Even though the Bears beat the Patriots on Thursday night, this time machine has no brakes! We’re back with three more games from Week 7 from Chicago Bears history. Hope aboard and enjoy this trip on the Gridiron Time Machine!
1. 2007, Bears @ Eagles: Griese engineers a 97-yard miracle
October 21, 2007 | Bears win 19-16
The defending NFC champions had stumbled to a 2-4 start in 2007, and things weren’t looking particularly promising in Philadelphia.
Chicago’s offense struggled to find the end zone for most of the afternoon, relying on four Robbie Gould field
goals to keep pace with the Eagles.
When Donovan McNabb connected with Matt Schobel for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia took a 16-12 lead.
The Bears eventually got the football back at their own three-yard line with 1:57 remaining, no timeouts, and needing a touchdown.
Enter Brian Griese.
With communication problems affecting his helmet headset, Griese called his own plays and marched Chicago 97 yards down the field. He connected with Bernard Berrian and Devin Hester on crucial completions before finding Muhsin Muhammad for a 15-yard touchdown with nine seconds remaining.
Griese finished with 322 passing yards and a touchdown, while Muhammad caught five passes for 79 yards.
Chicago escaped with a 19-16 victory, improving to 3-4 and keeping its postseason hopes alive.
2. 2017, Bears vs. Panthers: Eddie Jackson makes NFL history
October 22, 2017 | Bears win 17-3
Sometimes the defense doesn’t just help win a football game.
Sometimes it scores every touchdown.
That was the case when Carolina visited Soldier Field in Week 7 of the 2017 season.
Rookie safety Eddie Jackson wasted little time announcing himself.
On Carolina’s opening possession, Jackson scooped up a loose football and raced 75 yards for a touchdown. Early in the second quarter, he intercepted a deflected Cam Newton pass and returned it 76 yards for another score.
Just like that, Jackson had scored 14 points by himself.
He became the first player in NFL history to record two defensive touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the same game.
The Bears defense finished with three takeaways and five sacks, holding Carolina to just three points despite being outgained 293-153.
Perhaps the most ridiculous statistic from the afternoon belonged to Chicago’s offense.
Mitchell Trubisky completed just four passes for 107 yards, while the Bears managed only five first downs.
None of it mattered.
Chicago walked away with a 17-3 victory, improving to 3-4 and recording consecutive wins for the first time since 2015.
3. 2022, Bears @ Patriots: Chicago spoils Belichick’s historic opportunity
October 24, 2022 | Bears win 33-14
This one seems particularly appropriate with New England visiting Soldier Field Thursday night.
The Bears entered their Week 7 Monday Night Football matchup in 2022 riding a three-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was sitting on 324 career victories, including the postseason, tied with Bears legend George Halas for second-most in NFL history.
A victory against Chicago would move Belichick past Papa Bear himself, but the Bears had other ideas.
Justin Fields had a solid game, completing 13-of-21 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 82 yards and a score.
Chicago jumped out to a 10-0 lead before New England turned to backup quarterback Bailey Zappe, who briefly sparked the Patriots offense and gave them a 14-10 advantage.
That was the last time New England would score.
The Bears rattled off 23 unanswered points, rushing for 243 yards while forcing four turnovers, one of which forced by Spider-Man himself, rookie Kyler Gordon. Fields led the way on the ground, while David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert each contributed 62 rushing yards.
Cairo Santos added four field goals as Chicago cruised to a 33-14 victory.
The win was Chicago’s first in Foxborough and prevented Belichick from passing Halas in front of the franchise he helped build.
Gary Baugher Jr. is a second year 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.
