2005 Season--NFC North Division Champs!
- Coach: Lovie Smith
- Record: 11-4-0 .733
- Offensive Rank: 27 of 32
- Defensive Rank: 1 of 32
| NFC North Standings | W | L | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 12 | 0 |
Bears Schedule and Results
| 05 Week | Date | Opponent | Bears | Rival | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals |
260 | 202 | |||
| 1 | 9/11/05 | at Washington Redskins | 7 | 9 | L |
| 2 | 9/18/05 | Detroit Lions | 38 | 6 | W |
| 3 | 9/25/05 | Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 24 | L |
| 4 | 10/2/05 | Bye | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | 10/9/05 | at Cleveland Browns | 10 | 20 | L |
| 6 | 10/16/05 | Minnesota Vikings | 28 | 3 | W |
| 7 | 10/23/05 | Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 6 | W |
| 8 | 10/30/05 | at Detroit Lions | 19 | 13 | W |
| 9 | 11/6/05 | at New Orleans Saints | 20 | 17 | W |
| 10 | 11/13/05 | San Francisco 49ers | 17 | 9 | W |
| 11 | 11/20/05 | Carolina Panthers | 13 | 3 | W |
| 12 | 11/27/05 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 13 | 10 | W |
| 13 | 12/4/05 | Green Bay Packers | 19 | 7 | W |
| 14 | 12/11/05 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 21 | L |
| 15 | 12/18/05 | Atlanta Falcons | 16 | 0 | W |
| 16 | 12/25/05 | at Green Bay Packers | 24 | 17 | W |
| 17 | 1/1/05 | at Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 34 | L |
2005 NFL Playoffs
The Chicago Bears won thier first division title since 2001. Ironically, the Bears secured the division and a first round bye in the playoffs on Lambeau Field. Thus accomplishing two of Lovie Smith's goals in one game: beating (sweeping) the Packers and winning the division in a traditionally tough road venue. In winning the game, the Bears intercepted Brett Favre 4 times with one being returned for a TD by Lance Briggs. Favre drove the Packers to the Bear's 35 yard line and within striking distance of the tying TD late in the fourth quarter, but two consecutive sacks by Tank Johnson and Alex Brown drove the Packers back to mid-field as the game clock wound down.
| Date | Opponent | Bears | Rival | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/15/06 | Carolina Panthers | 21 | 29 | L |
The Chicago defense failed to stop Carolina's one-trick pony offense (Steve Smith) and set season highs for yards yielded and points. During the regular season if the Bears scored 21 points, it was game over: not this time. Lovie Smith and his staff were out-coached by John Fox and the Panthers staff. Bears offensive coordinator Ron "Air" Turner called an awful game: running when they should be passing and vice versa. This game mirrored the 2001 playoff appearance in that the Bears looked content be in the playoffs. A contentment that booted them from the post-season after one game.
The "Running" Bears team didn't take advantage of their 1,300 yard rusher, Thomas Jones. Turner divided the 27 running plays with Jones and Adrian Peterson while asking Rex Grossman to throw the ball 41 times. Grossman, the heralded "Franchise QB", completed 41% of his passes (many dropped by big time Free Agent addition Mushin Muhammad) and killed any hope for a rally by tossing a pick during a late game drive. Grossman finished with a 54 QB Rating for the game.
The promising 2005 season ended with a resounding thud on the shores of Lake Michigan. All credit to the Carolina Panthers for a demonstration of playoff football. They showed up to play....their opponents did not.
Bears 2005 Pro Bowlers
| Bears All Pro | Pos |
|---|---|
| Mike Brown | DB |
| Lance Briggs | LB |
| Olin Kreutz | C |
| Tommie Harris | DL |
| Brian Urlacher | LB |
| Nathan Vasher | CB |
