| 2012 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The McCaskey Family |
| General manager | Phil Emery |
| Head coach | Lovie Smith |
| Home field | Soldier Field |
| Local radio | WBBM · WCFS · WLEY · WSCR |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC North |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | |
| AP All-Pros | 4[2]
|
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2012 Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 93rd season in the National Football League (NFL), as well as the ninth and final 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. They acquired wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins, who had played with Bears Quarterback, Jay Cutler with the Denver Broncos from 2006 to 2008. The Bears were expected to be a wild card team by ten ESPN experts,[3] and four NFL.com analysts predicted that the team would finish second in the NFC North.[4] By the season's midpoint, the Bears had proven to be among the league's elite teams, having a record of 7–1 in their first 8 games, something they had not accomplished since their 2006 Super Bowl season, 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] Despite defeating the Detroit Lions in the season finale to have a record of 10–6, the Minnesota Vikings, who also had a record of 10–6, had a better division record than Chicago after they defeated the Green Bay Packers 37–34 the same week, thus earning the second wild-card spot and 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.[8] On December 31, Smith was fired, and was replaced by Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman.[9]
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,[10] while ranking third in the league in fewest points allowed with 277; Chicago was the lone team in the top five in that category to not qualify for the playoffs.[7] The Bears also had a +20 turnover margin, second behind the New England Patriots; the Bears and New York Giants were the only teams in the top eleven of the category to not make the playoffs.[11]
This would be the last winning season for the Bears until 2018.
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (December 26, 2012). "2013 Pro Bowl roster analysis: NFC". National Football League. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (January 12, 2013). "All-Pro Team headlined by Adrian Peterson, J.J. Watt". National Football League. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
- ^ "Our experts' NFL predictions for 2012". ESPN. August 30, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ "Chicago Bears 2012 NFL Season Preview, Predictions". National Football League. August 27, 2012. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ Byrne, Kenny (November 6, 2012). "Dominant Bears defy modern-day NFL logic in season's first half". CNN Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ "Bears picking on history". Pro Football Hall of Fame. October 29, 2012. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Mayer, Larry (December 31, 2012). "Failures on offense cost Bears, Lovie Smith". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ^ Trister, Noah (December 30, 2012). "Bears miss playoffs despite 26–24 win over Lions". Boston.com. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ "Marc Trestman to be hired as Chicago Bears' new head coach – report". Sporting News. January 16, 2013. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (January 25, 2013). "Trestman wants Bears defense to get after quarterback". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (January 7, 2013). "Reviewing Bears season by the numbers". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2013.