Can't Bear it

FOOTBALL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

Another week, another Bears game, another jaw-dropper. Last week it was the bizzare final minute in Atlanta. This week offered a shootout with the Vikings, aided by two crazy punts, a lucky end zone fumble recovery and four interceptions by four different players that even the biggest Bears fans would have trouble identifying. Still, the team goes into their bye at 4-3, having had the lead in the fourth quarter of every contest and tied for first in the NFC North.

But these past two games got me thinking-- what's the craziest ending to a Bears game in my lifetime? I edited the question to the craziest since 2000, when I really started following the team. Here's my top four list:


4) 2004 at Tenneessee
Not much positive took place in the '04 season, as shown by 5-11 record and the four quarterbacks wo started for the Bears during the year: Rex Grossman, Jonathan Quinn, Chad Hutchenson and Craig Krenzel. But the November 14 contest at Tennessee was one to remember. The Bears won 19-17 in overtime, becoming only the second team in NFL history to win an OT game on a safety. The defense and special teams actually scored all the Bears points during the game (INT return for TD, punt returen for TD, field goal and safety), which is obvious when shown that the team only had 176 yards and ten first downs all game. And the player the Bears brought down in the end zone for that game winning safety? It was none other than Fred Miller, the Titans right tackle who recovered a fumble only to be brought down by Alex Brown. After the season, Miller signed with the Bears in free agency.

3) 2001 vs Cleveland
The week before this game with the Browns, the Bears had defeated the 49ers in overtime after Mike Brown brought an interception back for a touchdown. So against Cleveland, what do you think happened? Yep, Mike Brown brought an interception back for a touchdwon, becoming the first player (offense or defense) to end overtime game's with toucdowns in consecutive weeks. But the real drama of this game came at the end of regulation. After the Bears scored a TD and recovered an onside kick in the final minute of the game, Shane Matthews lobeed a jump ball to the corner of the end zone as the clock ticked to zero. Wideout David Terrell, in his biggest contribution ever to the Bears, tipped the ball, which allowed running back James Allen to make a diving catch, sending the game into OT. Bears then won 27-21 on Brown's pick-6.

2) 2008 at Atlanta
Every time I try and think about this game, which the Falcons won 22-20, my head begins to hurt even more. I'll put it this way: By the time I had my brain wrapped around the idea that the Bears had won after being dominated for 50 minutes, the Bears had lost. It was just so fast. Touchdwon (Bears lead), extra point, squib kick, 25-yard pass, field goal (Falcons lead), GAME OVER. That was it. Not even a commercial break to let it soak in. A week later, it still doesn't make any sense.
[see last Monday's post for full recap]

1) 2006 at Arizona
What makes a game a classic? Sometimes its two great teams trading punches, a game that gets better every time the ball transfers hands. Other times its due to one defineing moment, something that everybody who watched it will remember forever. Or how about a great comeback, one that makes a mockery of anything you ever knew about football. The Bears and Cardinals played one of those classic games in October of 2008, and still two years later, I'm not sure how to classify it. The Bears won 24-23 despite six turnovers, a nearly 2:1 time-of-posession loss and a 20-point deficit late in the third quarter. Helped by an agressive defense, great special teams, and horrible clock management by the Cards, the Bears wee able to come back, getting the lead with less than two minutes left. But the drama didn't end there. Arizona put together one final drive, giving Pro Bowl kicker Neal Rackers a chance to win it with a 41-yard field goal in the final minute. The kick though was wide left, improving the Bears to 6-0 on their way to the Super Bowl. The game will be remembered for how bad the Bears played on offense, how great they were on D, but most of all, for This- the greatest post-game rant of all time.