also broke team records in total yards (6,109), passing yards (4,450), passing touchdowns (32), first downs (344) and passer rating (96.9), while falling short of the 1985 Chicago Bears season, 1985 team's record of points scored in a season by 11, ending with 445. However, the defense struggled mightily throughout the season, ranking 30th in the NFL, with injuries ending the seasons of five players: defensive tackles Henry Melton and Nick Collins, cornerbacks Kelvin Hayden and Charles Tillman, and linebacker D. J. Williams. After having the fifth-ranked defense in the league in 2012, the 2013 team allowed franchise-records in yards allowed (6,313), rushing yards allowed (2,583) and points (478), ranking 29th in the NFL in points allowed per game with 29.9. The team also allowed a league-worst 5.35 rushing yards per carry, making the 2013 Bears the only team in the NFL to allow five yards per carry during the season. In third-down stops, the Bears ranked 25th. Additionally, the defense tied 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
for the fewest sacks in the league with 31. Regarding the defense, ''Chicago Tribune'' writer Steve Rosenbloom wrote, "Under Jerry Angelo, Angelo and Smith, the Bears couldn't win enough games where they needed only three offensive touchdowns. Under Phil Emery (American football), Emery and Trestman, the Bears couldn't win enough games where they needed to hold opponents to only three offensive touchdowns."


Position reviews

Together, quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Josh McCown broke team records in touchdown passes (32), passing yards (4,450), completion percentage (64.4) and passer rating (96.9). Individually, in eleven games, Cutler completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,621 yards with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a career-high 89.2 passer rating. In the other five games, McCown completed 66.8 percent of passes for 1,829 yards, 13 touchdowns, one interception, and a 109 passer rating, which ranked third in the NFL behind Denver's Peyton Manning and Philadelphia's Nick Foles. Running back Matt Forte had 1,339 rushing yards, a career-high, while wide receivers
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 selected by ...
and
Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, earning first-team All-Americ ...
had 1,200 receiving yards each, as the Bears became the first team to accomplish the feat since the 2002 Buffalo Bills season, 2002 Buffalo Bills. Marshall was also ranked the best receiver by Pro Football Focus with a score of 37.8, 13.1 higher than Green Bay's
Jordy Nelson Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders. He played ...
. The offensive line was also drastically changed from its 2012 counterpart, allowing the fourth-fewest sacks in the league with 30, compared to allowing the eighth-most in 2012 with 44. On special teams,
Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III ( ; born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He p ...
tied his team record for the highest field goal percentage with 89.7 by converting 26 of 29 field goals. Gould also became the second player in franchise history to reach 1,000 career points during the season. However, punter Adam Podlesh ranked 33rd in the league in gross average punting yards with 40.6. In comparison with his 2012 stats, Podlesh was 18th in the league in net punting average with 39.4 yards, 34 punts landing inside the 20-yard line with 6 touchbacks. In 2013, he dropped to 29th in the former category with 37.9 yards, 27 punts inside the 20 and four fewer touchbacks. The punting corps also ranked last in the league in gross punting with 40 yards. In the return game, Devin Hester led the league in kickoff return yards with 1,442 and was fifth in kickoff return average with 27.7 yards. 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 was also a member of the Buffalo Bills, Clev ...
led all Bears Gunner (American football), gunners with 17 tackles. Cornerback
Sherrick McManis Sherrick Terravis McManis (born December 19, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a cornerback and special teamer for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for ...
ranked second with 15, followed by safety Craig Steltz (14), receiver Eric Weems (13) and safety Anthony Walters (10). Ultimately, the Bears' special teams ranked 23rd in the NFL, leading the league in kickoff coverage after allowing 18.7 yards per return.


Awards and records


Awards

On December 27, Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte were named to the 2014 Pro Bowl, the fewest Bears sent since 2009 Chicago Bears season, 2009, when two were also sent, and the first time a Bears defensive player was not invited since 2004 Chicago Bears season, 2004. On January 14, 2014, Marshall and Forte were named to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-NFC Team. On January 3, 2014, the Associated Press released its annual All-Pro team, with no Bears named. On January 9, 2014,
Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, earning first-team All-Americ ...
was named to the Pro Bowl after an injury to
Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr. (born September 29, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Megatron" after the ''Transforme ...
. Jeffery was later named the PFWA's Most Improved Player on January 17. On January 20, Tim Jennings and Kyle Long were named to the Pro Bowl, replacing Richard Sherman (American football), Richard Sherman of the
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
, who advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII and Mike Iupati suffered an injury, respectively. Long's invitation marked the first time a Bears rookie was invited since special teamer Johnny Knox in 2009 Chicago Bears season, 2009, and the first offensive rookie since Gale Sayers in 1965 Chicago Bears season, 1965. The four offensive Pro Bowlers are the most sent by the Bears since 1985, when Jim McMahon,
Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American professional American football, ...
, Jay Hilgenberg and
Jim Covert James Paul "Jimbo" Covert (born March 22, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the ...
were invited to the game. Forte, Marshall and Jeffery's invitations also marked the first time since 1985 the Bears sent multiple skill position players, and the most sent by the team since 1963 with Bill Wade, Joe Marconi and Mike Ditka. Forte, Marshall and Jeffery were eventually drafted in the fantasy draft by Team Jerry Rice, Rice, while Long and Jennings were assigned to Team Deion Sanders, Sanders. In the 22–21 victory for Team Rice, Forte ran for 31 yards on six attempts while catching three passes for 24 yards. Jeffery and Marshall recorded two and one catch for 22 and 21 yards, respectively. For Team Sanders, Jennings recorded three tackles, while Long assisted in shoving
Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...
into the endzone. On January 8, 2014, Long was named to the Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team. On January 15, Gil Brandt named Long to the NFL.com All-Rookie Team. On January 24, Josh McCown and
Matt Slauson Matthew Benjamin Slauson (born February 18, 1986) is an American former professional football guard. He was selected 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 Ch ...
were named to the ''USA Today'' All-Joe Team, which honors players who have never been invited to a Pro Bowl. Prior to the 3rd NFL Honors, Matt Forte was nominated for FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week#FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year winners, FedEx Ground Player of the Year against Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy and Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City's Jamaal Charles, but lost to McCoy. During the show, Charles Tillman was awarded the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his charitable work in the Chicago area.


Weekly awards

* In week two against the Vikings, Devin Hester was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on September 18. * In week nine against the Packers, Shea McClellin recorded three sacks, and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week on November 6. * After scoring five touchdowns in week fourteen against the Cowboys, the most by a Bears quarterback since Jack Concannon in 1972 Chicago Bears season, 1972, Josh McCown was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on December 11.


Records


Team


=Season

= * The Bears offense broke four team records in 2013: the most total yards with 6,109, the most passing yards with 4,450, the most passing touchdowns with 32, and the most first downs with 344. * The defense set three franchise records during the season, which included allowing the most yards in team history with 6,313, along with the most rushing yards allowed with 2,583, and the most points allowed with 478.


Individual


=Game

= * In week one against the Bengals, Robbie Gould kicked and made the longest field goal attempt in franchise and
Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, 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 from the National ...
history with a 58-yard attempt made in week one against the Bengals. * In week two, Devin Hester set a franchise record for the most kick return yards in a game with 249 kickoff return yards against the Vikings. The previous record of 225 yards was also held by Hester. * In week thirteen against Minnesota, Alshon Jeffery broke the franchise record for the most receiving yards in a game.


Staff


Final roster


Footnotes


References


External links

*
Chicago Bears Report at ESPN Chicago

Chicago Bears Team Page on NFL.com


{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Bears season (2013) 2013 NFL season by team Chicago Bears seasons 2013 in sports in Illinois 2013 in Chicago