2018 Chicago Bears season

2018 Chicago Bears season
Head coach Matt Nagy
General manager Ryan Pace
Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey
Home field Soldier Field
Results
Record 3–1
Division place 1st NFC North
Uniform

The 2018 season is the Chicago Bears' 99th in the National Football League and their first under head coach Matt Nagy, who took over the job after John Fox was fired following a three-year tenure. The Bears are seeking their first winning season since 2012 and their first playoff appearance since 2010.

Offseason

Organizational changes

On January 1, 2018, head coach John Fox was fired after spending three seasons with the Bears, compiling a 14–34 record.[1] Two days later, the Bears began interviewing for the position starting with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, followed by Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards (January 4), Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (January 5), Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach John DeFilippo (January 6), and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy (January 7).[2] The day after his interview, Nagy was ultimately hired as the 16th head coach in franchise history.[3][4]

Nagy's first assistant coach hiring was Harry Hiestand as offensive line coach, joining the team on January 10; Hiestand had spent the last six seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the same position, while also working as the OL coach for the Bears from 2005–2009.[5] Two days later, the Bears replaced offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who departed the Bears to join the Miami Dolphins in the same position on January 4,[6] with former Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich, while also hiring three new coaches: former Bears assistants Chris Tabor and Charles London as special teams and running backs coaches, respectively, and Mike Furrey as wide receivers coach. Tabor served as an assistant special teams coach with the team from 2008–2010 before joining the Cleveland Browns as the special teams coordinator, while London had spent the last three seasons as the running backs coach of the Houston Texans.[7] A former wide receiver, Furrey was Nagy's New York Dragons teammate in the Arena Football League in 2002, which was followed by an eight-year NFL career, including a 2006 campaign in which he ranked second in the league in receptions with 98; he was most recently the head coach of the Limestone Saints football team.[8][9] During the day, Fangio signed a three-year extension to remain in Chicago.[10] On January 13, the Bears hired New York Giants tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride to serve in the same role.[11] Brock Olivo, a former colleague of Nagy in Kansas City and Denver Broncos special teams coordinator, joined the Bears as an assistant special teams coach on January 19.[12]

In January, head trainer Nate Breske was released by the team, as were strength coaches Jason George and Rick Perry. In their places, the Bears hired Browns trainer Andre Tucker and Washington State University strength and conditioning coach Jason Loscalzo, respectively.[13]

On February 27, the Bears formally announced their full staff, with every defensive coach returning to their posts for the 2018 season. Other newcomers included Brad Childress as a senior offensive consultant, Donovan Raiola as assistant offensive line coach, Brian Ginn and Mike Snyder as offensive quality control coaches, Shane Toub as an offensive assistant, and Bill Shuey as defensive quality control coach.[14] Childress was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings before joining the Chiefs in 2013, and served as their co-offensive coordinator alongside Nagy in 2016. He had intended to retire after 2017, but elected to rejoin Nagy in Chicago.[15] A former center, Raiola was on the Bears' practice squad in 2009 and worked with Hiestand in Chicago before following him to Notre Dame as a graduate assistant for two years.[16] Ginn was Nagy's wide receiver at Delaware before becoming a coach for the school. Shuey was a colleague of Nagy's during their tenures with the Eagles and was most recently working as the Widener Pride's defensive coordinator.[17] Toub, the son of Chiefs and former Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub, was a graduate assistant for the Illinois Fighting Illini under ex-Bears head coach Lovie Smith in 2017.[18]

Roster changes

PositionPlayerFree agency
Tag		Date signed2018 team
OLB Sam Acho UFA March 14[19] Chicago Bears
CB Prince Amukamara UFA March 14[19] Chicago Bears
WR Josh Bellamy RFA March 13[20] Chicago Bears
TE Daniel Brown ERFA March 16[21] Chicago Bears
CB Bryce Callahan RFA March 13[20] Chicago Bears
OL Tom Compton UFA March 22[22] Minnesota Vikings
RB Benny Cunningham UFA March 22 Chicago Bears[23]
LS Andrew DePaola UFA March 16[24] Oakland Raiders
CB Kyle Fuller UFA March 16[25] Chicago Bears
OLB Lamarr Houston UFA
WR Dontrelle Inman UFA
NT John Jenkins UFA April 8[26] Chicago Bears
ILB Christian Jones UFA March 15[27] Detroit Lions
CB Sherrick McManis UFA March 22[28] Chicago Bears
WR Cameron Meredith RFA April 11[29] New Orleans Saints
TE Zach Miller UFA June 4[30] Chicago Bears
K Mike Nugent UFA August 3 Oakland Raiders[31]
P Pat O'Donnell UFA March 16[21] Chicago Bears
QB Mark Sanchez UFA
K Cairo Santos UFA March 15[32] New York Jets
LS Patrick Scales ERFA March 27[33] Chicago Bears
OL Bradley Sowell UFA March 12[34] Chicago Bears
ILB John Timu RFA March 20[35] Chicago Bears
DE Mitch Unrein UFA March 16[36] Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR Kendall Wright UFA March 30[37] Minnesota Vikings

The Bears entered free agency with 25 free agents, including 19 unrestricted, four restricted, and two exclusive rights free agents.[38]

Acquisitions

On January 1, the Bears signed wide receivers Demarcus Ayers, Tanner Gentry, and Mekale McKay, offensive linemen Travis Averill and Will Pericak, tight end Colin Thompson, and defensive back Doran Grant to reserve/futures contracts.[39] Nine days later, Montreal Alouettes cornerback Jonathon Mincy signed with the Bears; in 32 games in the Canadian Football League, Mincy recorded 108 tackles with three interceptions and two forced fumbles. He was named to the Eastern Division All-Star team in 2017.[40]

The NFL's legal tampering window, during which teams could negotiate with incoming unrestricted free agents, opened on March 12.[41] During the period, wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, tight end Trey Burton, and kicker Cody Parkey expressed their intentions to sign with the Bears. Robinson tore an anterior cruciate ligament in the first game of 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars; in the three prior years, he recorded 2,831 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns, and was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl. During the 2017 Atlanta Falcons season, Gabriel caught 33 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown. Burton, who played for the Eagles in 2017, had 23 receptions for 248 yards and five scores. In Super Bowl LII, he threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles. Parkey, who worked with Tabor during his tenure with the Browns, converted 21 of 23 field goals with the Miami Dolphins in 2017.[42] The four signings were officially announced on March 14.[43]

When free agency began on March 14, quarterback Chase Daniel signed a two-year deal with the Bears; Daniel worked with Nagy in Kansas City, establishing himself as a liked backup quarterback with the Chiefs and New Orleans Saints.[44] During the so-called second wave of free agency a few days later, the Bears signed defensive end/linebacker Aaron Lynch from the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Tyler Bray from the Chiefs. Lynch, who played with Fangio in his 2014 rookie season, registered six sacks in his rookie campaign and 12.5 in his first two NFL seasons before a PED suspension and calf injury cut his production the last two years.[45] Bray was Alex Smith's backup in Kansas City under Nagy.[46]

On April 3, Arizona Cardinals guard Earl Watford signed with the Bears, becoming the third ex-Cardinal on Chicago's offensive line alongside Bradley Sowell and Bobby Massie.[47]

Departures

On February 20, the Bears announced they were releasing linebacker Jerrell Freeman and declining a 2018 option on offensive lineman Josh Sitton; in 2017, Freeman was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the first game of the year, followed by a ten-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Sitton missed the last two games of the season with an ankle injury.[48] Six days later, linebacker Pernell McPhee and safety Quintin Demps were cut. McPhee recorded 14 sacks in three seasons with the Bears, but also struggled with injuries. Demps was benched following the emergence of Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos as the new starters during the 2017 season.[49] Outside linebacker Willie Young, who only played four games in 2017 due to a torn triceps, was released on February 28.[50] Cornerback Marcus Cooper was released on March 14, but was brought back by the team thirteen days later on a one-year contract; he started the first four games of the 2017 season before suffering a back injury and losing his starting spot.[33]

During free agency, various free agents signed with other teams. On March 15, linebacker Christian Jones and kicker Cairo Santos signed with the Detroit Lions and New York Jets, respectively; in 2017, Jones set career highs in tackles (84) and sacks (two) in addition to forcing and recovering a fumble.[27] Santos played two games for the Bears before suffering reaggravating a groin injury.[32] Defensive end Mitch Unrein, who recorded 32 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2017, was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 16.[36] Andrew DePaola joined the Oakland Raiders for 2018 and became the highest-paid long snapper in the league.[24] On March 22, offensive lineman Tom Compton, who started five games at guard for the Bears in 2017, signed with the Minnesota Vikings, with receiver Kendall Wright doing the same eight days later.[22][37] In early April, wide receiver and restricted free agent Cameron Meredith was offered a two-year, $10 million contract by the New Orleans Saints, which the Bears elected to not match after five days.[29]

Draft

The Bears entered the draft needing to address positions like linebacker, defensive back, and offensive line.[51][52] Such positions were suggested in various mock drafts from those like Sean Wagner-McGough of CBSSports.com, Matt Eurich of 247Sports.com, and Lorin Cox of USA Today as they projected Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, Florida State defensive back Derwin James, and Boston College linebacker Harold Landry, respectively.[53][54][55]

With the eighth-overall pick, the Bears selected Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith, reuniting him with 2016 first-round pick and former Bulldog linebacker Leonard Floyd. In 2017, the Butkus Award winner helped lead Georgia to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.[56] In the second round, Chicago opted to fill the offensive positions as the team drafted Iowa center James Daniels and Memphis receiver Anthony Miller. In 2017, Daniels was honorable mention for the All-Big Ten Conference team as he helped lead an Iowa offense that averaged 190.2 passing yards and 139.2 rushing yards per game.[57] Although he played center in college, the Bears elected to move him to guard to start his NFL career.[58] Miller, whose selection was made possible when the Bears traded up to the 51st-overall pick in a trade with the New England Patriots that sent the 105th overall and a 2019 second rounder to New England, recorded 1,448 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in the 2016 and 2017 seasons; during the latter, he averaged 3.47 yards per route run, fourth-best among receivers in the draft.[59]

The third and final day of the draft saw rounds four through seven.[60] With their fourth-round pick, the Bears drafted Western Kentucky linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe; a Chicago native, Iyiegbuniwe played both inside and outside linebacker in college; in his final season, he had 116 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. The fifth round saw defensive tackle Bilal Nichols of Delaware be selected; a fellow Delaware alumnus like Nagy, Nichols recorded 5.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in 2017, earning him a spot on the first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association team. Chicago filled the gap at edge rusher by drafting Utah defensive end Kylie Fitts; Fitts struggled with injuries throughout his college career, but racked up 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble in 2017. In the seventh round, the Bears drafted another receiver and Bulldog in Javon Wims; in 2017, Wims led the Bulldogs with 45 catches for 720 yards and seven touchdowns.[61]

After the draft, the Bears signed fifteen undrafted free agents: running back Ryan Nall (Oregon State), wide receivers Garrett Johnson (Kentucky) and Shaq Roland (West Georgia), offensive lineman Dejon Allen (Hawaii), defensive linemen Abdullah Anderson (Bucknell) and Cavon Walker (Maryland), linebackers Nyles Morgan and Andrew Trumbetti (Notre Dame) and Elijah Norris (Shepherd), cornerbacks Michael Joseph (Dubuque) and Kevin Toliver II (LSU), safety Nick Orr (TCU), and punter Ryan Winslow (Pittsburgh).[62]

On May 10, every draft pick minus Smith signed their rookie contracts with the team.[63] Smith's signing was delayed due to a conflict between his agency CAA Football and the Bears. Much of the debate centered on language in the contract dictating whether Smith's guaranteed money would return to the team if he was suspended due to the NFL's new rule outlawing contact leading with the helmet. While CAA argued for a clause that would protect Smith's guaranteed money, the Bears suggested their decisions would be determined by the league's own actions, a situation that was exacerbated by skepticism surrounding the rule and the high frequency of tackles in Smith's role on the field.[64] After missing Training Camp in July and early August, Smith signed a four-year deal with the Bears on August 14.[65]

2018 Chicago Bears Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
18 Roquan SmithLBGeorgia
239 James DanielsCIowa
251 Anthony MillerWRMemphisFrom New England
4115 Joel IyiegbuniweLBWestern KentuckyFrom Arizona
5145 Bilal NicholsDTDelaware
6181 Kylie FittsDEUtah
7224 Javon WimsWRGeorgia

Draft trades

  • The Bears traded their third-round selection (70th overall), and their first-, third- and fourth-round selections in 2017 (3rd, 67th, and 111th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's first-round selection in 2017 (2nd overall).
  • In 2017, the Bears traded their second-round selection (36th overall) to Arizona in exchange for Arizona's 2018 fourth round selection (115th overall), as well as their 2017 second, fourth, and sixth round selections (45th, 119th, 197th overall).

Offseason activities

Offseason workouts began on April 3; as the Bears entered the offseason with a new head coach, they were permitted to start workouts earlier than other teams.[66] Also thanks to having a new coach, the team held a voluntary veteran minicamp from April 17–19.[67]

The Bears held a veteran minicamp in late April. After its conclusion, the team released McKay and signed receiver Marlon Brown and defensive end Nick Williams. In 2013, Brown caught 49 passes for 524 yards and seven touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens, but saw his playing time decrease over time as the receiving corps was bolstered with new players. Williams last played for the Chiefs and Dolphins in 2016.[68]

In May, Rookie Minicamp was held from May 11–13.[67] After its conclusion, the Bears signed five tryout players: wide receiver Matt Fleming, offensive linemen Jeremi Hall and Matt McCants, and defensive backs John Franklin III and Tyrin Holloway. Fleming played football and ran track for Division III school Benedictine University, recording 45 receptions for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017. Hall started 25 games for the South Florida Bulls in 2016 and 2017,[69] while McCants, a sixth-round draft pick in 2012 by the New York Giants, returned to the Bears after playing for them in 2016.[70] After transferring to Western Illinois for his final season in 2017, Holloway played four games for the Leathernecks and had three interceptions.[69] Franklin, a former quarterback at Florida State, attracted attention when he appeared on the Netflix series Last Chance U during his time at East Mississippi Community College. He later played receiver for Auburn and Florida Atlantic.[71] In conjunction with the signings, the Bears released Averill, Morgan, linebacker Howard Jones, and offensive lineman Cameron Lee.[69]

The Bears conducted ten offseason team activities (OTAs) on May 15–17, May 22–24, and May 29–June 1. A mandatory minicamp involving the entire roster took place on June 5–7.[67] Linebacker Kasim Edebali, who was attending the camp on a tryout and played for Bears GM Ryan Pace in New Orleans, signed with the team after it ended.[72] Other post-camp transactions included signing linebacker Josh Woods, who went undrafted after playing safety for Maryland from 2014 to 2017, and releasing Holloway and Roland.[73]

Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais began on July 21 and ended on August 11.[74] On August 15, days before their preseason game against each other, the Bears visited Englewood, Colorado for a joint practice with the Broncos.[75]

During camp, the Bears made the following roster moves: on July 23, Hall was released and Florida State linebacker Ro'Derrick Hoskins was signed to take his place; a receiver swap occurred on July 26 when Fleming was waived in favor of Albany Empire player and Arena Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year Malachi Jones; on July 27, defensive end Bunmi Rotimi was released and former Saints offensive lineman Jack Allen was signed; however, Allen was released on August 4 and his roster spot taken by fellow O-lineman Kaleb Johnson, a former Chiefs player; Johnson's slot would also be replaced a week later by Chiefs running back Knile Davis.[76][77][78][79][80]

Staff

Chicago Bears staff
Front office
  • Secretary of the board of directors – Virginia Halas McCaskey
  • Chairman – George McCaskey
  • President/CEO – Ted Phillips
  • General manager – Ryan Pace
  • Vice president & general counsel – Cliff Stein
  • Director of player personnel – Josh Lucas
  • Director of college scouting – Mark Sadowski
  • Director of pro personnel – Anthony Kelly
  • Director of football administration – Joseph Laine
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Vic Fangio
  • Defensive line – Jay Rodgers
  • Inside linebackers – Glenn Pires
  • Outside linebackers – Brandon Staley
  • Defensive backs – Ed Donatell
  • Assistant defensive backs – Roy Anderson
  • Defensive quality control – Bill Shuey
  • Defensive quality control – Sean Desai
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
  • Strength and conditioning – Jason Loscalzo
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Casey Kramer
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Pierre Ngo
  • Head athletic trainer – Andre Tucker

→ Coaching staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

Current roster

Chicago Bears roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

Roster updated October 8, 2018
Depth chart • Transactions
53 Active, 5 Inactive, 10 Practice squad

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters
AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

Preseason

On February 13, the NFL announced that the Bears will play the Baltimore Ravens in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 2, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.[81] The remaining preseason games were revealed on April 11.[82]

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
GameBook		NFL.com
recap
HOF August 2 vs. Baltimore Ravens L 16–17 0–1 Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
(Canton, Ohio)		 GameBook Recap
1 August 9 at Cincinnati Bengals L 27–30 0–2 Paul Brown Stadium GameBook Recap
2 August 18 at Denver Broncos W 24–23 1–2 Broncos Stadium at Mile High GameBook Recap
3 August 25 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–20 2–2 Soldier Field GameBook Recap
4 August 30 Buffalo Bills L 27–28 2–3 Soldier Field GameBook Recap

Game summaries

The Hall of Fame Game began on a poor note when Chase Daniel's pass was intercepted by Chuck Clark, though DeAndre Houston-Carson responded by intercepting a deflected throw from Robert Griffin III, which set up Daniel's four-yard touchdown pass to Michael Burton. The Ravens answered with Griffin's five-yard touchdown throw to Maxx Williams, followed by Kamalei Correa intercepting Daniel and a field goal by Kaare Vedvik to give them the lead. Daniel was substituted for Tyler Bray after the first half; despite the touchdown to Burton, he also had two picks and a passer rating of 38.8. Early in the second half, DeShon Elliott forced Demarcus Ayers to fumble and Baltimore's Bronson Kaufusi recovered. Lamar Jackson eventually threw a seven-yard touchdown to Hayden Hurst. In the fourth quarter, Cody Parkey kicked a 22-yard field goal, followed by Bray completing a ten-yard touchdown to Tanner Gentry. The Bears attempted a two-point conversion, but failed to score and ultimately lost by one point.[83]

With the exception of certain players like Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Jordan Howard, Chicago's first-string offense made its preseason debut against the Cincinnati Bengals. Starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was present for just eight plays. Defensively, despite a Kyle Fuller interception returned for touchdown and Taquan Mizzell's one-yard touchdown run, the unit also allowed two touchdowns. After being down 23–14 at halftime, the Bears scored 13 unanswered points via two Parkey field goals and Demarcus Ayers' three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. However, Jeff Driskel threw the go-ahead touchdown to Auden Tate with slightly over two minutes left to put the Bengals up 30–27, and Parkey missed the game-tying field goal with 45 seconds remaining.[84]

The Bears rebounded from the two-game losing streak by winning the next two matchups. Against the Denver Broncos, the starting offense saw more playing time, though the game began poorly when Trubisky fumbled in the end zone and was tackled by Bradley Chubb for a Denver safety. The Broncos added three points on Brandon McManus' 26-yard field goal, but the first stringers bounced back on Trubisky's seven-yard touchdown pass to Trey Burton. Denver answered with two consecutive touchdown, the second of which was set up when Trubisky was intercepted by Justin Simmons. Parkey kicked a 43-yard field goal to make the score 20–10 at halftime. Although McManus converted a 35-yard field goal to increase the margin to 13 points, Daniel led a fourth quarter comeback with two- and twelve-yard touchdown passes to Mizzell and Ben Braunecker, respectively, to win 24–23.[85]

Against his former team in the Chiefs, Matt Nagy elected to bench his starters, a move that was viewed as unusual since the third official week of the preseason is often used by teams to play their first stringers as a dress rehearsal.[86] The second-string offense excelled in its first three drives as it scored on every series: Benny Cunningham scored first on a 13-yard touchdown run, followed by Daniel throwing 29- and seven-yard touchdown passes to Kevin White and Javon Wims. After the first quarter, Daniel maintained a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating, which ended at 149.5 when he was rotated out by halftime when the Bears led 24–10. On defense, the Bears allowed ten points on the Chiefs' first two drives, but eventually prevented them from scoring until the fourth quarter. The Chiefs scored ten additional points and Parkey added a 19-yard field goal as the Bears triumphed 27–20.[87]

In the final game of the preseason against the Buffalo Bills, the Bears saw success throughout the first three quarters as Doran Grant, Ryan Nall, and Knile Davis scored on a 33-yard pick-six and 32- and one-yard touchdown runs, respectively, while Parkey kicked two field goals to put them up 27–3. In the fourth quarter, however, A. J. McCarron led the Bills to 25 unanswered points via three touchdown passes and a touchdown run. With 13 seconds remaining, he threw the game-winning pass to Keith Towbridge. The Bears could not recover and lost 28–27.[88]

Transactions

During the preseason, the Bears signed former Oregon long snapper Tanner Carew and released Andrew Trumbetti on an injury settlement.[89] Later in the month, Earl Watford was waived.[90]

On September 1, the team made extensive moves to whittle down its roster to 53 players, which included releasing the following players: Ayers, Bray, Carew, Davis, Edebali, Gentry, Grant, Mizzell, Nall, Dejon Allen, Abdullah Anderson, Jonathan Anderson, Rashard Fant, Bennie Fowler III, John Franklin III, Brandon Greene, Ro'Derrick Hoskins, John Jenkins, Garrett Johnson, Malachi Jones, Michael Joseph, Cre'Von LeBlanc, Matt McCants, Johnathon Mincy, Jordan Morgan, Elijah Norris, Nick Orr, Will Pericak, Colin Thompson, John Timu, Cavon Walker, Nick Williams, Ryan Winslow, and Josh Woods.[91]

Marlon Brown and tight end Adam Shaheen were placed on injured reserve on September 1 and 2, respectively. Brown suffered a concussion during the Chiefs game,[92] while Shaheen sprained his right foot/ankle against the Broncos. Per the NFL's injured reserve rules, those on IR may return to playing after the first eight games of the regular season.[93]

On September 2, the Bears traded for decorated Oakland Raiders linebacker and 2016 Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack, who held out of training camp and other offseason activities due to a contract dispute. In acquiring Mack, the Bears sent first-round draft picks in 2019 and 2020, a third-round pick in 2020, and a sixth-round pick in 2019 to Oakland; Chicago also acquired a 2020 second rounder and a conditional fifth rounder in the same draft. It is the Bears' first trade involving sending two first rounders since they did so for quarterback Jay Cutler in 2009. Mack and the Bears later agreed to a six-year extension worth $141 million, including a guaranteed $90 million, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.[94] During the day, center Hroniss Grasu was released and Nick Williams was re-signed.[95]

Following the moves, the practice squad was filled out with ten players: Allen, Anderson, Bray, Gentry, Joseph, Mincy, Mizzell, Nall, Woods, and offensive lineman James Stone.[96]

Regular season

Schedule

The Bears' 2018 schedule was announced on April 19. The first two games took place in prime time as the Bears played week one on NBC Sunday Night Football and week two on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Chicago will wear its navy blue jerseys in six of the eight home games, along with the away whites in all but one road game. For the week six game against the Miami Dolphins and the week eleven matchup against the Vikings, the Bears will wear orange jerseys for the first time since 2011. Week eight against the New York Jets will see the use of the 1940s throwbacks.[97]

WeekDateKickoff (CT)OpponentResultRecordGame siteTVNFL.com
GameBook		NFL.com
recap
1 September 9 7:20 p.m. at Green Bay Packers L 23–24 0–1 Lambeau Field NBC GameBook Recap
2 September 17 7:15 p.m. Seattle Seahawks W 24–17 1–1 Soldier Field ESPN/WLS GameBook Recap
3 September 23 3:25 p.m. at Arizona Cardinals W 16–14 2–1 State Farm Stadium Fox GameBook Recap
4 September 30 12:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 48–10 3–1 Soldier Field Fox GameBook Recap
5 Bye
6 October 14 12:00 p.m. at Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium Fox
7 October 21 12:00 p.m. New England Patriots Soldier Field CBS
8 October 28 12:00 p.m. New York Jets Soldier Field CBS
9 November 4 12:00 p.m. at Buffalo Bills New Era Field Fox
10 November 11 12:00 p.m. Detroit Lions Soldier Field Fox
11 November 18 12:00 p.m. Minnesota Vikings Soldier Field Fox
12 November 22 11:30 a.m. at Detroit Lions Ford Field CBS
13 December 2 12:00 p.m. at New York Giants MetLife Stadium Fox
14 December 9 12:00 p.m. Los Angeles Rams Soldier Field Fox
15 December 16 12:00 p.m. Green Bay Packers Soldier Field Fox
16 December 23 3:05 p.m. at San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium Fox
17 December 30 12:00 p.m. at Minnesota Vikings U.S. Bank Stadium Fox
Notes: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Networks and times from Weeks 7–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling, for the exception of Week 12 (Thanksgiving).
Legend:
 #  Games played with color uniforms.
 #  Games played with white uniforms.
 #  Games played with alternate orange uniforms.[98]
 #  Game played with 1940s throwback uniforms.
 –  Light green background indicates a victory.
 –  Light red background indicates a loss.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

Week One: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bears 7 10 3323
Packers 0 0 32124

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

In the first game of the 2018 regular season, the Bears visited Lambeau Field to take on the longtime rival Green Bay Packers. Entering the game, the Packers led the all-time series 96–94–6, with the Packers having won all but three games since 2010.[99] Leading up to the game, Matt Nagy announced the team would not have permanent team captains and instead opt for a rotating weekly system consisting of three players (one from the offense, defense, and special teams apiece), which was previously used by Nagy in Kansas City. As such, Mitchell Trubisky, defensive end Akiem Hicks, and running back/special teamer Benny Cunningham were named week one's captains.[100]

After the Packers punted on the opening drive, the Bears scored first on a two-yard touchdown run by Trubisky to cap off an 86-yard series.[101] Chicago continued its momentum with Cody Parkey's 26-yard field goal after another Packers punt in the second quarter. During the quarter, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a knee injury and was replaced by DeShone Kizer, who lost a fumble to newly-acquired linebacker Khalil Mack while inside the Bears' ten-yard line; Mack also intercepted Kizer's pass and returned it for a 27-yard touchdown to put the Bears up 17–0 at halftime,[102] the team's biggest advantage at Lambeau during the Brett Favre/Rodgers era.[103] Chicago increased the advantage to 20–0 with Parkey's 33-yard field goal. Rodgers returned shortly after, during which Mason Crosby kicked a 42-yard field goal. The Bears offense failed to score for the rest of the game as every drive ended with a punt minus a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, while Rodgers threw touchdown passes of 39, 12, and 75 yards to Geronimo Allison, Davante Adams, and Randall Cobb, respectively. The touchdown to Cobb put the Packers up 24–23 with 2:13 left in the game.[102] Although Trubisky led the offense into Green Bay territory, he was sacked by Nick Perry on fourth down and fumbled, losing the ball to Kenny Clark.[101]

It is the fifth consecutive week one loss for the Bears and the tenth straight NFC North defeat.[102] After leading by 20 points, the defeat is the second-largest blown lead in team history and the third such instance (the Bears also lost to the 1992 Minnesota Vikings and 2002 New Orleans Saints despite maintaining 20-point advantages in both games).[104] In spite of the defeat, positives included Roquan Smith sacking Kizer on his first career NFL snap, fewer penalties than usual (five for 35 yards; in their last four games in Green Bay, the Bears averaged ten penalties for 106 yards), and a lack of turnovers allowed. Offensive lineman Bobby Massie stated, "There's a lot of things we did well. Nobody gave us a chance in that game. Just corrections that need to be made. We've got to finish stronger and things won't be a problem."[103]

Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Two: Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 01417
Bears 7 3 01424

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information
The Bears will play every home game at Soldier Field.

Hoping to rebound from the loss in Green Bay, the Bears hosted the 0–1 Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football in week two. In 17 all-time games between the two, Seattle led the series 11–6, including winning the last four regular season meetings.[105] Despite the result of the Packers game, history showed optimism for the Seahawks matchup as the Bears were 7–1 in the first game after a loss to Rodgers at Lambeau Field. Although mobile Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson led the NFL in passing touchdowns in 2017, he struggled in week one against the Broncos as he threw two interceptions, was sacked six times, and had just five rushing yards.[106] Furthermore, he lost receiver Doug Baldwin to a knee injury, making the run game more crucial. With the exception of veteran safety Earl Thomas, Seattle's defense was inexperienced and struggled against Denver; in his game preview, Sports Illustrated writer Andy Benoit expected the Seahawks to suffer difficulties against a misdirection-based Bears offense. Predicting a Bears victory, Benoit added that while Wilson will have over 50 rushing yards, the Seattle offense will be restricted to below 300 total yards.[107] Running back Jordan Howard, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, and tight end/special teams player Ben Braunecker represented the Bears as team captains.[108]

After the Seahawks punted on the opening drive, the Bears once again scored on their first possession as Trubisky engineered a 96-yard drive that ended with a two-yard shovel pass touchdown to Trey Burton.[109][110] Despite the early success, the quarterback struggled in the second quarter as he was intercepted on two consecutive drives, both by Shaquill Griffin, though the Seahawks could not capitalize as they were forced to punt on every ensuing series. On one drive, Wilson fumbled after Mack stripped him on third down. By halftime, both teams added field goals on their last drives (Parkey making a 25 yarder, Sebastian Janikowski converting a 56 yarder on the final play of the first half). After a scoreless third quarter,[109] Trubisky threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller to increase the advantage to 14 points. Although the margin returned to one score after Wilson completed a 19-yard touchdown to Tyler Lockett, the Bears scored again when Prince Amukamara intercepted Wilson's pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. On the Seahawks' next drive, Danny Trevathan sacked Wilson, who lost the ball and it was recovered by the Bears' Leonard Floyd.[110] The Bears punted, followed by the Seahawks completing a 99-yard series with Wilson's two-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly with 14 seconds remaining in the game. Miller recovered the onside kick to secure the 24–17 win.[109]

The defense ended the day with six sacks on Wilson from five players, with Trevathan recording two; in addition to the sacks, he also had eight tackles and a forced fumble, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.[111] Including the four sacks against Green Bay, the Bears had a league-high ten sacks after two games.[112][113] "Our theme this game was to play all four quarters and finish. I'm so glad that this was a team win and we got that bad taste out of our mouth last week," Amukamara said.[110]

Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Three: Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bears 0 3 10316
Cardinals 14 0 0014

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

In week three, the Bears battled the Cardinals in State Farm Stadium for the first time since 2012, a game that ended in a 28–13 Bears victory. While the Cardinals won the latest game between the two in 2015 (a 48–23 win in Chicago), the Bears were victorious in the last two regular season games in Arizona. In the teams' historic meetings dating back to 1920, the Bears led the all-time series 58–28–6.[114] To begin the 2018 season, the Cardinals struggled mightily on offense, especially in the first half: across the first two quarters of both games, they were outscored 40–0, had an NFL-worst 96 rushing yards on 32 carries for an average of 3 yards, and never crossed the 50-yard line into opposing territory. In contrast, the Bears' first-half team had 27 points against just 3 points allowed, while the defense allowed 150 yards on 56 plays (average of 2.7 yards), the lowest in the league. On the opposite side, Arizona's defense saw the return of defensive end Markus Golden from an ACL injury in 2017, who – along with Chandler Jones – assisted the Cardinals in recording the most sacks in 2016. In Golden's absence, Jones had an NFL-high 17.5 sacks in 2017, a situation that Chicago Sun-Times writer Mark Potash pointed out would prove a challenge for the Bears' tackles in their effort to protect Trubisky.[115] Massie, Amukamara, and linebacker/special teamer Sam Acho were named team captains; Massie and Acho were former Cardinals, while Amukamara is an Arizona native.[116]

In contrast to their first half woes in the first two games of 2018, the Cardinals opened the game by scoring on a five-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Sam Bradford's 35-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Seals-Jones.[117] The Bears attempted to respond by driving to the Cardinals' 13-yard line, but Trubisky was sacked for a 15-yard loss and Parkey missed a 46-yard field goal wide right. On Chicago's next drive, Trubisky was sacked by Robert Nkemdiche and fumbled, losing the ball to Corey Peters.[118] On the first play of the ensuing drive, Bradford threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to David Johnson to make the score 14–0 after one quarter;[117] it was double the points scored by the Cardinals in weeks one and two combined.[118] The Bears responded with a 71-yard series that reached the Cardinals' two-yard line, where Parkey kicked a 20-yard field goal. Trubisky's troubles continued when he was intercepted by Tre Boston on the Bears' penultimate play of the first half. After the Bears punted on the first drive of the second half, the defense forced Bradford to commit three consecutive turnovers that the offense capitalized on with scoring drives: Bradford was intercepted by Eddie Jackson and Howard scored on a one-yard touchdown run, he threw another interception to Sherrick McManis which led to Parkey's 41-yard field goal, he fumbled after being stripped by Mack and the fumble was recovered by Trevathan to set up Parkey's go-ahead 43-yard field goal and make the score 16–14 in favor of Chicago. With four minutes remaining, backup rookie quarterback Josh Rosen relieved Bradford. Although he led the Arizona offense into Chicago territory, his pass for Christian Kirk was intercepted by Bryce Callahan. The Bears punted, but three straight runs forced the Cardinals to use all three timeouts as they got the ball back with 43 seconds left in the game. On the second play of the following possession, Rosen was picked off by Jackson, who returned the interception for a 35-yard touchdown before an offsides penalty on Mack nullified the score. Two plays later, Rosen was sacked by McManis to seal the win.[117]

With the win, Chicago improved to 2–1, their first winning record since 2014. As the Packers and Vikings lost their respective games, the Bears also took over the NFC North lead for the first time since 2013.[118]

Week 4: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Four: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 3 0710
Bears 14 24 7348

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

In week four, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered Soldier Field with a 2–1 record. In 58 total meetings since 1977, the Bears led the all-time series 38–20, but lost by more than 20 points in their last two games. On the other hand, the Bears won the last game between the two in Chicago in 2014.[119] Although regular starting quarterback Jameis Winston was returning from a three-game suspension, the Buccaneers gave the start against the Bears to backup Ryan Fitzpatrick, who excelled in the first three games as he threw for over 1,200 yards with 11 touchdowns and a 124.8 passer rating. He also threw for over 400 yards in all three games, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to have such a streak. However, a poor showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week three nearly resulted in his benching, implying he was "on a short leash" for the Chicago game.[120] While the Bears defense had been successful so far, they were without cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper due to hamstring injuries, while Tampa Bay receivers Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Chris Godwin had a combined 63 catches for 850 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018.[121] As a whole, the Buccaneers offense led the league in total and passing yards, while also averaging 34 points per game.[122] For Chicago's offense, it faced a Tampa Bay defense that was ranked 29th in yards per pass play (7.9), but allowed just 3.6 yards per rushing play and only one rush of at least 25 yards. NBC Sports Chicago writer JJ Stankevitz stressed the importance of success in the red zone; although the Bears were 27th in red zone touchdown percentage with 40 percent, the Buccaneers allowed 88.9 percent of red zone plays to result in touchdowns.[121] Burton, Jackson, and McManis were the Bears' captains.[123]

"I have been here a while and I've never been part of a win like this. It feels really good to sit in here with a smile on my face. For the last five, six years, I've been saying, 'We're getting better, we're getting better, we're young, we're gonna get there.' [...] Now you guys get to see what I'm seeing."
"The secret's out. We play good football. And when we get rolling, our confidence level gets high."

Bears guard Kyle Long[124]

The Bears scored quickly as Trubisky recorded a 23-yard run that set up a 39-yard touchdown pass to Burton on the opening drive. After three drives ended in punts, Trubisky threw a 14-yard touchdown to Allen Robinson. Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 30-yard field goal to start the second quarter, but Trubisky and the Bears answered with three straight unanswered touchdowns through the air of 9, 20, and 3 yards to Tarik Cohen, Josh Bellamy, and Taylor Gabriel.[125] The final score saw a trick play that featured Daniel lining up beside Trubisky in the backfield, with Trubisky pitching the ball forward to Gabriel before faking the hand-off to Daniel. The play, nicknamed "Willy Wonka", had been devised by Nagy and the two quarterbacks.[124][126] On Tampa Bay's final drive for the first half, despite a 42-yard completion to Jackson, Fitzpatrick was intercepted by Jackson. The Bears closed out the half with Parkey's 50-yard field goal. Fitzpatrick was pulled for Winston to start the second half, but Winston threw an interception of his own to Trevathan. Trubisky took advantage of the takeaway with his sixth touchdown pass of the game, another three-yard pass to Gabriel, making the score 45–3. Early in the fourth quarter, Winston threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate, though Parkey converted a 46-yard kick to increase the margin to 38 points.[125] Mack eventually tipped Winston's pass and Aaron Lynch intercepted it;[122] Daniel kneeled twice to end the game.[125]

It was the Bears' first three-game win streak since 2013 as the team improved to 3–1. The 48 points scored were the most by the Bears since they recorded 51 against the Tennessee Titans in 2012, while the 38-point difference is the largest since a 41–3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars that same year. Trubisky recorded a career-high 354 passing yards, six touchdown passes, and a 154.6 rating.[122] The touchdown passes are the second-most in Bears history, one short of the record set by Sid Luckman in 1943. With his five touchdowns in the first half, Trubisky became the first Bears quarterback to accomplish the feat since Johnny Lujack in 1949, while also becoming the second player in NFL history to do so to five different receivers since Rodgers did it against the Bears in 2014.[124] Each of the offense's first five touchdown drives lasted no more than 3:34.[122] After the game, Trubisky stated, "Hopefully, this will be something I can look back on and say, 'This is where it all started.'"[124] He was eventually named the FedEx Air Player of the Week.[127]

Week 5: Bye week

Entering the bye week, the Bears had a 3–1 record at the top of the NFC North. Unlike previous Bears regimes, Nagy provided the team with a week off before returning to practice for week six, an approach used by former boss and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.[128]

At the break, the fourth-ranked defense led the league in sacks (18) and ranked second in turnovers forced (11), while the eight interceptions recorded (by seven different players) tied the Bears' totals across each season from 2015–2017.[129] Along with the Tennessee Titans, the Bears defense had yet to allow a rushing touchdown.[130]

Mack was named September's NFC Defensive Player of the Month, his second career DPOM honor since he won the AFC's in November 2016. In the first four weeks, he had a strip-sack in each, becoming the first player to record such a stat in four straight games since Robert Mathis of the 2005 Indianapolis Colts. He was also the first Bear to receive the accolade since Charles Tillman in October 2012 and the seventh in team history.[131]

During the week, the Bears placed Acho on injured reserve after he tore a pectoral muscle in week four.[132] To take his roster slot, the team signed offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann on October 8; Witzmann started 13 games for the Chiefs in 2017 and had been with the Vikings until his release three days prior.[133]

Week 6: at Miami Dolphins

Week Six: Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 000
Dolphins 0 0 000

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

Standings

Division

NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Chicago Bears 3 2 0 .600 0–1 3–1 139 96 L1
Minnesota Vikings 3 2 1 .583 0–0–1 2–1–1 113 131 W2
Green Bay Packers 2 2 1 .500 1–1–1 1–2–1 115 114 L1
Detroit Lions 2 3 0 .400 1–0 1–2 125 137 W1

Conference

# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Los Angeles Rams West 6 0 0 1.000 2–0 3–0 .403 .403 W6
2 New Orleans Saints South 4 1 0 .800 1–1 3–1 .375 .370 W4
3[lower-alpha 1] Washington Redskins East 3 2 0 .600 0–0 3–1 .426 .406 W1
4[lower-alpha 1] Chicago Bears North 3 2 0 .600 0–1 3–1 .446 .353 L1
Wild Cards
5 Carolina Panthers South 3 2 0 .600 0–1 2–2 .448 .444 L1
6 Minnesota Vikings North 3 2 1 .583 0–0–1 3–1–1 .456 .294 W2
In the Hunt
7[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] Philadelphia Eagles East 3 3 0 .500 1–0 2–2 .357 .222 W1
8[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] Seattle Seahawks West 3 3 0 .500 1–1 2–2 .457 .278 W1
9[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 6] Dallas Cowboys East 3 3 0 .500 1–0 2–2 .441 .353 W1
10[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Green Bay Packers North 2 2 1 .500 1–0–1 1–2–1 .500 .455 L1
11[lower-alpha 7] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 2 3 0 .400 1–1 2–2 .554 .636 L3
12[lower-alpha 7] Detroit Lions North 2 3 0 .400 1–0 1–2 .463 .550 W1
13 Atlanta Falcons South 2 4 0 .333 2–1 2–2 .591 .500 W1
14 San Francisco 49ers West 1 4 0 .200 0–1 1–2 .554 .400 L3
15[lower-alpha 8] Arizona Cardinals West 1 5 0 .167 1–2 1–5 .591 .200 L1
16[lower-alpha 8] New York Giants East 1 5 0 .167 0–2 0–4 .559 .500 L3
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 9]
  1. 1 2 Washington wins tie break over Chicago based on best win percentage in common games.
  2. 1 2 Philadelphia wins tie break over Seattle based on best win percentage in common games.
  3. 1 2 Philadelphia wins tie break over Green Bay based on best win percentage in conference games. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Dallas (see below).
  4. 1 2 Seattle wins tie break over Dallas based on head-to-head win percentage.
  5. 1 2 Seattle wins tie break over Green Bay based on best win percentage in conference games.
  6. 1 2 Dallas wins tie break over Green Bay based on best win percentage in conference games.
  7. 1 2 Tampa Bay wins tie break over Detroit based on best win percentage in conference games.
  8. 1 2 Arizona wins tie break over NY Giants based on best win percentage in conference games.
  9. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye
* — Clinched home-field advantage

References

  1. ↑ Patra, Kevin (January 1, 2018). "Chicago Bears fire coach John Fox after 5-11 season". National Football League. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Stankevitz, JJ (January 7, 2018). "Where the Bears' coaching search stands after one week and six interviews". NBC Sports Chicago. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  3. ↑ Biggs, Brad (January 8, 2018). "Bears hire Matt Nagy as franchise's 16th head coach". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  4. ↑ Patra, Kevin. "Matt Nagy named head coach of Chicago Bears". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  5. ↑ Stankevitz, JJ (January 10, 2018). "In Harry Hiestand, Matt Nagy hits a home run on his first swing at Bears' coaching staff". NBC Sports Chicago. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ Patra, Kevin (January 4, 2018). "Dowell Loggains to be named Miami Dolphins OC". National Football League. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ Finley, Patrick (January 12, 2018). "Bears make 3 coaching hires official, still wait on coordinator Vic Fangio". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Bears Hire Mike Furrey As Wide Receivers Coach". WBBM-TV. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Limestone football coach Mike Furrey steps down". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  10. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (January 12, 2018). "Vic Fangio agrees to new deal to remain with Bears". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  11. ↑ Smith, Michael David (January 13, 2018). "Bears add Kevin Gilbride Jr. to coaching staff". Profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  12. ↑ Finley, Patrick (January 19, 2018). "Brock Olivo named Bears assistant special teams coach". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ Crabtree, Curtis (February 14, 2018). "Bears hire trainer Andre Tucker, strength coach Jason Loscalzo". Profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ Kane, Colleen (February 27, 2018). "Bears finalize Matt Nagy's coaching staff, retain defensive assistants". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  15. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (February 5, 2018). "Brad Childress expected to join Bears head coach Matt Nagy's staff". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  16. ↑ Biggs, Brad (February 2, 2018). "Bears hire ex-player Donovan Raiola as assistant offensive line coach". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  17. ↑ Eurich, Matt (February 5, 2018). "Report: Bears to hire Bill Shuey and Brian Ginn as assistants". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ Biggs, Brad (January 17, 2018). "Bears expected to hire Shane Toub as quality control assistant". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Mayer, Larry (March 14, 2018). "Bears re-sign Acho, Amukamara". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Mayer, Larry (March 13, 2018). "Report: Bears to tender Josh Bellamy". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Mayer, Larry (March 14, 2018). "Roster Moves: Bears retaining Pat O'Donnell, Daniel Brown". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2018-03-17. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  22. 1 2 Krammer, Andrew (March 22, 2018). "Vikings sign offensive lineman Tom Compton, a Rosemount graduate". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  23. ↑ Mayer, Larry. "Bears ink Cunningham to one-year deal". Archived from the original on 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  24. 1 2 Schneidman, Matt (March 16, 2018). "Raiders find their long-snapper to replace Jon Condo". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  25. ↑ Biggs, Brad (March 17, 2018). "Bears match Packers offer for Kyle Fuller with 4-year, $56 million deal". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  26. ↑ Eurich, Matt (April 8, 2018). "John Jenkins re-signed by the Bears". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  27. 1 2 Associated Press (March 15, 2018). "Lions sign Christian Jones, Devon Kennard and Kenny Wiggins". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  28. ↑ Biggs, Brad (March 22, 2018). "Special teams ace Sherrick McManis agrees to 2-year deal to return to Bears". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  29. 1 2 "Bears decline to match Cameron Meredith's offer sheet from Saints". ESPN. April 11, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  30. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (June 4, 2018). "Zach Miller signs 1-year deal with Bears less than year after serious knee injury". ESPN. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  31. ↑ Knoblauch, Austin (August 3, 2018). "Raiders waive kicker Tavecchio, sign Mike Nugent". National Football League. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  32. 1 2 Lange, Robert (March 15, 2018). "Jets Sign Placekicker Cairo Santos". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 2018-03-18. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  33. 1 2 Williams, Charean (March 27, 2018). "Bears agree to terms with Marcus Cooper, Patrick Scales". Profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  34. ↑ Finley, Patrick (March 12, 2018). "Bears to re-sign OL Bradley Sowell to 2-year deal". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  35. ↑ Alper, Josh (March 20, 2018). "Bears re-sign John Timu". Profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  36. 1 2 "Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign Chandler Catanzaro, Mitch Unrein". United Press International. March 16, 2018. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  37. 1 2 "Kendall Wright jumps from Bears to Vikings". Profootballtalk.com. March 30, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-04-01. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  38. ↑ Wiltfong Jr., Lester (February 16, 2018). "Here's the full list of Chicago Bears' 2018 free agents". Windy City Gridiron. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  39. ↑ Stoltz, Jeremy (January 1, 2018). "Bears sign seven players to Reserve/Futures contracts". Scout.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  40. ↑ Biggs, Brad (January 10, 2018). "Bears add cornerback Jonathon Mincy from Montreal Alouettes". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  41. ↑ DaSilva, Cameron (March 12, 2018). "Everything you need to know about NFL's 'legal tampering' period". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  42. ↑ Associated Press (March 13, 2018). "Former Pro Bowl WR Robinson says he's signing with Bears". Foxsports.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  43. ↑ Mayer, Larry (March 14, 2018). "Roster Moves: Bears land five unrestricted free agents". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  44. ↑ Perez, Bryan (March 14, 2018). "Chase Daniel Contract: 2-years, $10 million for Mitch Trubisky's backup". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  45. ↑ Eurich, Matt (March 15, 2018). "Report: Bears to sign pass-rusher Aaron Lynch". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  46. ↑ Smith, Michael David (March 16, 2018). "Bears add another Matt Nagy quarterback, Tyler Bray". Profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  47. ↑ Biggs, Brad (April 3, 2018). "Bears sign Earl Watford for depth on offensive line". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  48. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (February 20, 2018). "Bears release LB Jerrell Freeman, decline option on OL Josh Sitton". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  49. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (February 26, 2018). "Bears release Pernell McPhee, Quintin Demps". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  50. ↑ Biggs, Brad (February 28, 2018). "Bears release Willie Young, freeing up $3.6 million in cap space". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  51. ↑ Zierlein (March 16, 2018). "2018 NFL Draft order and needs for every team". National Football League. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  52. ↑ Stankevitz, JJ (April 22, 2018). "Ranking the Bears' draft needs, from No. 13 to No. 1". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  53. ↑ Wagner-McGough, Sean (April 26, 2018). "Bears 2018 NFL Draft Big Board: Seven best options for No. 8 pick, Quenton Nelson at top". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  54. ↑ Eurich, Matt (April 25, 2018). "Chicago Bears on 247Sports final 7-round 2018 NFL mock draft". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  55. ↑ Cox, Lorin (April 6, 2018). "7 round Chicago Bears NFL mock draft with trades". USA Today. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  56. ↑ Seligman, Andrew (April 26, 2018). "Bears draft Georgia LB Roquan Smith with No. 8 pick in draft". The News Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  57. ↑ Kane, Colleen (April 28, 2018). "Bears select Iowa center James Daniels in second round of NFL draft". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  58. ↑ Eurich, Matt (April 27, 2018). "Bears will use James Daniels at guard to begin his career". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  59. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (April 27, 2018). "Bears trade up for Memphis receiver Anthony Miller". National Football League. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  60. ↑ Kay, Alex (April 28, 2018). "NFL Draft 2018 Picks: Full Day 3 Results, Schedule, Start Time, TV, Live Stream And Pro Predictions". Forbes. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  61. ↑ Kane, Colleen; Campbell, Rich (April 28, 2018). "Bears draft ILB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, DL Bilal Nichols, OLB Kylie Fitts, WR Javon Wims". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  62. ↑ Mayer, Larry (May 10, 2018). "Roster Moves: Bears ink 15 undrafted rookie free agents". Chicago Bears. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  63. ↑ Williams, Charean (May 10, 2018). "Bears sign six draft picks, including James Daniels, Anthony Miller". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  64. ↑ Campbell, Rich (July 28, 2018). "Roquan Smith's holdout centers on new NFL helmet-contact rule". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  65. ↑ Chamberlain, Gene (August 14, 2018). "Roquan Smith signs with Bears, and gets right to work". ABC News. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  66. ↑ Patra, Kevin (April 3, 2018). "Cardinals, Bears to begin offseason workouts Tuesday". National Football League. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  67. 1 2 3 Mayer, Larry (February 27, 2018). "Bears announce key offseason dates". Chicago Bears. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  68. ↑ Eurich, Matt (April 19, 2018). "Bears sign Marlon Brown and Nick Williams, waive Mekale McKay". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  69. 1 2 3 Williams, Charean (May 14, 2018). "Bears sign five tryout players, including Matt McCants". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  70. ↑ Inabinett, Mark (May 14, 2018). "Chicago Bears sign former Auburn QB John Franklin III, UAB's Matt McCants". The Birmingham News. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  71. ↑ Durkee, Travis (May 14, 2018). "'Last Chance U' star John Franklin III signs with Bears as a defensive back". Sporting News. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  72. ↑ Cox, Lorin (June 7, 2018). "Bears sign OLB Kasim Edebali after minicamp tryout". USA Today. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  73. ↑ Eurich, Matt (June 7, 2018). "Bears sign Josh Woods and Kasim Edebali, waive two others". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  74. ↑ "Chicago Bears announce 2018 Training Camp Schedule". Chicago Bears. May 31, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  75. ↑ Kelberman, Zack (August 15, 2018). "Broncos camp Day 14: Case Keenum sharp, defense dull". 247Sports.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  76. ↑ Williams, Charean (July 23, 2018). "Bears sign Ro'Derrick Hoskins, waive Jeremi Hall". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  77. ↑ Eurich, Matt (July 26, 2018). "Matt Fleming cut, Malachi Jones signed by Bears". 247Sports.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  78. ↑ Williams, Charean (July 28, 2018). "Bears sign Jack Allen, waive Bunmi Rotimi". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  79. ↑ Cox, Lorin (August 4, 2018). "Bears waive OL Jack Allen, replace him with OL Kaleb Johnson". USA Today. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  80. ↑ "Chicago Bears add veteran RB Knile Davis, release lineman". United Press International. August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  81. ↑ Sessler, Marc (February 13, 2018). "Ravens to play Bears in 2018 Hall of Fame Game". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  82. ↑ Mayer, Larry (April 11, 2018). "Bears announce preseason opponents". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  83. ↑ Mayer, Larry (August 2, 2018). "Bears edged by Ravens in Hall of Fame Game". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  84. ↑ Mayer, Larry (August 9, 2018). "Game recap: Bears rally but fall to Bengals". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  85. ↑ Mayer, Larry (August 19, 2018). "=Game Recap: Late comeback lifts Bears over Broncos". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  86. ↑ Dubin, Jared (August 26, 2018), Bears coach Matt Nagy: Sitting starters in preseason won't change Week 1 result, CBSSports.com, retrieved August 31, 2018
  87. ↑ Mayer, Larry (August 21, 2018). "Game Recap: Bears defeat Chiefs at Soldier Field". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  88. ↑ Mayer, Larry (August 30, 2018). "Game recap: Bears edged by late Bills rally". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  89. ↑ Eurich, Matt (August 16, 2018). "Bears sign Tanner Carew, release Andrew Trumbetti". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  90. ↑ Eurich, Matt (August 26, 2018). "Earl Watford released by Bears". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  91. ↑ Smith, Michael David (September 1, 2018). "Khalil Mack trade official, Bears down to 53". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  92. ↑ RotoWire (September 2, 2018). "Bears' Marlon Brown: Heads to IR". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  93. ↑ "Bears put TE Adam Shaheen on injured reserve, eye midseason return". Chicago Sun-Times. September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  94. ↑ "Bears acquire Khalil Mack from Raiders, reach $141M extension". ESPN. September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  95. ↑ Campbell, Rich (September 2, 2018). "Bears put TE Adam Shaheen on injured reserve and release C Hroniss Grasu". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  96. ↑ Campbell, Rich (September 3, 2018). "Bears announce their 10-man practice squad". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  97. ↑ Eurich, Matt (September 6, 2018). "Bears unveil 2018 jersey schedule". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  98. ↑ Mayer, Larry (September 3, 2018). "Bears reveal jersey colors for all 2018 games". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  99. ↑ "All Matchups, Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  100. ↑ Finley, Patrick (September 7, 2018). "Bears name three captains for Packers, but will rotate them each week". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  101. 1 2 "Bears vs. Packers - Play-By-Play". ESPN. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  102. 1 2 3 Mayer, Larry (September 10, 2018). "Game recap: Bears lose heartbreaker in opener". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  103. 1 2 Potash, Mark (September 12, 2018). "Encouraged by silver linings — 'how good our team is' — Bears focus on Seahawks". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  104. ↑ "Chicago Bears Blown Leads". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  105. ↑ "All Matchups, Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  106. ↑ Potash, Mark (September 16, 2018). "Bears-Seahawks: What to Watch 4". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  107. ↑ Benoit, Andy (September 17, 2018). "Will Seahawks' Young Defense Stand up to the Bears on Monday Night Football?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  108. ↑ Price, Satchel (September 17, 2018). "Bears vs. Seahawks: Final score and highlights for Week 2". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  109. 1 2 3 "Seahawks vs. Bears - Play-By-Play". ESPN. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  110. 1 2 3 Mayer, Larry (September 17, 2018). "Game Recap: Bears defeat Seahawks in home opener". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  111. ↑ Neveau, James (September 19, 2018). "Danny Trevathan Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week". WMAQ-TV. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  112. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (September 18, 2018). "Five Bears defenders tally sacks of Russell Wilson in first half". ESPN. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  113. ↑ Armour, Nancy (September 17, 2018). "Jon Gruden's decision to get rid of Khalil Mack looks dumber with each game". USA Today. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  114. ↑ "All Matchups, Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  115. ↑ Potash, Mark (September 21, 2018). "Bears vs. Cardinals: What to Watch 4". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  116. ↑ Eurich, Matt (September 22, 2018). "Bears name captains for Week 3". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  117. 1 2 3 "Bears vs. Cardinals - Play-By-Play". ESPN. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  118. 1 2 3 Mayer, Larry (September 23, 2018). "Game Recap: Bears win thriller in Arizona". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  119. ↑ "All Matchups, Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  120. ↑ Ellis, Cam (September 30, 2018). "Ryan Fitzpatrick will reportedly start vs. Bears". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  121. 1 2 Stankevitz, JJ (September 29, 2018). "Three keys and prediction: Bears vs. Buccaneers". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  122. 1 2 3 4 Mayer, Larry (September 30, 2018). "Game Recap: Trubisky fuels rout of Buccaneers". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  123. ↑ Eurich, Matt (September 30, 2018). "Mitch Trubisky dominates in win over Buccaneers". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  124. 1 2 3 4 Finley, Patrick (September 30, 2018). "After Mitch Trubisky went 6 times 6, he hopes 'this is where it all started'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  125. 1 2 3 "Buccaneers vs. Bears - Play-By-Play". ESPN. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  126. ↑ Stankevitz, JJ (October 2, 2018). "Bears film review: All about 'Willy Wonka'". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  127. ↑ Eurich, Matt (October 4, 2018). "Mitch Trubisky wins FedEx Air Player of the Week". 247Sports.com. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  128. ↑ Mayer, Larry. "Wednesday weigh-in: Bears bye week". October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  129. ↑ Emma, Chris (October 4, 2018). "Bears Clicking As They Break For Bye". WSCR. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  130. ↑ Seligman, Andrew (October 4, 2018). "Bears reach bye with different view: from top of NFC North". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  131. ↑ Stankevitz, JJ (October 4, 2018). "Khalil Mack named NFC Defensive Player of the Month". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  132. ↑ RotoWire (October 4, 2018). "Bears' Sam Acho: Sent to IR". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  133. ↑ Perez, Bryan (October 8, 2018). "Bears sign OL Bryan Witzmann to active roster". USA Today. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.