# 1942 Chicago Bears season

The 1942 season was the Chicago Bears' 23rd in the National Football League. The team improved on their 10–1 record in 1941 and finished at 11–0, under head coach George Halas (who left for World War II in November) and temporary co-coaches Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos. The Bears were denied a three-peat and an undefeated season when they lost to the Washington Redskins in the year's title game. In the previous two NFL championship games, the Bears defeated the Redskins, 73–0, and then the Giants, 37–9.
The 1942 Bears were "the single most dominant team in the history of the NFL," according to Cold Hard Football Facts. "The 1942 Bears went 11–0, scored 376 points and surrendered just 84 points. They also have the lowest passer rating allowed in NFL history, with opposing quarterbacks having a passer rating of just 21.4. That dominant team, like the undefeated 2007 Patriots, was upset in the NFL championship game."

## Schedule

| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 27 | at Green Bay Packers | W 44–28 | 1–0 | City Stadium | 20,007 | Recap |
| 2 | October 4 | at Cleveland Rams | W 21–7 | 2–0 | League Park | 17,167 | Recap |
| 3 | October 11 | Chicago Cardinals | W 41–14 | 3–0 | Wrigley Field | ~38,500 | Recap |
| 4 | October 18 | New York Giants | W 26–7 | 4–0 | Wrigley Field | ~32,000 | Recap |
| 5 | October 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 45–14 | 5–0 | Wrigley Field | 15,372 | Recap |
| 6 | November 1 | Detroit Lions | W 16–0 | 6–0 | Wrigley Field | 12,205 | Recap |
| 7 | November 8 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | W 35–0 | 7–0 | Ebbets Field | 31,643 | Recap |
| 8 | November 15 | Green Bay Packers | W 38–7 | 8–0 | Wrigley Field | 42,787 | Recap |
| 9 | November 22 | at Detroit Lions | W 42–0 | 9–0 | Briggs Stadium | 17,348 | Recap |
| 10 | November 29 | Cleveland Rams | W 47–0 | 10–0 | Wrigley Field | 13,195 | Recap |
| 11 | December 6 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 21–7 | 11–0 | Comiskey Park | 8,251 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||||

## Standings

NFL Western Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Chicago Bears | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 8–0 | 376 | 84 | W11 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 6–2 | 300 | 215 | W2 |
| Cleveland Rams | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 3–5 | 150 | 207 | L1 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 3–5 | 98 | 209 | L6 |
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 11 | 0 | .000 | 0–8 | 38 | 263 | L11 |
       Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Eastern Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 1 | 0 | .909 | 7–1 | 227 | 102 | W9 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 5–3 | 167 | 119 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | 4–4 | 155 | 139 | W2 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 2–6 | 100 | 168 | L6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 134 | 239 | L1 |
       Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources |
| NFL Championship | December 13 | at Washington Redskins | L 6–14 | 0–1 | Griffith Stadium | 36,006 | Recap | |