| 1988 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Mike Ditka |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1stNFC Central |
| Playoffs | WonDivisional Playoffs (vs.Eagles)20–12 LostNFC Championship (vs.49ers) 3–28 |
The1988Chicago Bears season was their 69thregular season and 19thpostseason completed in theNational Football League. This season marked the first time since 1974 thatWalter Payton was not on the Bears' opening day roster. The Bears looked to improve on an 11–4 finish that won them the NFC Central Division but ended abruptly when they were eliminated for the second consecutive year by theWashington Redskins.
The Bears won 12 games and lost 4, tying for the best record in the league with theBuffalo Bills and theAFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. They earned home field advantage in the NFC. The Bears defeated thePhiladelphia Eagles 20–12 in the"Fog Bowl" game during the Divisional Round of the playoffs. However, the Bears failed to advance to theSuper Bowl as one of the NFC's top two seeds for a third straight season, falling to theeventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers 28–3 in the NFC Championship Game atSoldier Field. This was the second time that the 49ers and Bears had met for a trip to the Super Bowl during the decade, with the 49ers previously defeating the Bears in the 1984 NFC Championship Game on their way toSuper Bowl XIX.
CoachMike Ditka suffered a heart attack during the season, but was back on the sidelines 11 days later. Ditka was named coach of the year for the second time in his career. 1988 also markedJim McMahon's last season as starter for the Bears, as he was traded during the following offseason to theSan Diego Chargers.
| 1988 Chicago Bears draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Brad Muster | Fullback | Stanford | |
| 1 | 27 | Wendell Davis | Wide receiver | LSU | |
| 2 | 51 | Dante Jones | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 3 | 78 | Ralph Jarvis | Defensive end | Temple | |
| 4 | 105 | James Thornton | Tight end | Cal State-Fullerton | |
| 5 | 133 | Troy Johnson | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 6 | 161 | Lemuel Stinson | Cornerback | Texas Tech | |
| 7 | 189 | Caesar Rentie | Offensive tackle | Oklahoma | |
| 8 | 208 | David Tate | Safety | Colorado | |
| 8 | 217 | Harvey Reed | Running back | Howard | |
| 9 | 245 | Rogie Magee | Wide receiver | LSU | |
| 10 | 273 | Joe Porter | Guard | Baylor | |
| 11 | 301 | Steve Forch | Linebacker | Nebraska | |
| 12 | 329 | Greg Clark | Linebacker | Arizona State | |
| Made roster | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Barnard | Tackle | San Jose State |
| Keith Blue | Guard | Western Illinois |
| Jeff Burger | Quarterback | Auburn |
| Richard Ehmke | Kicker | Eastern Illinois |
| Phil Webb | Running back | Michigan |
| Dan Young | Defensive tackle | VMI |
1988 Team Starters
Offense
Defense
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve lists
Rookies in italics |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | Miami Dolphins | W 34–7 | 63,330 |
| 2 | September 11 | atIndianapolis Colts | W 17–13 | 60,503 |
| 3 | September 18 | Minnesota Vikings | L 7–31 | 63,990 |
| 4 | September 25 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 24–6 | 56,492 |
| 5 | October 2 | Buffalo Bills | W 24–3 | 62,793 |
| 6 | October 9 | atDetroit Lions | W 24–7 | 64,526 |
| 7 | October 16 | Dallas Cowboys | W 17–7 | 64,759 |
| 8 | October 24 | San Francisco 49ers | W 10–9 | 65,293 |
| 9 | October 30 | atNew England Patriots | L 7–30 | 60,821 |
| 10 | November 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 28–10 | 56,892 |
| 11 | November 13 | atWashington Redskins | W 34–14 | 52,418 |
| 12 | November 20 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–15 | 67,070 |
| 13 | November 27 | Green Bay Packers | W 16–0 | 62,026 |
| 14 | December 5 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 3–23 | 65,579 |
| 15 | December 11 | Detroit Lions | W 13–12 | 55,010 |
| 16 | December 19 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 27–28 | 62,067 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| •Bears | 14 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
| 1 | CHI | Neal Anderson 2-yard run (Kevin Butler kick) | Bears 7–0 | |
| 1 | CHI | Neal Anderson 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick) | Bears 14–0 | |
| 1 | MIA | Mark Clayton 28-yard pass fromDan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) | Bears 14–7 | |
| 2 | CHI | Jim McMahon 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick) | Bears 21–7 | |
| 2 | CHI | Jim McMahon 2-yard run (Kevin Butler kick) | Bears 28–7 | |
| 4 | CHI | Thomas Sanders 20-yard run (kick failed) | Bears 34–7 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bears | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Packers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Q1 | GB | Fullwood 2 yard run (kick failed) | GB 6–0 | |
| Q2 | CHI | Anderson 45 yard run (Butler kick) | CHI 7–6 | |
| Q2 | CHI | Anderson 4 yard run (Butler kick) | CHI 14–6 | |
| Q2 | CHI | Butler 35 yard field goal | CHI 17–6 | |
| Q4 | CHI | Sanders 5 yard run (Butler kick) | CHI 24–6 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Bears | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
| Q1 | CHI | Anderson 1 yard run (Butler kick) | CHI 7–0 | |
| Q3 | CHI | Anderson 80 yard run (Butler kick) | CHI 14–0 | |
| Q4 | CHI | Safety,Majkowski stepped out of end zone | CHI 16–0 | |
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Chicago Bears(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 312 | 215 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 406 | 233 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4–4 | 4–8 | 261 | 350 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–11 | 220 | 315 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 240 | 313 | W2 |
In the divisional playoffs, the Bears defeated thePhiladelphia Eagles in theFog Bowl, earning their first postseason victory sinceSuper Bowl XX. A week later, Chicago was routed 28–3 by theSan Francisco 49ers. This was the Bears' last appearance in the NFC Championship Game until2006.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| •Bears | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| 1 | CHI | Dennis McKinnon 64-yard pass fromMike Tomczak (Kevin Butler kick) | Bears 7–0 | |
| 1 | PHI | Luis Zendejas 42-yard field goal | Bears 7–3 | |
| 2 | PHI | Luis Zendejas 29-yard field goal | Bears 7–6 | |
| 2 | CHI | Neal Anderson 4-yard run (Kevin Butler kick) | Bears 14–6 | |
| 2 | CHI | Kevin Butler 46-yard field goal | Bears 17–6 | |
| 2 | PHI | Luis Zendejas 30-yard field goal | Bears 17–9 | |
| 3 | PHI | Luis Zendejas 35-yard field goal | Bears 17–12 | |
| 4 | CHI | Kevin Butler 27-yard field goal | Bears 20–12 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| •49ers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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| Retired numbers | |
| Key personnel |
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| Division championships (21) | |
| Conference championships (4) | |
| League championships (9) | |
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