ClutchPoints
The Chicago Bears have a proud history of success in the NFL. Chicago has not had many seasons to cheer about in recent memory, but they have multiple eras of NFL history where they were a dominant team.
It helps to have dominant players and coaches. Chicago boasts some of the most legendary names in the sport, including Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, and Bronko Nagurski.
But which Bears teams are the best in franchise history?
Below we will explore the top 10 best Chicago Bears teams of all time.
For this ranking list, I will be consider a few factors to make my decisions. You’ll see the regular season record and result of each season, along with a superlative to show what makes each season special.
I have also given some seasons extra points when the Bears were particularly dominant, or when certain football innovations were used for maximum impact.
Let’s get into it.
Regular Season Record: 8-1-1
Result: Defeated Washington Redskins 41-21 in NFL Championship
Superlative: Bears dominate shortened season
World War II forced the NFL to have a shortened season in 1943. I ranked this season 10th on the list because of a smaller sample size.
But this season was still great for the Bears. Chicago dominated the entire season and won their third NFL Championship in four years.
Regular Season Record: 7-1-6
Result: Defeated Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in tiebreaker game to win NFL Championship
Superlative: Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski dominate
The 1932 season was a crazy year for the Bears.
Chicago did not score a single point during their first four games of the season. That was surprising considering the Bears had both Grange and Nagurski in their backfield.
The Bears got back on track in their final nine games, going on a 7-0-2 winning streak.
Chicago tied the Portsmouth Spartans (who would eventually become the Detroit Lions) in the NFL Championship. The rules at the time stated that a tiebreaker game needed to be played to decide a winner.
The Bears won that game 9-0.
Regular Season Record: 13-3
Result: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 29-17 in Super Bowl 41
Superlative: Devin Hester’s finest hour
QB Rex Grossman had a surprise season, coming out of nowhere to throw for 3,193 yards with 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
But the real stories of the 2006 season were Chicago’s incredible defense and the emergence of returner Devin Hester
Hester took the NFL by storm during his rookie season. He logged a total of 1,128 combined return yards with five touchdowns during the regular season.
The Bears made it all the way to Super Bowl 41. Hester returned the opening kickoff all the way for a 92-yard touchdown. Chicago even had a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Unfortunately, Peyton Manning would not be denied and dominated the rest of the game, earning his first Lombardi Trophy.
**Regular...
