2001 Chicago Bears season

The 2001 Chicago Bears season was their 82nd regular season and 23rd postseason completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 13–3 record under head coach Dick Jauron en route to an NFC Central title and the number two seed in the NFC. With former 1st round pick Cade McNown being traded during training camp, the Bears were led by Jim Miller. The team had five comeback wins during the season, including two straight improbable wins where safety Mike Brown returned an interception for the game-winning touchdown in overtime. However, the Bears were upset at home by the Philadelphia Eagles 33–19 in the NFC Divisional playoffs.

2001 Chicago Bears season
OwnerThe McCaskey Family
Head coachDick Jauron
General managerJerry Angelo
Home fieldSoldier Field
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st NFC Central
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) 33–19
Pro BowlersC Olin Kreutz
T James Williams
DT Ted Washington
LB Brian Urlacher
ST Larry Whigham

Offseason
AdditionsSubtractions
DT Ted Washington (Bills)DT Mike Wells (Colts)
TE Fred Baxter (Jets)WR Eddie Kennison (Broncos)
FB Stanley Pritchett (Eagles)DT Jim Flanigan (Packers)
QB Danny Wuerffel (Packers)G Todd Perry (Dolphins)
TE John Davis (Vikings)LB Barry Minter (Browns)
P Brad Maynard (Giants)C Casey Wiegmann (Chiefs)
DT Keith Traylor (Broncos)CB Thomas Smith (Colts)
FB Daimon Shelton (Jaguars)WR Bobby Engram (Seahawks)
SS Larry Whigham (Patriots)

Draft choices
2001 Chicago Bears draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 8 David Terrell  WR Michigan
2 38 Anthony Thomas  RB Michigan
3 68 Mike Gandy  OL Notre Dame
4 103 Karon Riley  LB Minnesota
5 138 Bernard Robertson  OL Tulane
7 208 John Capel  WR Florida
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Staff
2001 Chicago Bears staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Physical Development Coordinator – Russ Riederer
  • Assistant Physical Development Coordinator – Steve Little

Roster
2001 Chicago Bears final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 56 active, 0 inactive, 0 practice squad

Season narrative

The Bears surprised most with a breakout campaign in 2001. After losing the opening game of the season to the Super Bowl XXXV Champion Baltimore Ravens 17–6 on the road, the Bears won their next six games, starting with a 17–10 victory against their division rival, the Minnesota Vikings in the Bears’ home-opener. They carried their momentum through the Week 3 Bye and won on the road against the Atlanta Falcons (31–3).

The Bears returned home and won against the Arizona Cardinals 20–13. After a road shutout of the Cincinnati Bengals 24–0 the Bears played three home games. The first two games of this stretch were back-to-back overtime wins, first against the San Francisco 49ers (37–31), then against the Cleveland Browns (27–21). Both times safety Mike Brown capped remarkable comebacks (the Bears trailed 28–9 in the third quarter against San Francisco, and 21–7 with seconds remaining against Cleveland) by returning an interception in overtime for a touchdown.

Unfortunately the Green Bay Packers (their historic rival) buried the Bears’ win streak at home, 20–12. The Bears rebounded, winning their next three games. They first defeated then-division rival Tampa Bay 27–24. A season sweep of the Vikings (13–6) followed, then the Bears defended their turf against the Detroit Lions 13–10.

The Bears then traveled to Lambeau Field and were swept by the Packers 17–7. Once again the Bears rebounded, winning their last four games, against the Buccaneers at home (27–3), the Redskins (20–15), the Lions on the road (24–0), and then their season-finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars (33–13). The Bears ended the regular season with a 13–3 record.

The Bears entered the playoffs with the league’s top defense (allowing a league-low 203 points), an offense ranked 11th in points scored (338 points), and a plus-13 turnover differential (4th in the league), but their magical season ended on a sour note, losing 33–19 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs at Soldier Field.

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result TV Time Attendance
1 September 9, 2001 at Baltimore Ravens L 17–6 FOX 12:00pm
69,365
2 September 23, 2001 Minnesota Vikings W 17–10 FOX 12:00pm
66,944
3 Bye
4 October 7, 2001 at Atlanta Falcons W 31–3 FOX 12:00pm
46,483
5 October 14, 2001 Arizona Cardinals W 20–13 FOX 12:00pm
66,944
6 October 21, 2001 at Cincinnati Bengals W 24–0 FOX 12:00pm
63,408
7 October 28, 2001 San Francisco 49ers W 37–31 FOX 12:00pm
66,944
8 November 4, 2001 Cleveland Browns W 27–21 CBS 3:15pm
66,944
9 November 11, 2001 Green Bay Packers L 20–12 FOX 12:00pm
66,944
10 November 18, 2001 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–24 FOX 3:15pm
65,612
11 November 25, 2001 at Minnesota Vikings W 13–6 ESPN 7:30pm
64,214
12 December 2, 2001 Detroit Lions W 13–10 FOX 12:00pm
66,944
13 December 9, 2001 at Green Bay Packers L 17–7 FOX 12:00pm
59,869
14 December 16, 2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–3 FOX 12:00pm
66,944
15 December 23, 2001 at Washington Redskins W 20–15 FOX 12:00pm
78,884
16 December 30, 2001 at Detroit Lions W 24–0 FOX 12:00pm
76,067
17 January 6, 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars W 33–13 CBS 12:00pm
66,944

Game summaries

Week 1
1 234Total
Bears 3 030 6
• Ravens 0 377 17

[1]

Week 2
1 234Total
Vikings 3 070 10
• Bears 0 0314 17

[2]

Week 4
1 234Total
• Bears 0 10021 31
Falcons 0 003 3

[3]

Week 5
1 234Total
Cardinals 0 607 13
• Bears 3 1070 20
  • Date: October 14
  • Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12.2 °C) • Wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Brian Baldinger

[4]

Week 6
1 234Total
• Bears 3 777 24
Bengals 0 000 0

[5]

Week 7
1 234OTTotal
49ers 14 01430 31
• Bears 0 97156 37
  • Date: October 28
  • Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 40 °F (4.4 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Tim Green, and Dan Jiggetts

[6]

Week 8
1 234OTTotal
Browns 7 01400 21
• Bears 0 70146 27
  • Date: November 4
  • Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
  • Game start: 3:15 p.m. (originally scheduled for 12:00 p.m.)
  • Elapsed time: 3:20
  • Game attendance: 66,944
  • Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
  • Referee: Gerald Austin
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian

[7]

Week 9
1 234Total
• Packers 0 1073 20
Bears 6 330 12

[8]

Week 10
1 234Total
• Bears 0 7173 27
Buccaneers 3 6015 24

[9]

Week 11
1 234Total
• Bears 0 1003 13
Vikings 0 033 6

[10]

Week 12
1 234Total
Lions 7 030 10
• Bears 0 3010 13

[11]

After the winless Lions control play for most of the first half, Detroit kicker Jason Hanson misses three relatively easy field goals and the Bears recover their offense for a come-behind victory.[12] The win moves the Bears to 9–2 but leave the Lions at 0–11 and looking down the barrel of the first 0–16 season in NFL history.

Week 13
1 234Total
Bears 0 070 7
• Packers 7 073 17

[13]

Week 14
1 234Total
Buccaneers 0 300 3
• Bears 3 1077 27

[14]

Week 15
1 234Total
• Bears 3 7010 20
Redskins 7 332 15

[15]

Week 16
1 234Total
• Bears 14 307 24
Lions 0 000 0

[16]

Quarterback Miller controls play, and the Bear defence dominates Lion QB Ty Detmer, so that the Lions suffer a second home shutout for the first time since 1942. The Bears’ first playoff berth in eight seasons becomes settled and the team gains an opportunity to win the NFC Central – in the last year under that banner – for the first time since 1988.[17]

Week 17
Jacksonville Jaguars (6–9) at Chicago Bears (12–3)
1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 0 6713
Bears 3 10 101033

at Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois

Standings
NFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) Chicago Bears 13 3 0 .813 338 203 W4
(4) Green Bay Packers 12 4 0 .750 390 266 W3
(6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 7 0 .563 324 280 L1
Minnesota Vikings 5 11 0 .313 290 390 L4
Detroit Lions 2 14 0 .125 270 424 W1

Playoffs
Week Date Opponent Result
Divisional January 19, 2002 Philadelphia Eagles L 19-33
1 234Total
• Eagles 6 7713 33
Bears 0 775 19
  • Date: Saturday January 19, 2002
  • Location: Soldier Field
  • Game start: 3:37
  • Elapsed time: 2:58
  • Game attendance: 66,944
  • Game weather: 31 °F (−0.6 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn), wind chill 19 °F or −7.2 °C
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver

[18]

References
  1. Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens – September 9th, 2001
  2. Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – September 23rd, 2001
  3. Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons – October 7th, 2001
  4. Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears – October 14th, 2001
  5. Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals – October 21st, 2001
  6. San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – October 28th, 2001
  7. Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears – November 4th, 2001
  8. Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears – November 11, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  9. Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – November 18th, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  10. Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – November 25th, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  11. Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears – December 2nd, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  12. Dowbiggin, Bruce; ‘Lions give futility a whole new meaning: After an 0-11 start, the history books beckon for woeful NFL franchise’; Calgary Herald, 15 December 2001, p. D3
  13. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – December 9th, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears – December 16th, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  15. Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins – December 23rd, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  16. Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions – December 30th, 2001. Retrieved 2018-Sep-14.
  17. ‘Miller dominates Lions; QB throws two TDs in Bears’ win’; The Windsor Star; December 31, 2001, p. C1
  18. "Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears - January 19th, 2002 | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
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