Coming off their 45-3 win over the Jets, the Patriots flew to Soldier Field for a snowy game with the Bears. After both teams punted on their opening drive, the Patriots marched 85 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gronkowski. The Bears reached the Patriots 49 on their next drive, but ended up punting. The Patriots quickly struck again, racing 87 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run by Woodhead. Danieal Manning returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the Bears 38. On the very next play, Jay Cutler tossed a 1-yard pass to Johnny Knox, but Devin McCourty stripped him, with Guyton recovering and returning the fumble 35 yards for a touchdown, increasing the Patriots lead to 21-0. The Bears punted again on their next drive, with Edelman returning it 42 yards to the Bears 30. The Patriots reached the Bears 12, but were forced to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Shayne Graham and a 24-0 lead. On the Bears next play from scrimmage, Eugene Moore strip-sacked cutler with Mayo recovering at the Bears 9. Once again the Bears clamped down, and held the Patriots to a field goal, turning the game to a 27-0 blowout. The lifelessness continued on their next drive, with another three-and-out. Edelman returned the punt 71 yards for a touchdown, but the touchdown was nullified on by a holding penalty on Dane Fletcher. It didn't matter though, because it took three plays for the Patriots to reach their own 41 and then Brady found Deion Branch for a 59-yard touchdown pass(with a missed extra point), making the score 33-0 at halftime.The Bears punted on their opening possession of the second half. It was almost a disaster, Brad Maynard fumbled the punt, but was able to recover and punt it away. The Patriots drove all the way to the Bears 11, but their red zone defense continued to hold, and they settled for a 29-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 36-0 against one of the best defenses in the NFL. The dangerous Devin Hester returned the ensuing kickoff 61 yards to the Patriots 35. Aided by a 30-yard pass from Culter to Matt Forte, it took 6 plays for the Bears to finally score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Chester Taylor, making the score 36-7. The Patriots drove to the Bears 28 on their next drive, but rather than attempt a field goal, decided to go for it, but Aaron Hernandez was tackled short of the first down. The Bears drove to the Patriots 26, but Culter was intercepted by Guyton who returned it 13 yards to the Bears 26. After a Patriots punt, Cutler was intercepted for the 2nd consecutive time in the end zone by Meriweather. The Patriots ran out the final six-and-a-half minutes to end the game. Brady extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to 268 passes, while marking his sixth straight game with at least two touchdowns without an interception, tying Don Meredith's record set in 1965-1966. The Patriots also became the first team in NFL history to have five consecutive games with zero turnovers and at least 30 points in every game. With the win, the Patriots not only improved to 11-2, but also became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth.. Which team did the Patriots beat the week before this game?