2012 Chicago Bears season The Chicago Bears season was the franchise ' s 93rd season in the National Football League , as well as the ninth under head coach Lovie Smith . The team played at Soldier Field for the tenth season since its reconstruction in 2001 . The Bears entered the 2012 season looking to improve on their 8 – 8 record in 2011 . The Bears were expected to be a wild card team by ten ESPN experts , and four NFL . com analysts predicting that the team will finish second in the NFC North . By the season ' s midpoint , the Bears had proven to be among the league ' s most elite teams , having a record of 7 – 1 , along with a scoring differential of + 120 , which led the league . The team trailed the San Francisco 49ers in scoring defense with 15 points per game allowed , and third in scoring offense with 29 . 5 , trailing the New England Patriots and Houston Texans . The defense also recorded six interceptions returned for touchdowns in the first seven games of the season , an NFL record ; the Bears then recorded two more in the season , one shy of the record set by the 1961 San Diego Chargers . However , during the second half of the season , the Bears went 3 – 5 , and after scoring 19 touchdowns in the first eight games , the Bears scored ten fewer in the second half of the season . Despite defeating the Detroit Lions in the season finale to have a record of 10 – 6 , the Minnesota Vikings , who had a better division record than Chicago , defeated the Green Bay Packers 37 - 34 , ending the Bears season . As a result , the Bears became the first team since the 1996 Washington Redskins to start the season 7 – 1 and miss the playoffs . On December 31 , Smith was fired , and was replaced by Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman . The Bears finished the season by leading the NFL in takeaways with 44 , sixth in third - down efficiency ( 35 . 5 percent ) and eighth in sacks with 41 , while ranking third in the league in fewest points allowed with 277 ; Chicago is the lone team in the top five in that category to not qualify for the playoffs . The Bears also had a + 20 turnover margin , second behind the New England Patriots ; the Bears and New York Giants are the only teams in the top eleven of the category to not make the playoffs . Offseason . Organizational changes . On January 3 , the team fired eleven - year general manager Jerry Angelo . In the search for a new general manager , the Bears considered New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross , San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye III , New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht , and Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery , along with in - house candidate Tim Ruskell ( Ruskell and the Bears would mutually part ways on January 30 ) . The hunt later narrowed down to Emery and Licht , and Emery was ultimately chosen as the new general manager on January 28 . Offensive coordinator Mike Martz later resigned from his position , and on January 7 , the Bears promoted offensive line coach Mike Tice to Martz ' s role . On January 8 , Tim Holt was hired to take Tice ' s place . The team also re - signed special - teams coordinator Dave Toub back on the team to a two - year extensionl Toub had been among the candidates for the Miami Dolphins head coach position , but failed to get hired . In the team ' s search for a new offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach after Shane Day ' s resignation , they originally considered former Bears quarterback coach Greg Olson ( though he later declined ) and Alex Van Pelt . Tice had expressed interest in hiring Dirk Koetter , who worked with Tice in Jacksonville , though Koetter would later be hired by the Atlanta Falcons . The Bears eventually hired former Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates . The Bears , after head athletic trainer Tim Bream left for Penn State , promoted former assistant athletic trainer Chris Hanks to Bream ' s role , as well as director of rehabilitation Bobby Slater to Hanks ' s role . The Bears ' scouting team expanded by hiring Chris Ballard as director of pro scouting , Marty Barrett as college scouting director , while adding seven new scouts and four scouting assistants . Among the new scouts is former Bears cornerback Dwayne Joseph , who was hired as a pro scout . Roster changes . Chicago opened free agency with an NFC North - leading $ 24 million in cap space . The first transaction of 2012 was on January 6 , when the Bears signed Donovan Warren , Reggie Stephens , and Draylen Ross to future / reserve contracts . On March 13 , the first day of free agency , Chicago acquired wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins for two third round draft picks , along with Jason Campbell and Blake Costanzo . The following day , Eric Weems was signed , followed by Michael Bush eight days later . The final signing of March was New York Giants receiver Devin Thomas . On April 4 , the Bears signed conerbacks Kelvin Hayden and Jonathan Wilhite , and offensive guard Chilo Rachal on April 18 . The following day saw Chicago signing Buccaneers linebacker Geno Hayes . The first signings of May occurred on May 10 , when the Bears signed John McCargo , DeMario Pressley , and Cheta Ozougwu , and 13 days later , Nate Collins was signed . On June 15 , the Bears signed Cornelius Brown and Cory Brandon . Two days later , Chicago signed Lorenzo Booker . On July 26 , the second trade occurred for the Bears with Tampa Bay , with the Buccaneers sending Brian Price to Chicago in exchange for an undisclosed 2013 NFL Draft pick . The last signing of July happened two days later , when Jeremy Ware was signed . The first acquisition of August was former Bears receiver Rashied Davis , followed by Derek Walker the next day . The first departures were on March 1 , when the Bears released Anthony Adams and Frank Omiyale . Six days later , the Bears announced that they will not bring back quarterback Caleb Hanie , who was subsequently signed by the Denver Broncos . On March 23 , the Bears lost Marion Barber to retirement , and unrestricted free agent Corey Graham to the Baltimore Ravens . Three days later , Zack Bowman was signed by the Minnesota Vikings , folowed by Amobi Okoye to Tampa Bay on April 7 . On April 19 , the Bears released Max Komar , and Winston Venable was released on May 3 . Eleven days later , Chicago waived Levi Horn , Reggie Stephens , and Andre Smith . On June 12 , Donovan Warren was released , followed by Nathan Enderle and Mansfield Wrotto on June 14 . On July 17 , undrafted free agent Alvester Alexander was released , along with David Teggart on July 28 . On August 5 , Devin Thomas announced his retirement . The final two departures before preseason occurred on August 7 , when the Bears released Tyler Hendrickson , and August 8 , when Draylen Ross was released . 2012 draft class . In 2011 , the Bears acquired the Carolina Panthers ' third round pick for Greg Olsen , though a year later , the Bears traded the pick to the Miami Dolphins and a future third rounder for Marshall . In the first round , the Bears selected Boise State defensive end Shea McClellin with the 19th overall pick . Though McClellin played defensive end and linebacker at college , Bears general manager Phil Emery stated that McClellin will exclusively play defensive end with the Bears . In the second round , the Bears traded their second round pick ( 50th overall ) and their fifth rounder ( 150th overall ) to the St . Louis Rams in echange for their second rounder ( 45th overall ) , which was used on South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery . Emery considered Jeffery one of the best receivers in the draft , placing him ahead of Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd . In round three , the Bears drafted Oregon State safety Brandon Hardin 79th overall , despite missing the entire 2011 college football season with a shoulder injury . Hardin ' s selection marked the eighth consecutive year the team spent a draft pick on a safety . In the next round , the Bears selected Temple tight end Evan Rodriguez . Though he played tight end , he was envisioned as a fullback by the team , and will be primarily intended to be a blocker . Rodriguez stated that he has been a blocker at Temple during Al Golden ' s tenure as offensive coordinator . The Bears closed out the draft by drafting two cornerback s , Nevada ' s Isaiah Frey ( 184th overall ) and TCU ' s Greg McCoy ( 220th overall ) , despite the team already having six cornerbacks . McCoy was sixth in the nation in kickoff return yards , having averaged 30 . 6 yards per return , and scoring two touchdowns . Draft analysts gave the Bears draft grades mainly C ' s . The entire draft class was signed by May 15 . Undrafted free agents . After the conclusion of the draft , the Bears announced coming to terms with eleven undrafted free - agents . Offseason workouts . Rookie minicamp . 51 rookies worked out with the team at Rookie Minicamp , consisting of closed two - hour practices . The rookies included 6 draft picks , 11 undrafted free agents and 34 others . OTA workouts . On May 22 , the Bears began their organized team activity ( OTA ) workouts , with workouts being from May 29 – 31 and June 4 – 7 , with a mandatory full squad workout in June . Under the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFLPA , offseason programs will last 9 weeks , instead of the former 14 weeks , and will be in 3 phases . In the first phase , activities were limited to strength , conditioning , and physical rehabilitation , with only strength and conditioning coaches allowed on the field . Players cannot wear helmets , and footballs are limited to quarterbacks and their receivers . In the second phase , all coaches are allowed on the field , and players will perform 7 - on - 7 and 11 - on - 11 non - contact drills . In the third and final phase , players may wear helmets , but one - on - one drills involving the offense and defense are prohibited . Running back Matt Forté skipped the workouts due to a contract dispute . Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher , cornerback Charles Tillman , wide receiver Devin Hester and kicker Robbie Gould did not attend the workouts . Tight end Matt Spaeth , rookie receiver Alshon Jeffery , receiver Johnny Knox and cornerback Jonathan Wilhite were present , but did not participate . Julius Peppers held out of team drills , and Chauncey Davis was called to take first team reps at defensive end . Kyle Adams replaced Spaeth at tight end . Dom DeCicco and Nick Roach replaced Urlacher at linebacker . Patrick Mannelly also did not practice due to an injury . Minicamp . During Bears minicamp , Matt Forte still held out , and remained unavailable . Forte had a July 16 deadline to agree to a long - term deal , and eventually signed it on the day of the deadline . Newcomer Michael Bush was called to take Forte ' s place before the signing . Training Camp . The team held training camp at Olivet Nazarene University for the eleventh consecutive year , which ran from July 25 to August 17 . The Bears held their annual Family Fest at Soldier Field on August 3 in front of a crowd of 27 , 352 . During training camp , newcomer Devin Thomas announced his retirement , and the team brought back former Bears receiver Rashied Davis to fill his place . Preseason . Schedule . The Bears ' preseason schedule was announced on April 4 , 2012 . The Bears took on the Broncos , Peyton Manning , and former Bear Caleb Hanie , playing in their first game as Broncos , a game the Bears lost 31 – 3 . Though safety Major Wright was able to intercept Manning , and rookie Shea McClellin managed to sack Hanie in the first quarter , the team , playing without Jay Cutler , Matt Forté , Brian Urlacher , and Julius Peppers , the offense failed to convert any third down attempts , and only managed to get into Broncos territory once in the first half , which resulted in Josh McCown getting sacked . The defense also allowed Denver to convert 8 out of 16 third down conversions . In the second half , the Broncos scored three touchdowns on Xavier Omon ' s run , Brock Osweiler ' s pass to Jason Hill , and Adam Weber ' s pass to Cornelius Ingram . In the second game , the Bears faced rookie first - round draft pick Robert Griffin III and the Redskins , and forced Griffin to fumble . The Bears would lead 30 - 10 , but Washington would take the lead in the fourth quarter after scoring 21 points on two Kirk Cousins passes and a Brandon Banks punt return , but Robbie Gould would tie the Bears record ( that he himself set ) for the longest field goal to give the Bears the victory . Against the defending champion New York Giants , though Cutler only completed 9 of 21 passes for 96 yards , he threw a 21 - yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall , and Gould kicked two field goals . The Giants would go on to score two touchdowns in the second - quarter , and led 17 - 7 , though the Bears would later regain the lead 20 - 17 . Late in the fourth quarter , Bears rookie Isaiah Frey intercepted a David Carr pass that was tipped by Anthony Walters to give the Bears the victory . In the final preseason game against the Cleveland Browns , a frequent preseason opponent , the Bears took an early lead that they never relinquished for the rest of the game on two Josh McCown touchdown passes , an interception return by rookie Greg McCoy , and a blocked punt returned 22 yards for a touchdown by Brittan Golden , leading to a Bears 28 - 20 victory . Regular season . Schedule . The team ' s schedule was announced on April 17 . Besides the team ' s divisional opponents , the Bears will also play the AFC South , NFC West , along with the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers . The team has the twentieth strongest schedule in the NFL , tied with the Detroit Lions , New York Jets , and Kansas City Chiefs with opponents having a combined record of 126 - 130 ( . 492 ) in 2011 . The team captains for the season remained the same as the previous season ; the Bears selected Jay Cutler , Roberto Garza , Patrick Mannelly , Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher as captains . Game summaries . Week 1 : vs . Indianapolis Colts . The Bears opened the season against the Indianapolis Colts and first overall draft pick Andrew Luck at Soldier Field . The Bears opened the game on a sour note when Jay Cutler ' s pass to Matt Forte was intercepted by Jerrell Freeman and returned for a touchdown , giving the Colts a 7 - 0 lead . Cutler would only complete 30 percent of his passes ( 3 of 10 ) for 21 yards for a 4 . 9 passer rating . Despite this , in the second quarter , Cutler would complete 15 of 17 for 228 yards , one touchdown and a passer rating of 80 . 5 , as the Bears would score twice on a Michael Bush 1 - yard touchdown run and Brandon Marshall ' s 3 - yard touchdown catch to give Chicago a 14 - 7 lead . The Bears defense was not able to sack Luck , but the Colts offense was only able to convert 1 of 4 third down attempts , and Tim Jennings was able to intercept Luck . In the third quarter , the Bears scored on a 6 - yard rushing touchdown by Forte to increase the lead to 31 - 14 . In the final quarter , Luck threw his first career touchdown to Donnie Avery to close the gap by 13 points , but the Bears would retaliate when Cutler threw a 42 - yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery . The Colts attempted to score , but Luck ' s pass would be intercepted by Jennings with less than two minutes left in the game . With the win , the Bears opened the season with a 1 - 0 record . The 41 points scored by the Bears were the most in a season opener since the 1986 season , when the Bears defeated the Cleveland Browns 41 - 31 , and is also the first time the Bears scored 41 points without a defensive / special teams touchdown since 1993 . Week 2 : at Green Bay Packers . In a Thursday Night showdown against the rival Green Bay Packers , the Bears struggled throughout much of the game , and the offense was only able to muster one touchdown and 168 yards . Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked seven times , and completed 11 of 27 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown , four interceptions and a 28 . 2 passer rating . Cutler ' s counterpart Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times , and ended the game by completing 22 of 32 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown , an interception and a passer rating of 85 . 3 . In the first quarter , Packers kicker Mason Crosby opened the game with a field goal , and the Bears would fall behind even more when Packers holder Tim Masthay threw a pass to tight end Tom Crabtree on a fake field goal . In the third quarter , Matt Forte sustained an ankle injury ( originally reported as a high ankle sprain ) , and was lost for the game . After Cutler was later intercepted by Tramon Williams , Bears linebacker Lance Briggs dropped a possible interception , as Green Bay later increased the lead on another field goal . The Bears would later score on a Robbie Gould field goal , but the Packers later scored ten points ( a Crosby field goal and a Rodgers 26 - yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver ) in 21 seconds early in the fourth quarter . After Tim Jennings intercepted a Rodgers pass , Cutler connected with Kellen Davis to narrow the score to 23 - 10 with 6 : 49 left in the game , but the Packers would hold for the win . The loss dropped the Bears to a 1 - 1 record . Week 3 : vs . St . Louis Rams . Attempting to bounce back from the Week 2 loss to the Packers , the Bears faced the St . Louis Rams . Throughout the course of the game , the Bears defense sacked Rams quarterback Sam Bradford six times , marking the first time the Bears defense has recorded at least five sacks in back - to - back games since the team ' s 2001 season . The six sacks increased the Bears season sack total to 14 , which led the league , and is the most they have recorded in the first three games since 1987 . On the offensive side , however , Jay Cutler completed only 17 of 31 passes for 183 yards and an interception ( by Cortland Finnegan ; Finnegan appeared to fumble on the return , and the ball was recovered by Bears receiver Devin Hester , but the fumble was overturned ) , and a mere passer rating of 58 . 9 . With running back Matt Forte out for the game , the Bears rushing attack ran for 103 yards and Michael Bush ran for a 3 - yard touchdown . In the second quarter , Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked a 56 - yard field goal , the longest in Soldier Field history . In the fourth quarter , Bears cornerback Tim Jennings deflected a Bradford pass intended for Danny Amendola to Major Wright , who returned the interception 45 yards for a touchdown . The victory gave the Bears a 2 - 1 record . Week 4 : at Dallas Cowboys . In week 4 , the Bears played against the Dallas Cowboys on " Monday Night Football " in Dallas . After a scoreless first quarter and Robbie Gould ' s field goal , Charles Tillman intercepted Tony Romo , returning the pick for a touchdown . The interception would be the first of Romo ' s five interceptions . Romo would later hit Miles Austin for a 10 - yard touchdown . In the second half , Cutler was able to hit Devin Hester on a 34 - yard touchdown pass to extend the Bears lead . Later , Romo ' s pass was intercepted by Bears linebacker Lance Briggs , who then returned the interception for a touchdown to increase the lead 24 - 7 . The pick - six marked Bears ' fourteenth forced turnover , which led the league , and also leads the league in interceptions ( 11 ) . Cutler would then throw another touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall . Cutler would have his highest performance of the season , completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards , along with two touchdowns . His 140 . 1 passer rating was the third highest of his career . Marshall caught seven passes for 138 yards , a season - best . With 34 seconds left in the game , Romo was replaced by former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton , who threw a 5 - yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten , and the Cowboys had a two - point conversion , but the Bears would then win 34 - 18 . With the win , the Bears shared the NFC North lead with the Minnesota Vikings with a 3 - 1 record . Week 5 : at Jacksonville Jaguars . In week 5 , the Bears recorded the highest margin of victory of the season , defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 41 - 3 . In the first quarter , the Bears scored first on a Robbie Gould 32 - yard field goal , though Jacksonville would respond in the next quarter on Josh Scobee ' s 31 - yard kick . In the second half , the Bears broke the deadlock by kicking another field goal and cornerback Charles Tillman returning a Blaine Gabbert interception 36 yards for a touchdown , breaking former Bears safety Mike Brown ' s franchise record for the most pick - sixes in a career . Tillman also tied Donnell Woolford for the most interceptions by a cornerback in team history . In the fourth quarter , the Bears scored on Jay Cutler ' s 10 - yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery . Chicago would then extend their lead on Cutler ' s 24 - yard pass to Brandon Marshall to increase the lead to 27 - 3 . Bears linebacker Lance Briggs would then intercept Gabbert and score on a 36 - yard return . Briggs and Tillman would become the first pair in league history to return interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive games , and the Bears became the first team in NFL history to return five interceptions for touchdowns in the first five games of a season . The Bears would close out the game with backup running back Armando Allen scoring on a 46 - yard touchdown run . The victory improved the team ' s record to 4 - 1 . The victory is the most lopsided win for the Bears since their 1985 44 - 0 victory over the Cowboys , and the 38 points scored in the second half are the most since the team scoring 49 second half points in the 1941 win over the Philadelphia Eagles . Week 7 : vs . Detroit Lions . Coming off a bye week , the Bears battled rival Detroit Lions on " Monday Night Football " . The team kept the Lions from scoring until the fourth quarter , and forced four takeaways . The first turnover forced was in the first half , when Lance Briggs stripped the ball from Mikel Leshoure , which was recovered by Julius Peppers . The second and third turnovers were forced in the third quarter on Zack Bowman ' s muffed punt recovery , and Brian Urlacher recovering Joique Bell ' s fumble . The final turnover occurred when Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford ' s pass was intercepted by D . J . Moore . The Bears struck first on Jay Cutler ' s touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall , and Robbie Gould kicked a field goal to increase the first half score to 10 - 0 . During the game , Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh threw Cutler to the ground , injuring his ribs . Cutler was eventually replaced by Jason Campbell for a play , before returning to the game . In the second half , Gould kicked another field goal , and prevented the Lions from scoring until the final 36 seconds of the game , when Stafford threw a 12 - yard touchdown pass to Ryan Broyles to narrow the margin to six points , but the Bears sealed the victory by recovering the ensuring onside kick . The victory increased the team ' s record to 5 - 1 . Week 8 : vs . Carolina Panthers . In Week 8 , the Bears donned their 1940s throwback uniforms against the Carolina Panthers , who had the worst record in the NFC . The Bears scored first on Matt Forte ' s 13 - yard touchdown run , which would be countered by Justin Medlock ' s 34 - yard field goal . The Panthers then took the lead on Louis Murphy ' s fumble recovery ; Panthers quarterback Cam Newton ran with the ball , and lost the ball when Bears safety Major Wright tackled him at the 1 - yard line . The ball rolled into the endzone , where Murphy recovered it . Medlock would then kick three more field goals , and by the fourth quarter , the Panthers led 19 - 7 . The tide eventually turned when Panthers punter Brad Nortman shanked a 6 - yard punt , and Jay Cutler hit Kellen Davis on a 12 - yard touchdown pass with less than seven minutes left in the game . On the first play of the Panthers ' next drive , Tim Jennings intercepted Newton and returned the pick 25 yards to regain the lead 20 - 19 , after Cutler ' s two - point conversion passing attempt was intercepted . Medlock later kicked another field goal to reclaim the lead 22 - 20 with 2 : 27 left in the game . Cutler would lead the Bears downfield , and Gould kicked a 41 - yard field goal as time expired to give Chicago the victory . The kick was Gould ' s tenth game - winning field goal , and the first since 2010 . The win gave Chicago a 6 - 1 record . Week 9 : at Tennessee Titans . Against the Tennessee Titans , the Bears recorded a franchise record 28 points in the first quarter . The Bears defense recorded five turnovers ; Charles Tillman recorded four forced fumbles by stripping Kenny Britt and Jared Cook once , and Chris Johnson twice ( a league first ) , while Brian Urlacher recorded an interception . The Bears scored the first touchdown of the game when Sherrick McManis blocked Brett Kern ' s punt , which was recovered by Corey Wootton , who returned the blocked punt five yards for his first career touchdown . The Titans later recorded a safety when J ' Marcus Webb was penalized for illegal - hands - to - the - face while blocking in the end zone . The Bears then scored on Matt Forte ' s eight - yard run , followed by Urlacher intercepting Matt Hasselbeck and returning the pick for another touchdown . Jay Cutler later hit Brandon Marshall to end the quarter with the Bears leading 28 - 2 . The Bears became the first team in league history to score a touchdown pass , a touchdown run , an interception returned for a touchdown , and a kick / punt blocked for a score in a quarter . Titans kicker Rob Bironas later ended the half on a 39 - yard field goal . The Titans would finally score a touchdown on Hasselbeck ' s 30 - yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington in the third quarter . After Robbie Gould ' s three field goals , the Bears scored two more touchdowns on Cutler ' s passes to Marshall . With ten minutes left in the game , Johnson scored on an 80 - yard run to narrow the score to 51 - 20 , but the game would still be out of reach for the Titans . With the win , the Bears improved to 7 - 1 . The 51 points scored by the Bears were the most by the team since the 1980 victory over the Green Bay Packers , when the team triumphed 61 - 7 . The points scored were also the highest by the Bears in a road game since their 1963 win over the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 52 - 14 . In addition , Urlacher was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week while McManis was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week . It was the first time teammates have won weekly awards since 2008 . Week 10 : vs . Houston Texans . In a game that various analysts considered a potential Super Bowl XLVII preview , the 7 - 1 Bears faced the also 7 - 1 Houston Texans on " Sunday Night Football " , in a game waged in the rain . The first half proved disastrous for Chicago , as Kellen Davis had the ball stripped by former Bear Danieal Manning , and recovered by Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins . Shayne Graham later kicked a 20 - yard field goal to give Houston the first points of the game . On Chicago ' s next possession , Michael Bush fumbled , and the Texans recovered again . The Texans drive wouldn ' t last long , as Tim Jennings would intercept Matt Schaub . However , the Bears failed to take advantage of the turnover , as Jay Cutler ' s pass would get intercepted by Manning . A quarter later , Jennings once again intercepted Schaub , which set up a Robbie Gould 51 - yard field goal . Later in the quarter , Justin Forsett broke a 25 - yard run to the Bears 3 - yard line , which set up Arian Foster ' s 2 - yard touchdown catch . Late in the first half , Cutler was hit by Dobbins , giving him a concussion , which sidelined him for the rest of the game , and was replaced by Jason Campbell . With less than two minutes left in the third quarter , Gould hit a 24 - yard field goal to draw the Bears within four points , but Graham would make a 42 - yarder to increase the deficit to seven with less than five minutes left in the game . Gould had attempted a 48 - yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter , but the ball hit the left upright . The loss snapped Chicago ' s six - game winning streak , the longest since their seven - game streak in 2006 , and dropped Chicago to a 7 - 2 record , and 0 - 3 all - time against the Texans . Week 11 : at San Francisco 49ers . The Bears faced off on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers in a battle of backup quarterbacks between Jason Campbell and Colin Kaepernick after Jay Cutler and Alex Smith were lost for the game due to concussions . With Campbell and Kaepernick making their first starts of the 2012 season , the game marked the first tine two quarterbacks made their first starts of the season on " Monday Night Football " in a non - strike season ( besides Week 1 ) since between Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Vince Ferragamo and June Jones in Week 12 . In Kaepernick ' s first career start , he completed 16 of 23 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and a 133 . 1 rating , while Campbell struggled , completing 14 of 22 passes for 107 yards with one touchdown , two interceptions and a 52 . 7 passer rating . Campbell was also sacked six times , including 5 . 5 times by Aldon Smith , the most by an individual on Chicago ' s opposing team . After David Akers made a 32 - yard field goal , and the Bears went three - and - out , Kaepernick completed a 57 - yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams to give the 49ers a 10 - 0 lead in the first quarter . In the second quarter , 49ers running back Kendall Hunter scored on a 14 - yard run , followed by Akers ' 37 - yard field goal . In the second half , the 49ers continued their dominance , with Kaepernick hitting Michael Crabtree on a 10 - yard touchdown pass , which was countered by Campbell hitting Brandon Marshall on a 13 - yard pass . In the final quarter , Akers hit a 32 - yard field goal , and San Francisco recorded a safety when Campbell fumbled while getting sacked , with the ball being recovered by Bears offensive lineman Chilo Rachal in the endzone , making the final score 32 - 7 . The loss dropped Chicago to a 7 - 3 record , tying them with the Packers for the division lead . The loss was the eighth consecutive loss at Candlestick Park since 1985 . Week 12 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . The Bears fought their rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 12 . The game was an injury - laden game for both teams , with a total of seven players lost for both teams , with Chicago losing five ( Lance Louis [ knee ] , Chris Spencer [ knee ] , Matt Forte [ ankle ] , Devin Hester [ concussion ] , and Charles Tillman [ ankle ] ) , while Minnesota lost Kyle Rudolph and Harrison Smith to concussions . The Bears first offensive play resulted in Matt Forte fumbling for the first time all season when he ran into Evan Rodriguez , and had the ball recovered by Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway . The Vikings then scored a field goal on Blair Walsh ' s 40 - yard field goal . The Bears then struck back when Nick Roach stripped the ball from Adrian Peterson , which was recovered by Tillman . Jay Cutler , returning from the concussion he sustained two weeks prior , moved the ball downfield to the Vikings one - yard line , where Michael Bush ran in to give the Bears the lead . The Bears closed out the quarter with a 10 - 3 lead after Gould kicked a 47 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Bears scored again on Bush ' s second one - yard touchdown run . On the ensuing extra point , holder Adam Podlesh faked the kick and ran in to give the Bears two points . Chris Conte would eventually intercept Christian Ponder at the 48 - yard line and return the interception 35 yards to the Vikings 13 - yard line . Cutler then hit Matt Spaeth in the left corner of the end zone to increase the score to 25 - 3 . Early in the second half , Minnesota would record their first touchdown of the game on Ponder ' s two - yard pass to Rudolph , and Gould would then make a 46 - yard field goal late in the third quarter to end the game with a Chicago victory . In his return , Cutler completed 15 of 17 passes for 117 yards with one touchdown and a 115 . 0 passer rating in the first half , and would end the game with stats of 23 of 31 passes completed for 188 yards with one TD , one interception and an 86 . 5 passer rating . Receiver Brandon Marshall recorded 12 catches for 92 yards , and passed the 1 , 000 yards receiving mark for the sixth time in his career with 1 , 017 yards , making him the first Bears receiver to record 1 , 000 yards in a season since Marty Booker in 2002 . With the win , Chicago improved to 8 - 3 , snapping their two - game losing streak . Week 13 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . The Bears hosted the 6 - 5 Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 , who had lost five of their first six road games . The Bears started the game strong , with Brian Urlacher forcing Marshawn Lynch to fumble , and the ball was recovered by Kelvin Hayden , and Jay Cutler eventually hit Earl Bennett on a 12 - yard touchdown pass . The Bears would later fail twice to expand their lead ; first , Lovie Smith called for Michael Bush to run up the middle on fourth - and - one at the Seattle 15 , and he was stopped for no gain . On the second occasion , Bennett dropped a potential 62 - yard touchdown pass . The Seahawks capitalized on the two blunders , with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson hitting Golden Tate on a 49 - yard pass , and eventually scored on Lynch ' s 4 - yard touchdown run . Wilson would complete 23 of 37 passes for 293 yards with two touchdowns and a 104 . 9 passer rating while rushing for 71 yards on nine carries . Seattle then took the lead on Steven Hauschka ' s 31 - yard field goal to close the half . Seattle would have scored a touchdown on the previous play , but Braylon Edwards dropped the potential 10 - yard touchdown pass in the end zone . In the third quarter , Chicago regained the lead on Cutler ' s 12 - yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte , but Wilson would lead the Seahawks 97 yards to take back the lead on a touchdown pass to Tate . Cutler would then hit Brandon Marshall on a 56 - yard pass to set up Robbie Gould ' s game - tying 46 - yard field goal . In overtime , the Seahawks won the toss , and Wilson took the offense 80 yards , and threw the game - winning touchdown pass to Sidney Rice . On the play , Major Wright hit Rice while he was catching the ball , appearing to knock Rice unconscious and the ball out of his hands , but the review upheld the touchdown , giving Seattle the victory . The loss dropped Chicago down to 8 - 4 , once again tying them with the Packers for the NFC North lead . The 459 yards allowed are the most by the team all season . Week 14 : at Minnesota Vikings . Two weeks after their last meeting , the Bears faced the Vikings again , this time in Minnesota . During pregame warmups , the Bears lost kicker Robbie Gould to a left calf sprain , and was replaced by punter Adam Podlesh , though Gould would eventually kick the Bears extra points and an onside kick . Like the previous meeting , the game was injury - laden for the Bears , having lost Brian Urlacher , Tim Jennings , Stephen Paea and Earl Bennett before the game , while Henry Melton , Shea McClellin , Craig Steltz and Sherrick McManis were lost during the game . On the game ' s first play from scrimmage , Adrian Peterson broke free for a 51 - yard gain , and scored on a one - yard touchdown run a few plays later . On Chicago ' s first drive , Jay Cutler ' s pass intended for Alshon Jeffery was intercepted by Josh Robinson , who returned the pick to the five - yard line , setting up Peterson ' s second one - yard touchdown run . Peterson would end the game rushing for a Vikings - record 104 yards . The Bears would finally score on Cutler ' s 23 - yard touchdown pass to Jeffery to end the first half . The Vikings , however , scored once again when rookie Harrison Smith intercepted Cutler and returned the pick 56 - yards for a touchdown . Cutler would later be lost for the game due to a neck injury when he was hit by Everson Griffen , and was replaced by Jason Campbell , who threw a 16 - yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall to bring the Bears seven points behind . Marshall caught ten passes for 160 yards in the game , and surpassed Marty Booker ' s 2002 franchise season reception record with 101 . However , Gould ' s onside kick was recovered by Kyle Rudolph , ending the game with a Vikings victory , and snapping the Bears six - game winning streak in the rivalry . With the loss , the Bears dropped to 8 - 5 . The loss is the sixth straight by the Bears in December , dating back to the 2011 season . The Bears also dropped behind the Packers in the NFC North after they defeated the Detroit Lions 27 - 20 . Week 15 : vs . Green Bay Packers . The Bears donned their 1940s throwbacks in their second game against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC North showdown , with a division title on the line for the Packers . After a scoreless first quarter , the Bears scored on Jay Cutler ' s 15 - yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall . However , the Packers scored three unanswered touchdowns on Aaron Rodgers ' touchdown passes to James Jones . The defending league MVP completed 23 of 36 passes for 291 yards , along with the touchdown passes . Cutler completed 12 of 21 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown , one interception and a 72 . 5 passer rating , and was sacked four times . After the Packers scored their first touchdown on Rodgers ' touchdown pass to Jones late in the first half , Cutler ' s pass intended for Devin Hester was intercepted by Casey Hayward , which then became an eight - yard touchdown pass . The Packers then opened the second half when Rodgers threw another touchdown pass to Jones . Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery was later flagged for pass interference , nullifying a touchdown pass , and the Bears had to resort to Olindo Mare - substituting for Robbie Gould - kicking a 34 - yard field goal . On the Bears following drive , they went three - and - out , and on the punt return , Randall Cobb threw a lateral to Jeremy Ross , who fumbled the ball . Anthony Walters then recovered the ball , but the Bears failed to capitalize on the turnover , failing to gain a yard , and the team had to resort to Mare ' s second 34 - yard field goal . However , the Packers would hang on to defeat Chicago 21 - 13 , clinching the NFC North . With the Bears ' sixth straight loss to the Packers in the rivalry , the Bears dropped to 8 - 6 . The ten penalties committed for 91 yards by the Bears are a season high . Week 16 : at Arizona Cardinals . The Bears fought to continue their playoff chances against the Arizona Cardinals , with a loss knocking the Bears out of contention . Jay Cutler began the game having his first six passes fall incomplete , though he ended the game completing 12 of 26 for 146 yards and a touchdown . The Bears started the game on a strong note when Cardinals running back Beanie Wells fumbled the ball , and was recovered by Zack Bowman in the end zone , giving the Bears the lead . Arizona then settled for Jay Feely ' s 49 - yard field goal . On the following drive , Matt Forte broke free for a 36 - yard run , followed by Brandon Marshall ' s 30 - yard catch reaching the Cardinals 4 - yard line , where Forte ran in untouched to increase the score to 14 - 3 . The Cardinals later tried a fake field goal instead of attempting a 50 - yard field goal , but failed . Later in the game , D . J . Moore muffed Dave Zastudil ' s punt , which was recovered by Arizona ' s Michael Adams . However , the Cardinals were only able to get a field goal . On Chicago ' s final possession of the first half , Cutler completed all of his passes , and the Bears scored on Cutler ' s 11 - yard pass to Marshall . In the second half , Charles Tillman intercepted Ryan Lindley , and had the pick returned 10 - yards for a touchdown . The interception return is the eighth by the team , one shy of the NFL record . Lindley was later replaced by Brian Hoyer , who was also ineffective , having a pass intercepted by Kelvin Hayden , who took it 39 yards to the Arizona 10 . The Bears failed to take advantage of the interception , as Olindo Mare ' s field goal was blocked by Adrian Wilson , which was recovered by Justin Bethel , who returned the blocked kick 82 yards for the Cardinals lone touchdown . With the win , the Bears kept their playoff hopes alive , as their record improved to 9 - 6 . In order for the Bears to qualify for the playoffs , they must defeat the Lions in Week 17 , while having the Packers defeat the Vikings . Week 17 : at Detroit Lions . In the final week of the season , the Bears played their second game against the Lions with a spot in the playoffs on the line . The Bears fell behind the Lions after the Bears drive stalled , and Jason Hanson kicked a field goal . Chicago then struck back , with Jay Cutler throwing a swing pass to Earl Bennett , who ran 60 yards for the touchdown ; the pass is the longest completion of the season for the Bears . On the eventual kickoff , Joique Bell fumbled , and the Bears scored on a field goal . In the second quarter , Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford fumbled , and the ball was recovered by Julius Peppers , who reached Detroit ' s 10 - yard line , and Matt Forte later scored on a one - yard run . The Bears recorded another takeaway when Tim Jennings intercepted Stafford and returned the pick to Detroit ' s 23 - yard line , and the Bears scored another field goal . Detroit scored the final points of the half on Stafford ' s 25 - yard touchdown pass to Kris Durham to make the score at halftime 20 - 10 in Chicago ' s favor . In the second half , the Lions scored again on Stafford ' s 10 - yard touchdown pass to Will Heller . The Bears then had to settle for Olindo Mare kicking another field goal after Cutler failed to connect with Brandon Marshall . Chicago later had to kick another field goal when Cutler again failed to connect with Marshall . The Lions then drew within two points when Stafford threw a nine - yard touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie . However , Detroit would fail to score again and keep Chicago from running out the clock . With the win , Chicago eliminated the New York Giants from playoff contention , but the Bears would also miss the playoffs after the Vikings defeated the Packers 37 - 34 . The Bears ended the season with a 10 - 6 record . Stats updated thru end of season ( Week 17 ) .