2001 Chicago Bears season

2001 Chicago Bears season
Head coach	Dick Jauron
General manager	Jerry Angelo
Owner	The McCaskey Family
Home field	Soldier Field
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) 33–19

The 2001 Chicago Bears season was their 82nd regular season and 23rd postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted a surprising 13–3 record under head coach Dick Jauron en route to an NFC Central title and the number two seed in the NFC. The Bears, led by Jim Miller, seemed like a team of destiny, with 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, it was not to be as the Bears were upset at home by the Philadelphia Eagles 33–19 in the NFC Divisional playoffs.

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 2 3 4 Total Bears 3 0 3 0 6 • Ravens 0 3 7 7 17 Date: September 9 Location: PSINet Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 3 0 7 0 10 • Bears 0 0 3 14 17 Date: September 23 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game weather: 61°F • Wind 9 Referee: Mike Carey Television network: Fox

Scoring summary 1 MIN Gary Anderson 20-yard field goal Vikings 3–0 3 MIN Andrew Jordan 3-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick) Vikings 7–3 3 CHI Paul Edinger 45-yard field goal Vikings 10–3 4 CHI Marty Booker 15-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick) Tie 10–10 4 CHI Marcus Robinson 24-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 17–10

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Week 4

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 0 10 0 21 31 Falcons 0 0 0 3 3 Date: October 7 Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Bill Carollo Television network: Fox

Scoring summary 2 CHI Marcus Robinson 34-yard pass from Marty Booker (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 7–0 2 CHI Paul Edinger 42-yard field goal Bears 10–0 4 CHI Marty Booker 63-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 17–0 4 CHI Brian Urlacher 90-yard fumble return (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 24–0 4 ATL Jay Feely 44-yard field goal Bears 24–3 4 CHI Anthony Thomas 32-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 31–3

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Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 6 0 7 13 • Bears 3 10 7 0 20 Date: October 14 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game weather: 54°F • Wind 11 Referee: Johnny Grier Television network: Fox

Scoring summary 1 CHI Paul Edinger 46-yard field goal Bears 3–0 2 ARI Bill Gramatica 40-yard field goal Tie 3–3 2 CHI James Allen 1-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 10–3 2 ARI Bill Gramatica 47-yard field goal Bears 10–6 2 CHI Paul Edinger 43-yard field goal Bears 13–6 3 CHI R.W. McQuarters 69-yard fumble return (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 20–6 4 ARI Frank Sanders 7-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramatica kick) Bears 20–13

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Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 3 7 7 7 24 Bengals 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 21 Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 60°F • Wind 8 Referee: Bernie Kukar

Scoring summary 1 CHI Paul Edinger 48-yard field goal Bears 3–0 2 CHI Fred Baxter 1-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 10–0 3 CHI Marty Booker 13-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 17–0 4 CHI Anthony Thomas 23-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) Bears 24–0

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Week 7

1 2 3 4 OT Total 49ers 14 0 14 3 0 31 • Bears 0 9 7 15 6 37 Date: October 28 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game weather: 40°F • Wind 12 Referee: Dick Hantak Television network: Fox

Scoring summary 1 SF Julian Peterson 26-yard fumble return (Jose Cortez kick) 49ers 7–0 1 SF Justin Swift 1-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jose Cortez kick) 49ers 14–0 2 CHI Safety, ball fumbled out of end zone 49ers 14–2 2 CHI Daimon Shelton 3-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Paul Edinger kick) 49ers 14–9 3 SF Garrison Hearst 60-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jose Cortez kick) 49ers 21–9 3 SF Zack Bronson 97-yard interception return (Jose Cortez kick) 49ers 28–9 3 CHI Anthony Thomas 19-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) 49ers 28–16 4 SF Jose Cortez 40-yard field goal 49ers 31–16 4 CHI David Terrell 13-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Paul Edinger kick) 49ers 31–23 4 CHI David Terrell 4-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Anthony Thomas run) Tie 31–31 OT 14:44 CHI Mike Brown 33-yard interception return Bears 37–31

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Week 8

1 2 3 4 OT Total Browns 7 0 14 0 0 21 • Bears 0 7 0 14 6 27 Date: November 4 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Game start: 3:15 p.m. Game weather: 53°F • Wind 8 Referee: Gerald Austin TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel

Scoring summary 1 CLE Courtney Brown 25-yard fumble return (Phil Dawson kick) Browns 7–0 2 CHI Anthony Thomas 2-yard run (Paul Edinger kick) Tie 7–7 3 CLE Mike Sellers 3-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick) Browns 14–7 3 CLE Kevin Johnson 55-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick) Browns 21–7 4 CHI Marty Booker 9-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Paul Edinger kick) Browns 21–14 4 CHI James Allen 34-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Paul Edinger kick) Tie 21–21 OT 12:10 CHI Mike Brown 16-yard interception return Bears 27–21

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Week 17

1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 0 0 6 7 13 • Bears 3 10 10 10 33 Date: January 6 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: Cloudy; 32°F; wind 12 Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf

Scoring summary Q1 2:42 CHI Edinger 47 yard field goal CHI 3–0 Q2 1:17 CHI Johnson 2 yard run (Edinger kick) CHI 10–0 Q2 :00 CHI Edinger 23 yard field goal CHI 13–0 Q3 9:40 CHI Terrell 9 yard pass from Miller (Edinger kick) CHI 20–0 Q3 6:59 JAC McCardell 15 yard pass from Brunell (kick failed) CHI 20–6 Q3 1:52 CHI Edinger 25 yard field goal CHI 23–6 Q4 12:56 CHI Edinger 22 yard field goal CHI 26–6 Q4 7:37 CHI Thomas 2 yard run (Edinger kick) CHI 33–6 Q4 3:50 JAC Smith 3 yard pass from Brunell (Holmes kick) CHI 33–13

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Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(2) Chicago Bears	13	3	0	.813	338	203	W4
^(3) 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 2 3 4 Total • Eagles 6 7 7 13 33 Bears 0 7 7 5 19 Date: Saturday January 19, 2002 Location: Soldier Field Game start: 3:37 Elapsed time: 2:58 Game attendance: 66,944 Game weather: 31°, wind 8 mph, wind chill 19° Referee: Bill Carollo

Scoring summary Q1 9:04 PHI Akers 34 yard field goal PHI 3–0 Q1 3:22 PHI Akers 23 yard field goal PHI 6–0 Q2 5:29 CHI Merritt 47 yard run (Paul Edinger CHI 7–6 Q2 0:14 PHI Martin 13 yard pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 13–7 Q3 12:25 CHI Azumah 39 yard interception return (Edinger kick) CHI 14–13 Q3 5:55 PHI Staley 6 yard pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 20-14 Q4 14:16 CHI Edinger 38 yard field goal PHI 20–17 Q4 8:48 PHI Akers 40 yard field goal PHI 23–17 Q4 6:28 PHI Akers 46 yard field goal PHI 26–17 Q4 3:21 PHI McNabb 5 yard run (Akers kick) PHI 33–17 Q4 0:00 CHI Safety PHI 33–19

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Final roster

2001 Chicago Bears final roster
	Quarterbacks 9 Shane Matthews 8 Cade McNown 15 Jim Miller 17 Danny Wuerffel Running backs 20 James Allen RB 25 Autry Denson RB 24 Glyn Milburn 36 Stanley Pritchett RB 31 Daimon Shelton 35 Anthony Thomas RB Wide receivers 87 D'Wayne Bates 86 Marty Booker 81 Ahmad Merritt 88 Marcus Robinson 83 David Terrell 80 Dez White Tight ends 84 Fred Baxter 82 John Davis 45 Scott Dragos FB 89 Dustin Lyman		Offensive linemen 63 Ryan Benjamin C 78 Blake Brockermeyer T 73 Kevin Dogins C 74 Jimmy Herndon T 64 Rex Tucker G 58 Chris Villarrial G 71 James Williams T Defensive linemen 70 Alfonso Boone DT 93 Philip Daniels DE 72 Carl Powell DE 95 Karon Riley DE 98 Bryan Robinson DE 99 Joe Tafoya DT 96 Henry Taylor DT 94 Keith Traylor DT 92 Ted Washington DT		Linebackers 59 Rosevelt Colvin OLB 53 Warrick Holdman OLB 52 Bobbie Howard LB 55 Greg Jones LB 56 Jim Nelson OLB 62 Robert Newkirk LB 91 Khari Samuel LB 54 Brian Urlacher ILB Defensive backs 39 Reggie Austin CB 23 Jerry AzumahCB 30 Mike Brown SS 43 Mike Green FS 27 Walt Harris CB 26 Todd McMillon CB 21 R.W. McQuarters CB 22 Than Merrill CB 37 Tony Parrish SS 33 Larry Whigham CB Special teams  2 Paul Edinger K 65 Patrick Mannelly LS  4 Brad Maynard P		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics 56 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 Practice squad

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

Roster

Defense CB Walt Harris Jerry Azumah CB R.W. McQuarters ⋅ Offense WR Marty Booker ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Blake Brockermeyer Rex Tucker Olin Kreutz Chris Villarrial James Williams ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ TE Fred Baxter John Davis WR Dez White David Terrell QB Jim Miller Shane Matthews RB Anthony Thomas James Allen FB Daimon Shelton ⋅ Special Teams PK Paul Edinger P Brad Maynard KR Autry Denson PR Leon Johnson

References

1. Pro-Football-Reference.com
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com
5. Pro-Football-Reference.com
6. Pro-Football-Reference.com
7. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jun-17.
8. "Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears - January 19th, 2002 | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-12-01.

External links

• 2001 Chicago Bears Season at www.bearshistory.com