2005 Chicago Bears season

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 2005 NFL draft

Undrafted free agents

Training camp

Hopeful expectations were crushed as quarterback Rex Grossman's ankle was broken in the 2nd preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. Backup quarterback Chad Hutchinson was benched and cut after struggling heavily in the next two preseason games against the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. The Bears then turned to rookie Kyle Orton to lead their offense.

Rookie running back Cedric Benson held out of training camp over a contract dispute until just before the final preseason game. His absence in camp meant that Thomas Jones would be the starting running back going into the regular season.

Despite all these setbacks, the Bears were still hopeful because franchise middle linebacker Brian Urlacher had made it through the preseason in good health, unlike the year before when he battled injuries all season, beginning with a pulled hamstring on the first day of training camp.

Preseason

Staff

• Chairman of the board – Michael McCaskey

• President/chief executive officer – Ted Phillips

• General manager – Jerry Angelo

• Director of pro personnel – Bobby DePaul

• Director of college scouting – Greg Gabriel

• Head coach – Lovie Smith

• Offensive coordinator – Ron Turner

• Quarterbacks – Wade Wilson

• Running backs – Tim Spencer

• Wide receivers – Darryl Drake

• Tight ends – Rob Boras

• Offensive line – Harry Hiestand

• Assistant offensive line – Harold Goodwin

• Offensive quality control – Mike Bajakian

• Defensive coordinator – Ron Rivera

• Defensive line – Don Johnson

• Linebackers – Bob Babich

• Defensive backs – Perry Fewell

• Assistant defensive backs – Torrian Gray

• Defensive quality control – Lloyd Lee

• Special teams coordinator – Dave Toub

• Assistant special teams – Charlie Coiner

• Strength and conditioning coordinator – Rusty Jones

• Strength and conditioning assistant – Jim Arthur

Roster

• Jeff Blake

• Rex Grossman

• Kyle Orton

• Cedric Benson

• Bryan Johnson FB

• Thomas Jones

• Jason McKie FB

• Adrian Peterson

• Eddie Berlin

• Bernard Berrian PR

• Justin Gage

• Muhsin Muhammad

• Desmond Clark

• John Gilmore

• Gabe Reid

• Ruben Brown G

• Steve Edwards G

• Lennie Friedman C

• Roberto Garza G

• Olin Kreutz C

• Terrence Metcalf G

• Fred Miller T

• Qasim Mitchell T

• John St. Clair T

• John Tait T

• Alfonso Boone DT

• Alex Brown DE

• Tommie Harris DT

• Michael Haynes DE

• Israel Idonije DE

• Tank Johnson DT

• Adewale Ogunleye DE

• Ian Scott DT

• Brendon Ayanbadejo OLB

• Lance Briggs OLB

• Jeremy Cain MLB

• Hunter Hillenmeyer OLB

• Leon Joe OLB

• Brian Urlacher MLB

• Jerry Azumah CB

• Mike Brown SS

• Rashied Davis CB/KR/PR

• Mike Green FS

• Chris Harris FS

• Daven Holly CB

• Todd Johnson CB/S

• Brandon McGowan SS

• Chris Thompson CB

• Charles Tillman CB

• Nathan Vasher CB

• Robbie Gould K

• Patrick Mannelly LS

• Brad Maynard P

• Mark Bradley WR (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Airese Currie WR (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Bobby Gray S (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Alfonso Marshall CB (PUP) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Joe Odom LB (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Marcus Reese LB (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Rod Wilson LB (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Cameron Worrell S (IR) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

• Willie Amos S

• Keith Belton RB

• Craig Bragg WR

• Darrell Campbell DT

• Antonio Garay DT

• Jamaal Green DE

• T. J. Hollowell LB

• Anthony Oakley G

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1: at Washington Redskins

Q2 – WAS – 7:34 – John Hall 40-yard field goal (WAS 3–0)

Q2 – WAS – 1:00 – John Hall 43-yard field goal (WAS 6–0)

Q3 – CHI – 11:28 – Thomas Jones 1-yard run (Doug Brien kick) (CHI 7–6)

Q3 – WAS – 2:54 – John Hall 19-yard field goal (WAS 9–7)

Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions

Q1 – CHI – 10:10 – Thomas Jones 3-yard run (Doug Brien kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q1 – DET – 9:54 – Roy Williams 51-yard pass from Joey Harrington (kick failed) (CHI 7–6)

Q1 – CHI – 6:04 – Doug Brien 48-yard field goal (CHI 10–6)

Q2 – CHI – 11:34 – Bobby Wade 73-yard punt return (Doug Brien kick) (CHI 17–6)

Q2 – CHI – 1:14 – Muhsin Muhammad 28-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Doug Brien kick) (CHI 24–6)

Q2 – CHI – 0:57 – Mike Brown 41-yard interception return (Doug Brien kick) (CHI 31–6)

Q4 – CHI – 12:13 – Thomas Jones 16-yard run (Doug Brien kick) (CHI 38–6)

Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Q1 – CIN – 13:46 – Chad Johnson 18-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Shayne Graham kick) (CIN 7–0)

Q1 – CIN – 5:31 – Shayne Graham 33-yard field goal (CIN 10–0)

Q3 – CIN – 7:03 – Chris Henry 36-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Shayne Graham kick) (CIN 17–0)

Q4 – CHI – 13:30 – Thomas Jones 2-yard run (Doug Brien kick) (CIN 17–7)

Q4 – CIN – 11:56 – Chad Johnson 40-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Shayne Graham kick) (CIN 24–7) This was Chicago's only loss at home during the season.

Week 5: at Cleveland Browns

Q1 – CLE – 4:17 – Phil Dawson 19-yard field goal (CLE 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 9:01 – Robbie Gould 44-yard field goal (3–3)

Q2 – CLE – 0:37 – Phil Dawson 44-yard field goal (CLE 6–3)

Q3 – CHI – 5:29 – Marc Edwards 8-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 10–6)

Q4 – CLE – 3:02 – Antonio Bryant 33-yard pass from Trent Dilfer (Phil Dawson kick) (CLE 13–10)

Q4 – CLE – 2:24 – Antonio Bryant 28-yard pass from Trent Dilfer (Phil Dawson kick) (CLE 20–10)

Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Q2 – MIN – 6:55 – Paul Edinger 23-yard field goal (MIN 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 0:37 – Desmond Clark 3-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–3)

Q3 – CHI – 7:28 – Desmond Clark 2-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 14–3)

Q4 – CHI – 13:03 – Thomas Jones 24-yard run (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 21–3)

Q4 – CHI – 4:11 – Thomas Jones 1-yard run (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 28–3)

Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Q1 – CHI – 0:19 – Marc Edwards 9-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q2 – BAL – 8:46 – Matt Stover 40-yard field goal (CHI 7–3)

Q2 – BAL – 0:26 – Matt Stover 29-yard field goal (CHI 7–6)

Q3 – CHI – 2:52 – Robbie Gould 23-yard field goal (CHI 10–6) Before the game, Bears great Walter Payton, who died in 1999, was honored by teammate Dan Hampton, who played together in the Bears' 1985 season.

Week 8: at Detroit Lions

Q1 – DET – 4:11 – Jason Hanson 32-yard field goal (DET 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 9:29 – Muhsin Muhammad 23-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–3)

Q2 – CHI – 1:51 – Robbie Gould 38-yard field goal (CHI 10–3)

Q2 – CHI – 0:17 – Robbie Gould 20-yard field goal (CHI 13–3)

Q3 – DET – 3:15 – Kevin Jones 6-yard run (Jason Hanson kick) (CHI 13–10)

Q4 – DET – 13:20 – Jason Hanson 30-yard field goal (13–13)

OT – CHI – 8:43 – Charles Tillman 22-yard interception return (CHI 19–13) Bears rookie Mark Bradley was placed on injured reserve this game, and was replaced by Justin Gage. Bradley had recorded 18 receptions for 230 yards at the time of his injury.

Week 9: at New Orleans Saints

Q1 – NO – 12:18 – John Carney 22-yard field goal (NO 3-0)

Q1 – CHI – 6:26 – Justin Gage 4-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (7–3)

Q2 – NO – 9:57 – Donté Stallworth 15-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick) (NO 10-7)

Q2 – CHI – 0:22 – Robbie Gould 35-yard field goal (10–10)

Q3 – CHI – 7:29 – Adrian Peterson 6-yard run (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 17–10)

Q4 – NO – 7:44 – Aaron Brooks 1-yard run (John Carney kick) (17–17)

Q4 – CHI – 0:06 – Robbie Gould 28-yard field goal (CHI 20–17)

Due to damage from Hurricane Katrina to the Louisiana Superdome, the Saints were forced to host the game at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. The Saints scored first on a John Carney field goal, but the Bears struck back with a Kyle Orton to Justin Gage touchdown pass. After the Saints scored on an Aaron Brooks touchdown pass to Donté Stallworth, Robbie Gould tied the game on a 35-yard field goal. In the second half, Adrian Peterson gave the Bears the lead on a 6-yard run, which was countered with Brooks scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Orton eventually threw a 22-yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad to set up a game-winning field goal from Gould with six seconds left in the game. Gould eventually scored on a 28-yard field goal to give the Bears a 20–17 lead. The Saints' last chance to march 65 yards to win was crushed when Brooks' pass to Az-Zahir Hakim was intercepted by Nathan Vasher. The win was the Bears' fourth-straight, which hasn't been accomplished by the team since their 2001 season. In the first quarter, Bears running back Thomas Jones went out with an injury, but his backups Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson combined for 137 yards and a touchdown.

Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Q2 – SF – 8:57 – Joe Nedney 30-yard field goal (SF 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 0:00 – Nathan Vasher 108-yard missed field goal return (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–3)

Q3 – SF – 9:38 – Joe Nedney 34-yard field goal (CHI 7–6)

Q4 – CHI – 14:33 – Adrian Peterson 7-yard run (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 14–6)

Q4 – SF – 10:54 – Joe Nedney 29-yard field goal (CHI 14–9)

Q4 – CHI – 7:40 – Robbie Gould 37-yard field goal (CHI 17–9)

With wind speeds reaching 26 MPH, this is the windiest game in NFL history

Week 11: vs. Carolina Panthers

Q1 – CHI – 11:50 – Muhsin Muhammad 3-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q1 – CHI – 5:41 – Robbie Gould 33-yard field goal (CHI 10–0)

Q2 – CHI – 7:52 – Robbie Gould 39-yard field goal (CHI 13–0)

Q4 – CAR – 8:31 – John Kasay 38-yard field goal (CHI 13–3)

Week 12: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Q1 – CHI – 11:50 – John Gilmore 1-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q1 – TB – 2:12 – Matt Bryant 27-yard field goal (CHI 7–3)

Q2 – CHI – 0:17 – Robbie Gould 25-yard field goal (CHI 10–3)

Q3 – CHI – 3:47 – Robbie Gould 36-yard field goal (CHI 13–3)

Q4 – TB – 7:00 – Mike Alstott 2-yard run (CHI 13–10)

Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers

Q2 – CHI – 13:34 – Robbie Gould 21-yard field goal (CHI 3–0)

Q2 – GB – 7:03 – Samkon Gado 2-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick) (GB 7–3)

Q2 – CHI – 4:33 – Robbie Gould 40-yard field goal (GB 7–6)

Q2 – CHI – 0:02 – Robbie Gould 25-yard field goal (CHI 9–7)

Q4 – CHI – 8:22 – Robbie Gould 35-yard field goal (CHI 12–7)

Q4 – CHI – 3:06 – Nathan Vasher 45-yard interception return (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 19–7)

Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Q1 – PIT – 9:16 – Hines Ward 14-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) (PIT 7–0)

Q1 – CHI – 2:30 – Robbie Gould 29-yard field goal (PIT 7–3)

Q2 – PIT – 7:25 – Jerome Bettis 1-yard run (Jeff Reed kick) (PIT 14–3)

Q3 – PIT – 5:23 – Jerome Bettis 5-yard run (Jeff Reed kick) (PIT 21–3)

Q4 – CHI – 13:38 – Thomas Jones 1-yard run (kick failed) (PIT 21–9)

Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Q2 – ATL – 10:16 – Todd Peterson 30-yard field goal (ATL 3–0)

Q2 – CHI – 6:33 – Robbie Gould 35-yard field goal (3–3)

Q2 – CHI – 3:20 – Robbie Gould 29-yard field goal (CHI 6–3)

Q3 – CHI – 8:17 – Thomas Jones 1-yard run (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 13–3)

Q3 – CHI – 0:53 – Robbie Gould 39-yard field goal (CHI 16–3)

Week 16: at Green Bay Packers

Q1 – CHI – 5:00 – Muhsin Muhammad 12-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 7–0)

Q2 – GB – 12:05 – Noah Herron 1-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick) (7–7)

Q2 – CHI – 5:05 – Thomas Jones 2-yard run (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 14–7)

Q3 – CHI – 9:39 – Robbie Gould 45-yard field goal (CHI 17–7)

Q3 – CHI – 4:01 – Lance Briggs 10-yard interception return (Robbie Gould kick) (CHI 24–7)

Q4 – GB – 7:54 – Antonio Chatman 85-yard punt return (Ryan Longwell kick) (CHI 24–14)

Q4 – GB – 1:54 – Ryan Longwell 26-yard field goal (CHI 24–17) The win marked the first time since 1991 that the Bears swept the Green Bay Packers.

Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings

Q1 – CHI – 5:14 – Robbie Gould 22-yard field goal (CHI 3–0)

Q2 – MIN – 14:53 – Paul Edinger 54-yard field goal (3–3)

Q2 – MIN – 7:37 – Ciatrick Fason 2-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) (MIN 10–3)

Q2 – MIN – 0:03 – Travis Taylor 17-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Paul Edinger kick) (MIN 17–3)

Q3 – MIN – 3:58 – Mewelde Moore 7-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Paul Edinger kick) (MIN 24–3)

Q4 – MIN – 14:52 – Paul Edinger 27-yard field goal (MIN 27–3)

Q4 – CHI – 7:08 – Justin Gage 4-yard pass from Jeff Blake (Robbie Gould kick) (MIN 27–10)

Q4 – MIN – 5:10 – Michael Bennett 61-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) (MIN 34–10)

Playoffs

NFC Divisional Playoff: vs. Carolina Panthers

Q1 – CAR – 14:05 – 58 yd TD pass from Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith (Kasay kick) (7–0 CAR)

Q2 – CAR – 14:57 – John Kasay 20 yd FG (CAR 10–0)

Q2 – CAR – 6:26 – John Kasay 38 yd FG (CAR 13–0)

Q2 – CHI – 2:58 – Adrian Peterson 1 yd TD run (Robbie Gould kick) (CAR 13–7)

Q2 – CAR – 0:00 – John Kasay 37 yd FG (CAR 16–7)

Q3 – CHI – 11:21 – 1 yd TD pass from Rex Grossman to Desmond Clark (Gould kick) (CAR 16–14)

Q3 – CAR – 2:07 – 39 yd TD pass from Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith (Kasay kick) (CAR 23–14)

Q4 – CHI – 13:23 – Jason McKie 1 yd TD run (Gould kick) (CAR 23–21)

Q4 – CAR – 8:04 – 1 yd TD pass from Jake Delhomme to Kris Mangum (kick failed) (CAR 29–21)

The Bears hosted their first playoff game since the 2001 season against the red hot Panthers, fresh off a victory over Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

Things were bad from the beginning for the Bears, who allowed a 58-yard Jake Delhomme TD pass to Steve Smith just 55 seconds into the game. Cornerback Charles Tillman slipped on the play, and it only signified things to come the rest of the game for the vaunted Bears defense.

The Panthers added two field goals to their total before the Bears got their first points.

The Bears offense got off to a slow start, having their first 5 possessions end in punts. Their first score came midway through the second quarter, when running back Adrian Peterson scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run. The Bears had opted to go for it on 4th down to get the score, cutting the Carolina lead to 13–7. Before the half expired, the Panthers' John Kasay kicked a 37-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the half, extending the lead to 16–7.

The Bears offense came out at halftime firing on all cylinders, mounting an 8-play, 68-yard drive to close to within 2 points of the Panther lead. It was a balanced drive that led to the score, with the Bears running and passing 5 times each, with Rex Grossman capping the drive with a 1-yard TD pass to Desmond Clark.

The spark provided by the offense was short-lived, as midway through the 3rd quarter, Delhomme went deep to Steve Smith again, this time for a 39-yard touchdown that put the Panthers up 23–14. Chris Thompson, a reserve defensive back for the Bears, fell down on the play to let Smith slip past him.

The Bears managed to score one more time on a drive that started with 2:07 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Grossman completed 3 of 4 passes on the drive, and running back Thomas Jones almost scored on a 7-yard run. After a replay challenge by Carolina, however, the officials reversed the call to say that Jones had fumbled into the endzone, which would have resulted in a Carolina touchback. However, a major facemask penalty on Carolina defensive back Marlon McCree gave Chicago a first down at the Carolina 3. From there, fullback Jason McKie rumbled in for a touchdown, making the score 23–21 to the Panthers.

The Panthers extended their lead once more with a 1-yard Delhomme pass to tight end Kris Mangum. Kasay missed the extra point try though, making the Panthers' lead 29–21.

When the Bears offense started moving the ball once more, disaster struck for the Bears, as on a 3rd-and-10 play from the Carolina 37-yard line, Grossman threw an ill-advised interception to Ken Lucas.

References

References

1. (2005-08-13). "Second major injury in two years for Bears QB". [[ESPN]].
2. ''[[America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions]]'', "#2. 1985 Chicago Bears." Premiered on [[CBS]], Feb. 3, 2007
3. "NFL Game Center: Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints – 2005 Week 9".
4. (September 12, 2005). "Saints' home games: 4 at LSU, 3 in Alamodome". [[ESPN]].
5. (November 6, 2005). "Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints – Recap". [[ESPN]].
6. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200511130chi.htm
7. https://www.chicagobears.com/photos/top-10-extreme-weather-games
8. Mayer, Larry. (2013-12-25). "Was schedule different due to holiday?". [[Chicago Bears]].