00:00The Chicago Bears. A franchise built on history, tradition, and legendary players.
00:06But since the 1980s, it's been a wild ride. Some tough years,
00:10some thrilling ones, but always a team worth watching.
00:13Well this one is won by Peanut Tillman. Picks it off and goes all the way for the touchdown.
00:18Bears lead 7-
00:20Today we're counting down the five greatest Bears seasons since 1990.
00:24Whether you're a diehard fan or just curious, this is why the Bears keep us coming back
00:30year after year.
00:32He breaks free 30 yards later down the field. Look at that jump.
00:38Bears now down just 21-17.
00:41He's got the ball, but Tim Jennings, this is what the Bears secondary does,
00:45strips the ball, recovers the fumble. Bears take over at their 19.
00:49Number 5. The 2013 Chicago Bears.
00:54Now I know what you're thinking. An 8-8 season? How is that a top five season?
00:59But hear me out. This was one of the most fun, electrifying Bears offenses we've ever seen.
01:04The Mark Trestman era may not have lasted long, but for one season,
01:08it felt like we had something special.
01:11Jay Cutler and Josh McCown combined for 32 touchdown passes.
01:18Mike Bell in the game. He comes in motion. Now the backfield is empty.
01:21Five-step drop for Cutler. Pretty good protection.
01:23Pass is going to be caught. Alexander's to the end zone.
01:26And Jay Cutler with his first touchdown pass as a pro.
01:30Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey were one of the best receiver duos in the league,
01:35each going over 1,000 yards.
01:38And let's not forget Matt Forte, who was a dual-threat monster,
01:42racking up nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
01:45This team could score on anybody. The problem? They couldn't stop anybody.
01:49The defense, once a proud Bears staple, completely collapsed.
01:53They allowed over 6,000 total yards and finished 30th in total defense.
01:58The most painful part? The Week 17 game against Green Bay.
02:02Win, and they were in the playoffs. It came down to one play.
02:06Fourth and eight. Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb, and just like that, the season was over.
02:12But still, for one year, Bears fans got to experience what it was like to have a high-flying
02:16offense, and that alone puts 2013 on this list.
02:21This season also marked a major turning point for the Bears franchise.
02:25It showed that the old defense-first identity was slipping away,
02:29replaced by a new pass-hairy philosophy.
02:32For better or worse, this team foreshadowed future struggles,
02:35where the offense improved, but the defense suffered.
02:39It also marked the beginning of the end for Lovie Smith's defensive core.
02:43Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, and Julius Peppers were aging, and this season exposed the cracks.
02:49If only the defense had been competent, who knows how far this offense could have taken them.
02:53Number four. The 2010 Chicago Bears.
02:58We have Bears and Vikings in the NFC North, and everyone wanted to know if last week's
03:04victory for the Vikings was a fluke against Arizona, or is this team back?
03:10Bears down 3-0, Jay Cutler rolling out, buys some time, and Cutler finds Johnny Knox.
03:17What he can do now, he leaves the pocket, he can throw any throw
03:20with his arm off balance and be accurate as anybody.
03:24Third and 14 now, Cutler fires it in at Graham Olsen, and a triple coverage for the touchdown.
03:30This season didn't start off with a ton of hype, but Lovie Smith and company put together a really
03:35strong campaign. After starting 4-3, the Bears went on a tear, winning 7 of their last 8 games
03:40to finish 11-5. They won the NFC North and earned a first round buy.
03:45The defense, led by Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Julius Peppers, was dominant.
03:50The offense wasn't great, but it was good enough, with Jay Cutler leading the way.
03:56The Bears beat the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round, setting up a dream matchup
04:02in the NFC Championship game, Bears vs. Packers in Chicago, with a Super Bowl trip on the line.
04:08Then, heartbreak. Cutler gets injured, Caleb Hanais steps in, and despite a valiant effort,
04:14the Bears fall short. Losing to the Packers made it sting even more.
04:18But make no mistake, this was a great Bears team,
04:22and if things had gone a little differently, we might be talking about a Super Bowl run.
04:27One thing often overlooked is how much the offensive line struggled that year.
04:31Cutler was sacked a league high 52 times. Yet, the Bears kept finding ways to win.
04:38It was a gritty, tough team.
04:41Exactly what you expect from Chicago football. The lasting memory of this season is bittersweet.
04:47On one hand, they were one game away from the Super Bowl.
04:50On the other, they lost to Green Bay. What could have been?
04:53Another major storyline from this season was the arrival of Julius Peppers.
04:57His impact on the defense was immediate, giving the Bears one of the best pass rushes in the league.
05:02His presence freed up other players, making the entire unit more dangerous.
05:06Additionally, Devin Hester re-established himself as the best return man in football,
05:11setting records, and swinging games with his special team's magic.
05:15This was a complete team, just not quite complete enough to win it all.
05:24This was the season that brought Bears fans back to life.
05:27After years of mediocrity, the Bears finally had a team that felt like a contender.
05:31The biggest reason? The defense.
05:34Led by newly acquired superstar Khalil Mack, the Bears had one of the best defenses in the league.
05:40They terrorized quarterbacks, forced turnovers, and made life miserable for opposing offenses.
05:46The team finished 12-4, won the NFC North, and had all the momentum heading into the playoffs.
05:52Then... the double doink.
05:54Cody Parkey's infamous missed field goal against the Eagles in the wildcard round
05:59is what most people remember from this season.
06:01But let's not forget how dominant this team was.
06:05Mitchell Trubisky had the best season of his career.
06:08He wasn't elite, but he made plays when it mattered.
06:11The offense was innovative under Matt Nagy, and the defense was legendary.
06:152018 felt like the start of something big.
06:19Unfortunately, it wasn't.
06:20The Bears failed to build on this success, and the following years were disappointing.
06:25But for one season, Chicago football was back.
06:28Number 2.
06:29The 2001 Chicago Bears.
06:34In 2001, a sleeping giant awoke in Chicago.
06:43In their final season at Old Soldier Field,
06:46the Bears added an unforgettable chapter to their storied legacy.
06:50With a season-long bash beneath the colonnades.
07:04In the final season of the NFC Central Division, the Bears reached for the prize.
07:12And never let go.
07:15Led by a core of young stars, the Bears heralded a new era of Chicago football.
07:21With the third greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history.
07:29They stormed through 13 wins in a season-long game of Can You Top This?
07:45Coming into the season, nobody expected much from this team.
07:48The Bears had been stuck in mediocrity for years,
07:51and with Jim Miller and Shane Matthews at quarterback, expectations were low.
07:56But what happened next was pure magic.
08:00The Bears started the season with a loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens.
08:05But then they went on a tear, winning 13 of their next 15 games.
08:11The most iconic moments of the season?
08:13The back-to-back overtime wins against the 49ers and Browns,
08:17both won on game-winning pick-sixes by Mike Brown.
08:20It felt like destiny.
08:21The Bears finished 13-3 and had a first-round bye in the playoffs.
08:26Unfortunately, the run ended quickly with a loss to the Eagles,
08:29but that doesn't take away from the incredible ride this team gave us.
08:34This team was built on a strong defense, opportunistic play, and a bit of luck.
08:38Dick Joran's squad wasn't loaded with superstars, but they played as a unit.
08:43The defense, led by Brian Urlacher, was relentless,
08:46and the offense did just enough to keep winning.
08:48The Bears hadn't seen a season like this in years,
08:51and even though it didn't end in a title,
08:54it reminded Chicago fans what a winning team looked like.
08:57Number one, the 2006 Chicago Bears.
09:13Everything you've been praying for since you've been yeehaw.
09:19After 21 years, the Chicago Bears were back on football's greatest stage.
09:31In a drenching downpour, the Bears unleashed a storm of big plays.
09:35The 2006 Bears had everything a team needed to contend for a championship.
09:40A dominant defense, explosive special teams, and an offense that,
09:44when it clicked, could put up points in a hurry.
09:47The defense, led by Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman,
09:50was one of the best in the league, ranking third in yards allowed and first in takeaways.
09:56Devin Hester was a game-changer,
09:58returning kicks and punts for touchdowns with an ease never seen before.
10:02The season started with a bang as the Bears stormed to a 7-0 record,
10:08including a 42-27 dismantling of the St. Louis Rams,
10:13where Hester returned two kicks for touchdowns.
10:15They finished 13-3, securing the NFC's top seed.
10:20The playoffs saw them crush the Seahawks and dominate the Saints in the NFC Championship,
10:25sending them to Super Bowl XLI.
10:27The Super Bowl started with Hester's iconic kickoff return for a touchdown,
10:31but turnovers and sloppy play let the Colts take control.
10:34The Bears ultimately fell 29-17,
10:37but this season remains the franchise's best in the modern era.
10:41It showed what a true championship-caliber Bears team looked like,
10:44and it left fans dreaming of another shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
10:49What do you think? Did we miss a season?
10:51Let us know in the comments.
10:53And, as always, BEAR DOWN!
11:04Chicago overwhelmed the Saints and won 39-14.
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