The2012 season was theChicago Bears' 93rd in theNational Football League (NFL), as well as their ninth and final season under head coachLovie Smith. The Bears played atSoldier Field for the 10th season since its reconstruction in 2001.

2012 Chicago Bears season
Owner	The McCaskey Family
General manager	Phil Emery
Head coach	Lovie Smith
Home stadium	Soldier Field
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	3rdNFC North
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	5[1] WRBrandon Marshall DEJulius Peppers DTHenry Melton CBCharles Tillman CBTim Jennings
All-Pros	4[2] WRBrandon Marshall(first team) CBCharles Tillman(first team) DEJulius Peppers(second team) CBTim Jennings(second team)
Uniform
← 2011 Bears seasons 2013 →

The Bears entered the 2012 season looking to improve on their 8–8 record in2011. They acquired wide receiverBrandon Marshall from theMiami Dolphins, who had played with Bears Quarterback,Jay Cutler with theDenver Broncos from 2006 to 2008. The Bears were expected to be a wild card team by tenESPN experts,^[3] and fourNFL.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 eight games, something they had not accomplished since their2006 Super Bowl season, along with a scoring differential of +120, which led the league. The team trailed theSan Francisco 49ers in scoring defense with 15 points per game allowed, and third in scoring offense with 29.5, trailing theNew England Patriots andHouston 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 the1961 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 theDetroit Lions in the season finale to have a record of 10–6, theMinnesota Vikings, who also had a record of 10–6, had a better division record than Chicago after they defeated theGreen 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 the1996 Washington Redskins to start the season 7–1 and miss the playoffs.^[8] On December 31, Smith was fired, and was replaced byMontreal Alouettes head coachMarc 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 theNew England Patriots; the Bears andNew York Giants were the only teams in the top 11 of the category to not make the playoffs.^[11]

This was the last winning season for the Bears until2018.

On January 3, the team fired eleven-year general managerJerry Angelo.^[12] In the search for a new general manager, the Bears consideredNew York Giants director of college scoutingMarc Ross,San Diego Chargers director of player personnelJimmy Raye III,New England Patriots director of pro personnelJason Licht, andKansas City Chiefs director of college scoutingPhil Emery, along with in-house candidateTim Ruskell (Ruskell and the Bears would mutually part ways on January 30).^[13] The hunt later narrowed down to Emery and Licht,^[14] and Emery was ultimately chosen as the new general manager on January 28.^[15]

Offensive coordinatorMike Martz later resigned from his position,^[12] and on January 7, the Bears promoted offensive line coachMike Tice to Martz's role.^[16] On January 8,Tim Holt was hired to take Tice's place.^[17] In the team's search for a new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach afterShane Day's resignation, they originally considered former Bears quarterback coachGreg Olson (though he later declined) andAlex Van Pelt. Tice had expressed interest in hiringDirk Koetter, who worked with Tice inJacksonville, though Koetter would later be hired by theAtlanta Falcons.^[18] The Bears eventually hired formerSeattle Seahawks quarterbacks coachJeremy Bates.^[19] The team also re-signed special-teams coordinatorDave Toub back on the team to a two-year extension; Toub had been among the candidates for theMiami Dolphins head coach position, but failed to get hired.^[20]

The Bears, after head athletic trainerTim Bream left forPenn State, promoted former assistant athletic trainerChris Hanks to Bream's role, as well as director of rehabilitationBobby Slater to Hanks's role.^[21] The Bears' scouting team was expanded after hiringChris 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 cornerbackDwayne Joseph, who was hired as a pro scout.^[22]

Chicago opened free agency with an NFC North-leading $24 million in cap space.^[23]

The first transaction of 2012 was on January 6, when the Bears signedDonovan Warren,Reggie Stephens, andDraylen Ross to future/reserve contracts.^[24] On March 13, the first day of free agency, Chicago acquired wide receiverBrandon Marshall from theMiami Dolphins for two third round draft picks,^[25] along withJason Campbell^[26] andBlake Costanzo.^[27] The following day,Eric Weems was signed,^[28] followed byMichael Bush eight days later.^[29] The final signing of March wasNew York Giants receiverDevin Thomas.^[30] On April 4, the Bears signed cornerbacksKelvin Hayden andJonathan Wilhite,^[31] and offensive guardChilo Rachal on April 18.^[32] The following day saw Chicago signing Buccaneers linebackerGeno Hayes.^[33] The first signings of May occurred on May 10, when the Bears signedJohn McCargo,DeMario Pressley, andCheta Ozougwu,^[34] and 13 days later,Nate Collins was signed.^[35] On June 15, the Bears signedCornelius Brown andCory Brandon.^[36] Two days later, Chicago signedLorenzo Booker.^[37]

The first departures were on March 1, when the Bears releasedAnthony Adams andFrank Omiyale.^[38] Six days later, the Bears announced that they will not bring back quarterbackCaleb Hanie,^[39] who was subsequently signed by theDenver Broncos.^[40] On March 23, the Bears lostMarion Barber to retirement,^[41] and unrestricted free agentCorey Graham to theBaltimore Ravens.^[42] Three days later,Zack Bowman was signed by theMinnesota Vikings,^[43] followed byAmobi Okoye to Tampa Bay on April 7.^[44] On April 19, the Bears releasedMax Komar,^[45] andWinston Venable was released on May 3.^[46] Eleven days later, Chicago waivedLevi Horn,Reggie Stephens, andAndre Smith.^[47] On June 12, Donovan Warren was released,^[48] followed byNathan Enderle andMansfield Wrotto on June 14.^[49] On July 17, undrafted free agentAlvester Alexander was released.^[50]

In the first round, the Bears selectedBoise State defensive endShea McClellin with the 19th overall pick. Though McClellin playeddefensive end andlinebacker at college, Bears general managerPhil Emery stated that McClellin will exclusively play defensive end with the Bears.^[51] In the second round, the Bears traded their second round pick (50th overall) and their fifth rounder (150th overall) to theSt. Louis Rams in exchange for their second rounder (45th overall), which was used onSouth Carolinawide receiverAlshon Jeffery. Emery considered Jeffery one of the best receivers in the draft, placing him ahead ofJustin Blackmon andMichael Floyd.^[52] In round three, the Bears draftedOregon StatesafetyBrandon Hardin 79th overall, despite missing the entire2011 college football season with a shoulder injury.^[53] Hardin's selection marked the eighth consecutive year the team spent a draft pick on a safety.^[52] In the next round, the Bears selectedTempletight endEvan Rodriguez. Though he played tight end, he was envisioned as afullback by the team, and was primarily intended to be a blocker. Rodriguez stated that he has been a blocker at Temple duringAl Golden's tenure as offensive coordinator.^[54] The Bears closed out the draft by drafting twocornerbacks,Nevada'sIsaiah Frey (184th overall) andTCU'sGreg 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.^[55] Draft analysts gave the Bears draft grades mainly C's.^[56] The entire draft class was signed by May 15.^[53]

After the conclusion of the draft, the Bears announced coming to terms with eleven undrafted free-agents.^[57]

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.^[58]

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 theNFLPA, 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.^[60] Running backMatt Forté skipped the workouts due to a contract dispute.^[61] Middle linebackerBrian Urlacher, cornerbackCharles Tillman, wide receiverDevin Hester and kickerRobbie Gould did not attend the workouts. Tight endMatt Spaeth, rookie receiverAlshon Jeffery, receiverJohnny Knox and cornerbackJonathan Wilhite were present, but did not participate.Julius Peppers held out of team drills, andChauncey Davis was called to take first team reps at defensive end.Kyle Adams replaced Spaeth at tight end.Dom DeCicco andNick Roach replaced Urlacher at linebacker.Patrick Mannelly also did not practice due to an injury.^[62]

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.^[63][64] NewcomerMichael Bush was called to take Forte's place before the signing.^[65]

The team held training camp atOlivet Nazarene University for the eleventh consecutive year, which ran from July 25 to August 17.^[66] The Bears held their annual Family Fest at Soldier Field on August 3 in front of a crowd of 27,352.^[67]

The first transaction of Training Camp occurred on July 26, when the Bears traded with the Buccaneers, with the Buccaneers sendingBrian Price to Chicago in exchange for an undisclosed2013 NFL draft pick.^[68] The last signing of July happened two days later, whenJeremy Ware was signed.^[69] The first acquisition of August was former Bears receiverRashied Davis^[70] afterDevin Thomas announced his retirement, andDerek Walker was signed the next day.^[71]

The first departure during Training Camp wasDavid Teggart on July 28,^[69] and on August 5,Devin Thomas announced his retirement.^[72] The final two departures before preseason occurred on August 7, when the Bears releasedTyler Hendrickson,^[71] and August 8, whenDraylen Ross was released.^[73]

The Bears' preseason schedule was announced on April 4, 2012. The Bears took on the Broncos,Peyton Manning, and former BearCaleb Hanie, playing in their first game as Broncos, a game the Bears lost 31–3. Though safetyMajor Wright was able to intercept Manning, and rookieShea McClellin managed to sack Hanie in the first quarter,^[85] the team, playing withoutJay Cutler,Matt Forté,Brian Urlacher, andJulius 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 inJosh 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 onXavier Omon's run,Brock Osweiler's pass toJason Hill, andAdam Weber's pass toCornelius Ingram.^[86] In the second game, the Bears faced rookie first-round draft pickRobert Griffin III and the Redskins, and forced Griffin to fumble.^[87] The Bears would lead 30–10, but Washington would take the lead in the fourth quarter after scoring 21 points on twoKirk Cousins passes and aBrandon Banks punt return, butRobbie Gould would tie the Bears record (that he himself set) for the longest field goal to give the Bears the victory.^[88] Against thedefending championNew York Giants, though Cutler only completed 9 of 21 passes for 96 yards, he threw a 21-yard touchdown pass toBrandon 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 rookieIsaiah Frey intercepted aDavid Carr pass that was tipped byAnthony Walters to give the Bears the victory.^[89] In the final preseason game against theCleveland Browns, afrequent preseason opponent, the Bears took an early lead that they never relinquished for the rest of the game on twoJosh McCown touchdown passes, an interception return by rookieGreg McCoy, and a blocked punt returned 22 yards for a touchdown byBrittan Golden, leading to a Bears 28–20 victory.^[90]

The team's schedule was announced on April 17.^[114] Besides the team's divisional opponents, the Bears played theAFC South,NFC West, along with theDallas Cowboys andCarolina Panthers.^[115] The team had the twentieth strongest schedule in the NFL, tied with theDetroit Lions,New York Jets, andKansas City Chiefs with opponents having a combined record of 126–130 (.492) in 2011.^[116] The team captains for the season remained the same as the previous season; the Bears selectedJay Cutler,Roberto Garza,Patrick Mannelly,Julius Peppers andBrian Urlacher ascaptains.^[117]

The Bears opened the season against theIndianapolis Colts andfirst overall draft pickAndrew Luck atSoldier Field. The Bears opened the game on a sour note whenJay Cutler's pass toMatt Forte was intercepted byJerrell 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 aMichael Bush 1-yard touchdown run andBrandon 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, andTim Jennings was able to intercept Luck.^[119] 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 toDonnie Avery to close the gap by 13 points, but the Bears would retaliate when Cutler threw a 42-yard touchdown pass toAlshon Jeffery.^[120] The Colts attempted to score, but Luck's pass would be intercepted by Jennings with less than two minutes left in the game.^[121]

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 the1986 season, when the Bears defeated theCleveland Browns 41–31,^[122] and is also the first time the Bears scored 41 points without a defensive/special teams touchdown since 1993.^[123]

In a Thursday Night showdown against therivalGreen Bay Packers, the Bears struggled throughout much of the game, and the offense was only able to muster one touchdown and 168 yards. QuarterbackJay 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 counterpartAaron 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 kickerMason Crosby opened the game with a field goal, and the Bears would fall behind even more when Packers holderTim Masthay threw a pass to tight endTom Crabtree on a fake field goal.^[124] In the third quarter,Matt Forte sustained an ankle injury (originally reported as a high ankle sprain), and was lost for the game.^[125] After Cutler was later intercepted byTramon Williams, Bears linebackerLance Briggs dropped a possible interception, as Green Bay later increased the lead on another field goal. The Bears would later score on aRobbie Gould field goal, but the Packers later scored ten points (a Crosby field goal and a Rodgers 26-yard touchdown pass toDonald Driver) in 21 seconds early in the fourth quarter. AfterTim Jennings intercepted a Rodgers pass, Cutler connected withKellen Davis to narrow the score to 23–10 with 6:49 left in the game, but the Packers would hold for the win.^[126]

The loss dropped the Bears to a 1–1 record.

Attempting to bounce back from the Week 2 loss to the Packers, the Bears faced theSt. Louis Rams. Throughout the course of the game, the Bears defense sacked Rams quarterbackSam Bradford six times, marking the first time the Bears defense has recorded at least five sacks in back-to-back games since the team's2001 season.^[127] 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 since1987.^[128] On the offensive side, however,Jay Cutler completed only 17 of 31 passes for 183 yards and an interception (byCortland Finnegan; Finnegan appeared to fumble on the return, and the ball was recovered by Bears receiverDevin Hester, but the fumble was overturned),^[129] and a mere passer rating of 58.9. With running backMatt Forte out for the game, the Bears rushing attack ran for 103 yards andMichael Bush ran for a 3-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, Rams kickerGreg Zuerlein kicked a 56-yard field goal, the longest inSoldier Field history.^[130] In the fourth quarter, Bears cornerbackTim Jennings deflected a Bradford pass intended forDanny Amendola toMajor Wright, who returned the interception 45 yards for a touchdown.^[131]

The victory gave the Bears a 2–1 record.

In week 4, the Bears played against theDallas Cowboys onMonday Night Football in Dallas. After a scoreless first quarter andRobbie Gould's field goal,Charles Tillman interceptedTony Romo, returning the pick for a touchdown. The interception would be the first of Romo's five interceptions. Romo would later hitMiles Austin for a 10-yard touchdown.^[132] In the second half, Cutler was able to hitDevin Hester on a 34-yard touchdown pass to extend the Bears lead.^[133] Later, Romo's pass was intercepted by Bears linebackerLance 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,^[134] and also leads the league in interceptions (11).^[135] Cutler would then throw another touchdown pass toBrandon 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.^[136] With 34 seconds left in the game, Romo was replaced by former Bears quarterbackKyle Orton, who threw a 5-yard touchdown pass toJason Witten, and the Cowboys had a two-point conversion, but the Bears would then win 34–18.^[137]

With the win, the Bears shared the NFC North lead with theMinnesota Vikings with a 3–1 record.

In week 5, the Bears recorded the highest margin of victory of the season, defeating theJacksonville Jaguars 41–3. In the first quarter, the Bears scored first on aRobbie Gould 32-yard field goal, though Jacksonville would respond in the next quarter onJosh Scobee's 31-yard kick. In the second half, the Bears broke the deadlock by kicking another field goal and cornerbackCharles Tillman returning aBlaine Gabbert interception 36 yards for a touchdown, breaking former Bears safetyMike Brown's franchise record for the most pick-sixes in a career. Tillman also tiedDonnell Woolford for the most interceptions by a cornerback in team history. In the fourth quarter, the Bears scored onJay Cutler's 10-yard touchdown pass toAlshon Jeffery.^[138] Chicago would then extend their lead on Cutler's 24-yard pass toBrandon Marshall to increase the lead to 27–3. Bears linebackerLance Briggs would then intercept Gabbert and score on a 36-yard return.^[139] 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.^[140] The Bears would close out the game with backup running backArmando Allen scoring on a 46-yard touchdown run.^[141]

The victory improved the team's record to 4–1. The victory is the most lopsided win for the Bears since their1985 44–0 victory over the Cowboys,^[142] and the 38 points scored in the second half are the most since the team scoring 49 second half points in the1941 win over thePhiladelphia Eagles.^[143]

Coming off a bye week, the Bears battledrivalDetroit Lions onMonday 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, whenLance Briggs stripped the ball fromMikel Leshoure, which was recovered byJulius Peppers. The second and third turnovers were forced in the third quarter onZack Bowman's muffed punt recovery, andBrian Urlacher recoveringJoique Bell's fumble. The final turnover occurred when Lions quarterbackMatthew Stafford's pass was intercepted byD. J. Moore.^[144] The Bears struck first onJay Cutler's touchdown pass toBrandon Marshall, andRobbie Gould kicked a field goal to increase the first half score to 10–0. During the game, Lions defensive tackleNdamukong Suh threw Cutler to the ground, injuring his ribs. Cutler was eventually replaced byJason Campbell for a play, before returning to the game.^[145] 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 toRyan Broyles to narrow the margin to six points, but the Bears sealed the victory by recovering the ensuringonside kick.^[146]

The victory increased the team's record to 5–1.

In Week 8, the Bears donned their 1940s throwback uniforms against theCarolina Panthers, who had the worst record in the NFC.^[147] The Bears scored first onMatt Forte's 13-yard touchdown run, which would be countered byJustin Medlock's 34-yard field goal. The Panthers then took the lead onLouis Murphy's fumble recovery; Panthers quarterbackCam Newton ran with the ball, and lost the ball when Bears safetyMajor Wright tackled him at the 1-yard line. The ball rolled into the endzone, where Murphy recovered it.^[148] Medlock would then kick three more field goals, and by the fourth quarter, the Panthers led 19–7. The tide eventually turned when Panthers punterBrad Nortman shanked a 6-yard punt, andJay Cutler hitKellen 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.^[148] 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.^[149] The kick was Gould's tenth game-winning field goal, and the first since2010.^[150]

The win gave Chicago a 6–1 record.

Against theTennessee 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 strippingKenny Britt andJared Cook once, andChris Johnson twice (a league first),^[151] whileBrian Urlacher recorded an interception.^[152] The Bears scored the first touchdown of the game whenSherrick McManis blockedBrett Kern's punt, which was recovered byCorey Wootton, who returned the blocked punt five yards for his first career touchdown. The Titans later recorded a safety whenJ'Marcus Webb was penalized for illegal-hands-to-the-face while blocking in the end zone. The Bears then scored onMatt Forte's eight-yard run, followed by Urlacher interceptingMatt Hasselbeck and returning the pick for another touchdown.Jay Cutler later hitBrandon Marshall to end the quarter with the Bears leading 28–2.^[153] 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.^[151] Titans kickerRob Bironas later ended the half on a 39-yard field goal.^[154] The Titans would finally score a touchdown on Hasselbeck's 30-yard touchdown pass toNate Washington in the third quarter.^[155] AfterRobbie Gould's three field goals, the Bears scored two more touchdowns on Cutler's passes to Marshall.^[156] 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.^[156]

With the win, the Bears improved to 7–1. The 51 points scored by the Bears were the most by the team since the1980 victory over theGreen Bay Packers, when the team triumphed 61–7.^[157] The points scored were also the highest by the Bears in a road game since their1963 win over theLos Angeles Rams by a score of 52–14.^[158] 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.^[159]

In a game that various analysts considered a potentialSuper Bowl XLVII preview,^[160] the 7–1 Bears faced the also 7–1Houston Texans onSunday Night Football, in a game waged in the rain.^[161] The first half proved disastrous for Chicago, asKellen Davis had the ball stripped by former BearDanieal Manning, and recovered by Texans linebackerTim 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, asTim Jennings would interceptMatt Schaub. However, the Bears failed to take advantage of the turnover, asJay Cutler's pass would get intercepted by Manning. A quarter later, Jennings once again intercepted Schaub, which set up aRobbie Gould 51-yard field goal. Later in the quarter,Justin Forsett broke a 25-yard run to the Bears 3-yard line, which set upArian Foster's 2-yard touchdown catch.^[162] 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 byJason 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.^[163]

The loss snapped Chicago's six-game winning streak, the longest since their seven-game streak in2006, and dropped Chicago to a 7–2 record, and 0–3 all-time against the Texans.^[163]

The Bears faced off on Monday night against theSan Francisco 49ers in a battle of backup quarterbacks betweenJason Campbell andColin Kaepernick^[164] afterJay Cutler^[165] andAlex Smith^[166] 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 time two quarterbacks made their first starts of the season onMonday Night Football in a non-strike season (besides Week 1) since1979 betweenLos Angeles Rams andAtlanta Falcons quarterbacksVince Ferragamo andJune Jones in Week 12.^[167] 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 byAldon Smith, the most by an individual on Chicago's opposing team. AfterDavid Akers made a 32-yard field goal, and the Bears went three-and-out, Kaepernick completed a 57-yard touchdown pass toKyle Williams to give the 49ers a 10–0 lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, 49ers running backKendall 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 hittingMichael Crabtree on a 10-yard touchdown pass, which was countered by Campbell hittingBrandon 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 linemanChilo Rachal in the endzone, making the final score 32–7.^[168]

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 atCandlestick Park since1985.^[168]

The Bears fought theirrivalMinnesota 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], andCharles Tillman [ankle]), while Minnesota lostKyle Rudolph andHarrison Smith to concussions.^[169] The Bears first offensive play resulted inMatt Forte fumbling for the first time all season when he ran intoEvan Rodriguez, and had the ball recovered by Vikings linebackerChad Greenway. The Vikings then scored onBlair Walsh's 40-yard field goal. The Bears then struck back whenNick Roach stripped the ball fromAdrian 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, whereMichael 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.^[170] On the ensuing extra point, holderAdam Podlesh faked the kick and ran in to give the Bears two points.^[171]Chris Conte would eventually interceptChristian Ponder at the 48-yard line and return the interception 35 yards to the Vikings 13-yard line. Cutler then hitMatt 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.^[170]

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 touchdown, one interception and an 86.5 passer rating.^[170] ReceiverBrandon 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 sinceMarty Booker in2002.^[172]

With the win, Chicago improved to 8–3, snapping their two-game losing streak.

The Bears hosted the 6–5Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, who had lost five of their first six road games.^[173] The Bears started the game strong, withBrian Urlacher forcingMarshawn Lynch to fumble, and the ball was recovered byKelvin Hayden, andJay Cutler eventually hitEarl Bennett on a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Bears would later fail twice to expand their lead; first,Lovie Smith called forMichael 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 quarterbackRussell Wilson hittingGolden 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 onSteven Hauschka's 31-yard field goal to close the half. Seattle would have scored a touchdown on the previous play, butBraylon 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 toMatt Forte,^[174] but Wilson would lead the Seahawks 97 yards to take back the lead on a touchdown pass to Tate. Cutler would then hitBrandon Marshall on a 56-yard pass to set upRobbie 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 toSidney Rice.^[175] 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.^[176]

The loss dropped Chicago down to 8–4, once again tying them with the Packers for the NFC North lead.^[175] The 459 yards allowed are the most by the team all season.^[177]

This would mark Urlacher's final game in a Bears' uniform. Urlacher was inactive for the final four games of the 2012 season, and he retired from the NFL on May 22, 2013.^[178]

Two weeks after their last meeting, the Bears faced theVikings again, this time in Minnesota. During pregame warmups, the Bears lost kickerRobbie Gould to a left calf sprain, and was replaced by punterAdam Podlesh, though Gould would eventually kick the Bears extra points and anonside kick. Like the previous meeting, the game was injury-laden for the Bears, having lostBrian Urlacher,Tim Jennings,Stephen Paea andEarl Bennett before the game, whileHenry Melton,Shea McClellin,Craig Steltz andSherrick McManis were lost during the game.^[179] 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 forAlshon Jeffery was intercepted byJosh 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 rookieHarrison Smith intercepted Cutler and returned the pick 56-yards for a touchdown.^[180] Cutler would later be lost for the game due to a neck injury when he was hit byEverson Griffen,^[179] and was replaced byJason Campbell, who threw a 16-yard touchdown pass toBrandon Marshall to bring the Bears seven points behind.^[181] Marshall caught ten passes for 160 yards in the game, and surpassedMarty Booker's 2002 franchise season reception record with 101.^[182] However, Gould's onside kick was recovered byKyle Rudolph, ending the game with a Vikings victory,^[183] and snapping the Bears six-game winning streak in therivalry.^[181]

With the loss, the Bears dropped to 8–5. The loss is the sixth straight by the Bears in December, dating back to the2011 season.^[181] The Bears also dropped behind the Packers in the NFC North after the latter defeated theDetroit Lions 27–20.^[184]

The Bears donned their 1940s throwbacks^[185] in their second game against theGreen Bay Packers in an NFC North showdown, with a division title on the line for the Packers.^[184] After a scoreless first quarter, the Bears scored onJay Cutler's 15-yard touchdown pass toBrandon Marshall. However, the Packers scored three unanswered touchdowns onAaron Rodgers' touchdown passes toJames Jones. The defendingleague 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 forDevin Hester was intercepted byCasey 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 receiverAlshon Jeffery was later flagged for pass interference, nullifying a touchdown pass, and the Bears had to resort toOlindo Mare-substituting forRobbie Gould-kicking a 34-yard field goal.^[186] On the Bears following drive, they went three-and-out, and on the punt return,Randall Cobb threw a lateral toJeremy 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.^[187] However, the Packers would hang on to defeat Chicago 21–13, clinching the NFC North.^[186]

With the Bears' sixth straight loss to the Packers in therivalry, the Bears dropped to 8–6.^[188] The ten penalties committed for 91 yards by the Bears are a season high.^[186]

The Bears fought to continue their playoff chances against theArizona 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 backBeanie Wells fumbled the ball, and was recovered byZack Bowman in the end zone, giving the Bears the lead. Arizona then settled forJay Feely's 49-yard field goal. On the following drive,Matt Forte broke free for a 36-yard run, followed byBrandon Marshall's 30-yard catch^[189] 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 muffedDave Zastudil's punt, which was recovered by Arizona'sMichael Adams. However, the Cardinals were only able to get a field goal.^[190] 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 interceptedRyan Lindley, and had the pick returned 10-yards for a touchdown.^[191] The interception return is the eighth by the team, one shy of the NFL record.^[192] Lindley was later replaced byBrian Hoyer, who was also ineffective, having a pass intercepted byKelvin Hayden, who took it 39 yards to the Arizona 10. The Bears failed to take advantage of the interception, asOlindo Mare's field goal was blocked byAdrian Wilson, which was recovered byJustin Bethel, who returned the blocked kick 82 yards for the Cardinals lone touchdown.^[193]

With the win, the Bears kept their playoff hopes alive,^[189] 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.^[194]

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, andJason Hanson kicked a field goal. Chicago then struck back, withJay Cutler throwing a swing pass toEarl Bennett, who ran 60 yards for the touchdown; the pass is the longest completion of the season for the Bears.^[195] On the eventual kickoff,Joique Bell fumbled, and the Bears scored on a field goal. In the second quarter, Lions quarterbackMatthew Stafford fumbled, and the ball was recovered byJulius Peppers, who reached Detroit's 10-yard line, andMatt Forte later scored on a one-yard run. The Bears recorded another takeaway whenTim 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 toKris Durham to make the score at halftime 20–10 in Chicago's favor.^[196] In the second half, the Lions scored again on Stafford's 10-yard touchdown pass toWill Heller. The Bears then had to settle forOlindo Mare kicking another field goal after Cutler failed to connect withBrandon 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 toBrian Robiskie.^[195] However, Detroit would fail to score again and keep Chicago from running out the clock.^[197]

With the win, Chicago eliminated theNew York Giants from playoff contention,^[197] but the Bears would also miss the playoffs after the Vikings defeated the Packers 37–34.^[8] The Bears ended the season with a 10–6 record.

Stats updated to the end of the season (Week 17).^[200]

• Total Offense (YPG): 310.6 yds (28th NFL)
• Passing (YPG): 187.4 yds (29th NFL)
• Rushing (YPG): 123.1 yds (10th NFL)
• Points (PPG): 23.4 (16th NFL)
• Total Defense (YPG): 315.6 yds (5th NFL)
• Passing (YPG): 213.9 yds (8th NFL)
• Rushing (YPG): 101.7 yds (8th NFL)
• Points (PPG): 17.3 (3rd NFL)

Stats updated to the end of the season (Week 17).^[201]

• CBCharles Tillman was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for games played during Week 5.^[202][203]
• CBCharles Tillman was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for games played during Week 7.^[204][205]
• MLBBrian Urlacher was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for games played during Week 9.^[159]
• CBSherrick McManis was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for games played during Week 9.^[159]
• DEJulius Peppers was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for games played during Week 16.^[206]

• CBTim Jennings was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for the month of September.^[134]
• CBCharles Tillman was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for the month of October.^[207]

• The Bears set a franchise record formost points scored in the first quarter with 28 points. The mark was set against theTennessee Titans in Week 9.^[208] The previous mark was 24 points set against theSan Francisco 49ers in2006.^[209]
• The Bears became the first team in NFL history toscore a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown, defensive interception return for a touchdown, and a blocked punt return for a touchdown in the same quarter by completing the feat against theTennessee Titans in Week 9 during the first quarter of the game.^[210]

• The Bears set a franchise record formost consecutive games with an interception return for a touchdown with 3 games. The record occurred in games against theSt. Louis Rams (Week 3),Dallas Cowboys (Week 4), andJacksonville Jaguars (Week 5). The previous record was 2 consecutive games.^[211]
• The Bears became the first team in NFL history toreturn five interceptions for touchdowns in the first five contests in a season.^[140]
• The Bears became the first team in NFL history toreturn six interceptions for touchdowns in the first seven contests in a season.^[212]
• The Bears became the first team in NFL history toreturn seven interceptions for touchdowns in the first eight contests in a season.^[213]
• The Bears set a franchise record formost defensive interceptions returned for a touchdown in a season with 9. The initial mark of 6 touchdowns was set over the first 7 games. The previous record of 5 was set in 2004 over a full 16-game season.^{[210][212][214]}

• CBCharles Tillman and LBLance Briggs became thefirst teammates in NFL history to score defensive touchdowns in consecutive games. The pair first scored against theDallas Cowboys in Week 4, before scoring again against theJacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.^[215]
• CBCharles Tillman became thefirst player in NFL history to force four fumbles in one game. The feat came against theTennessee Titans in Week 9.^[151]

• WRBrandon Marshall set the Bears franchise record formost receptions, single season with 118 receptions. The previous record of 100 receptions was set by WRMarty Booker during the2001 season.^[182]
• WR Brandon Marshall set the Bears franchise record formost receiving yards, single season with 1,508 receiving yards. The previous record of 1,400 receiving yards was set by WRMarcus Robinson during the1999 season.^[189]
• WR Brandon Marshall set the Bears franchise record formost 100+ yard receiving yards in a game, single season with 7 games.
• CB Charles Tillman set the Bears franchise record formost forced fumbles, single season with 10 forced fumbles during the season.

• LSPatrick Mannelly set the Bears franchise record for themost seasons in a Bears uniform with 15 when he stepped on the field in Week 1 against theIndianapolis Colts. The previous mark of 14 seasons was held byBill George andDoug Buffone.^[216]
• CBCharles Tillman set the Bears franchise record for themost defensive touchdowns in a career with 8 when he returned an interception for a touchdown against theJacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Tilman ended the season by extending the franchise mark to 9 defensive touchdowns. The previous mark of 7 touchdowns was held by FSMike Brown.^[138]
• CB Charles Tillman set the Bears franchise record formost forced fumbles in a career with 37 forced fumbles. Tillman set the mark by forcing 10 fumbles during the 2012 season. The previous mark was held by DERichard Dent with 34 forced fumbles over his career.