Note: We have a special edition this week! Since Week 18 is a fairly new things I’ve expanded our dive back into history to include games that took place around the same date as our Week 18 game will take place this year, as well as including some Week 17 games. Enjoy!
1.) 2001 Bears @ Jaguars: Defense dominates, Keith Traylor rumbles in regular season finale
The 2001 season had a lot of watershed moments, but maybe one of the more memorable moments came in the regular season finale when the 12-3 Bears hit the road to end the season against the 6-9 Jacksonville Jaguars.
With a shot to wrap
up the #1 seed in the NFC with a win and a Rams loss, the Bears went all in week 17.
And it showed up across the board.
Jim Miller had a effeicient game, the “A-Train” Anthony Thomas ran for 160 yards and a touchdown, the defense sacked Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell 4 times, and forced 3 Burnell interceptions, with Jerry Azumah, Rosevelt Colvin, and the big man Keith Traylor pawing a ball out of the air for an interception.
Traylor would cut up field, chugging his way down the field, and at one point even considered lateralling the ball to a teammate Jerry Azumah, but thought better of it.
The Bears would turn the interception into 7 points, as just 2 plays later Jim Miller found David Terrell for a 9-yard touchdown.
The Bears would go on to close out the Jaguars 33-13, heading into the playoffs on a high note, capping a magical regular season that was unfortunately ended by the Philadelphia Eagles 2 weeks late.
2.) 2024 Bears @ Packers: Bears snap 11 game losing streak to Packers thanks to the leg of Cairo Santos
This one should still be fresh in everyone’s minds.
Mired in a 10 game losing streak, in a season that saw both offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus fired, the Bears closed out the season in Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, who had locked a playoff spot but still could avoid the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles with a win in week 18 and a Commanders loss.
The game played out very similar to their first meeting in week 11, with the Bears surrendering a 4th quarter lead late.
In both games Caleb Williams and the Bears offense engineered potential game winning drives, with the Week 11 game coming down to a blocked kick to seal the game for the Packers.
Week 18, however flipped the script.
Aided by a 15-yard horse collar tackle by Kingsley Enagbare on the drives first play, the Bears drove 47 yards in 6 plays in 45 seconds to put kicker Cairo Santos in position to kick a game winning 51-yard field goal as time expired.
The kick was true, and Cairo and the Bears snapped an 11 game losing streak, the longest by either team in the rivalry, and ended the 2024 season on perhaps the highest of notes given the circumstance of the season.
In the last 4 games against the Packers, each team has won 2 games, with the Bears holding a single point scorin advantage.
The rivalry may very well be back.
3.) 2012 Bears @ Lions: Bears win on the road but miss the playoffs as the Lovie Smith era ends
it wasn’t common for 10 wins teams to miss the playoffs in the 16 game schedule. Especially when the last win of the season got them to 10.
Unfortunately for the 2012 Bears, that’s exactly what happened.
The 2010 Bears started hot out the gates in, sporting a 7-1 record through the first 8 games, but the back half of the schedule proved to be brutal for the Bears, as the Bears would start that 8 game stretch 1-5, no doubt impacted by a concussion starting quarterback Jay Cutler suffered against the Houston Texans in week 10.
The Bears took care of business in week 16, beating the Arizona Cardinals 28-13 in Glendale, setting up a win or go home (without some help from the Vikings.)
A 60-yard touchdown from Jay Cutler to Earl Bennett set the early tone for the Bears, and the Bears raced out to a 20-10 halftime lead, aided by 3 Lions turnovers in the 1st half, 2 by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Bears would hold to beat the Lions with the aid of 2 Olindo Mare field goals in the second half, as 2 touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford proved to not be enough to beat the Bears.
All the Bears needed was for the Vikings to lose against the division winning Green Bay Packers.
But as time expired, Vikings kicker Blair Walsh nailed a 29-yard field goal to send the Vikings to the playoffs and the Bears home.
1 day later Lovie Smith was fired by General Manager Phil Emery. Lovie finished his 9-year career with the Bears going 81-63, the 3rd most wins all time for a Bears head coach. He also was 1 of the only 2 Bears head coaches to make in to the Superbowl, and the first African American coach to make it to the Superbowl, an accomplishment he shared with Tony Dungy.
4.) 1985 Bears vs. Giants: The 85’ Bears start their playoff journey with a overpowering defensive performance
It was a frigid January afternoon at Soldier Field, as the Bears earned the right to home field advantage in the NFC with a 15-1 regular season.
They played host the Bill Parcells and the New York Giants, who were a very good team, finishing the 1985 season 6th in total points scored, and 5th in points allowed. Lead by running back Joe Morris, who lead the league with 21 rushing touchdowns, the Bears had their work cut out for them.
But Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, and the ‘85 defense was more than up to the challenge.
Maybe it was an early sign that it wasn’t meant to be for the Giants, but after a 1st quarters punt that glanced off the side of the foot of Giants punter Sean Landeta, Bears safety Shaun Gayle picked up the 5-yard punt and returned it for the shortest punt return touchdown in NFL history.
A pair of Dennis McKinnon touchdown passes added a cherry on top, but the early punt return was all that was needed as the Bears defense absolute shutdown the Giants offense. Joe Morris carried 12 times for just 32 yards, quarterback Phil Simms was sacked 6 times, including 3.5 from future Hall of Famer Richard Dent, and the Bears defensive until held the Giants offense to just 181 total yards, their lowest output of the season for the Giants.
5.) 2000 Bears @ Lions: Bears stun Lions on the road, playing spoiler and knocking them out of playoff contention
The Dick Jauron era was mostly forgettable, outside of the miracle run of the 2001 Bears, Jauron’s best finish saw him a 7-9 in a season he was fired for afterwards.
The 2000 season was mostly a forgettable one for the Bears across the Bears, with a offense that finished 3rd to last in scoring and 20th in points allowed.
But there were some flashes of things to come. Bears rookie middle linebacker Brian Urlacher had a stellar rookie year, recording 124 tackles, 8 sacks, and 2 interceptions in a season that earned him a trip to the pro-bowl and defensive rookie of the year honors.
It all culminated in week 17, not only for Urlacher, but the defense as a whole.
In a game that the Lions were favored by 10 points, the Bears defense had something to say about what Vegas thought.
The game saw both starting quarterbacks knocked out of the game due to injury, with Bears quarterback Shane Matthews breaking his thumb, and Lions quarterback Charlie Batch aggravating a rib injury.
Bears backup Cade McNown filled in admirably, completing 5 of 11 passes for 60-yards including a very nice 27-yard touchdown throw to Marty Booker.
But it was the defense that shine the most, a defense that sacked Lions quarterbacks 5 times, and forced 2 turnovers, including a R.W. McQuarters 61-yard pick 6 to give the Bears a 20-17 lead with 6:31 to play.
And it was the defense that gave the Bears a chance to win at the end. With the Lions driving the try and win the game, Bears corner Thomas Smith sacked Lions backup quarterback Stoney Case, forcing a fumble and giving the Bears the ball on their own 45.
After a 9-yard completion on first down, Cade McNown threw 2 incompletions, back-to-back setting up a 4th and 1. And on 4th and 1 he delivered a 10-yard throw to James Allen, setting up rookie kicker Paul Edinger, who nailed a 54-yard field goal, his longest of the season, and knocking the Detroit Lions out of the playoffs.
Gary Baugher Jr. is a rookie contributor to WCG, bringing football insight backed by over 16 years of experience in organized football and more than 30 years as a passionate fan of the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcogs.
