2010 Chicago Bears season
Owner	The McCaskey Family
General manager	Jerry Angelo
Head coach	Lovie Smith
Home stadium	Soldier Field
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	1stNFC North
Playoffs	WonDivisional Playoffs (vs.Seahawks) 35–24 LostNFC Championship (vs.Packers) 14–21
Pro Bowlers	DEJulius Peppers OLBLance Briggs MLBBrian Urlacher PR/KRDevin Hester[1]
All-Pros	DE Julius Peppers KR Devin Hester LB Brian Urlacher(2nd team) SChris Harris(2nd team)
Uniform
← 2009 Bears seasons 2011 →

The2010 season was theChicago Bears' 91st in theNational Football League (NFL) and their seventh underhead coachLovie Smith.

Coming off a 7–9 record in the2009 season and failing to qualify for theNFL playoffs for a third consecutive season, the Bears sought to develop their roster and improve on their record in 2010, particularly their standing in theNFC North. All Bears home games were scheduled to be played atSoldier Field. With their final regular season record at 11–5, the Bears improved drastically on their 2009 record. Their regular season finished with their first playoff appearance since theSuper Bowlseason of 2006, winning theNFC North division and earning abye as the NFC's second seed. The Bears won their first game in the Divisional round of the playoffs, defeating theSeattle Seahawks, to advance to the NFC Championship game. However, their season came to an end with a 21–14 loss to their longtime rivals andeventual Super Bowl championGreen Bay Packers.

This was the last time the Bears won the NFC North and appeared in the postseason until2018. This is also the most recent season the Bears won a playoff game.

On January 5, 2010, Chicago firedoffensive coordinatorRon Turner as well as position coachesPep Hamilton (quarterbacks),Rob Boras (tight ends), andHarry Hiestand (offensive line). Quality control assistantsLuke Butkus andCharles London did not have their respective contracts renewed. While it's unclear whether or not former defensive coordinatorBob Babich will be brought back as a linebackers coach or released, his contract will not be extended under its current terms.

FormerMinnesota Vikings head coachMike Tice was selected to succeed Hiestand as the Bears' offensive line coach on January 15.^[2]

After nearly a month-long search for Turner's replacement, on February 1, 2010, formerSt. Louis Rams head coachMike Martz was hired to the Chicago coaching staff as offensive coordinator.^[3]

Following the Martz hire,Mike DeBord, former college head coach andSeattle Seahawks position coach, as a tight ends coach.^[4]

With the addition of Martz and DeBord in the offseason, the amount of experience on the staff grew. These two offseason acquisitions joined defensive line coach (and formerDetroit Lions head coach),Rod Marinelli.

In a series of moves finalizing their 2010 coaching roster, the Bears hired formerSan Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coachShane Day (an assistant to Mike Martz during his tenure in San Francisco) and quality control coachesAndrew Hayes-Stoker andMikal Smith, assigned to the offense and defense, respectively. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was promoted to defensive coordinator and his assistant,Eric Washington, was promoted to the vacated position.

On April 27, 2010, the Bears allowed the contract of director of college scouting, Greg Gabriel, a member of the Bears scouting staff since 2001, to expire. There has been no announcement regarding who will succeed him.

In a long anticipated move, on April 30, the Bears welcomed formerSeattle Seahawks officerTim Ruskell to assume the post of director of pro personnel at Halas Hall.

• In 2009, Chicago traded their second round pick to theTampa Bay Buccaneers for Gaines Adams.
• In 2009, the Bears traded their 2010 first round pick (along with2009 NFL draft selections and quarterbackKyle Orton) to theDenver Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler.

The Bears announced in April that the first Training Camp session will be held on July 30, 2010, atOlivet Nazarene University inBourbonnais. This is preceded by the official Rookie Mini-Camp which traditionally is held the weekend following the NFL Draft at Halas Hall, this year beginning on April 30.

A total of 54 players were listed on the roster sheet for the Chicago Bears' April 30 – May 3 Rookie Mini-Camp at Halas Hall. In addition to the five drafted rookies and the 13 rookie signees, the Bears invited 31 undrafted free agents to participate on a try-out basis.

The Bears preseason schedule was announced on March 31, 2010.^[5]

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results		Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
				Final score	Team record
1	September 12	12:00 p.m.	Detroit Lions	W 19–14	1–0	Soldier Field	Fox	Recap
2	September 19	12:00 p.m.	atDallas Cowboys	W 27–20	2–0	Cowboys Stadium	Fox	Recap
3	September 27	7:30 p.m.	Green Bay Packers	W 20–17	3–0	Soldier Field	ESPN	Recap
4	October 3	7:30 p.m.	atNew York Giants	L 3–17	3–1	New Meadowlands Stadium	NBC	Recap
5	October 10	12:00 p.m.	atCarolina Panthers	W 23–6	4–1	Bank of America Stadium	Fox	Recap
6	October 17	12:00 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks	L 20–23	4–2	Soldier Field	Fox	Recap
7	October 24	12:00 p.m.	Washington Redskins	L 14–17	4–3	Soldier Field	Fox	Recap
8	Bye
9	November 7	12:00 p.m.	atBuffalo Bills	W 22–19	5–3	Rogers Centre (Toronto)	Fox	Recap
10	November 14	12:00 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	W 27–13	6–3	Soldier Field	Fox	Recap
11	November 18	7:20 p.m.	atMiami Dolphins	W 16–0	7–3	Sun Life Stadium	NFLN	Recap
12	November 28	3:15 p.m.[6]	Philadelphia Eagles	W 31–26	8–3	Soldier Field	Fox	Recap
13	December 5	12:00 p.m.	atDetroit Lions	W 24–20	9–3	Ford Field	Fox	Recap
14	December 12	3:15 p.m.[7]	New England Patriots	L 7–36	9–4	Soldier Field	CBS	Recap
15	December 20	7:30 p.m.	atMinnesota Vikings	W 40–14	10–4	TCF Bank Stadium**	ESPN	Recap
16	December 26	12:00 p.m.	New York Jets	W 38–34	11–4	Soldier Field	CBS	Recap
17	January 2	3:15 p.m.[8]	atGreen Bay Packers	L 3–10	11–5	Lambeau Field	Fox	Recap
Notes: All times areCentral. Division opponents are inbold text. Color key:  §  The Bears were the visiting team in theBills Toronto Series.  #  Games played with white uniforms.  #  Games played with color uniforms.  #  Games played with 1940s throwback uniforms.  **  The game was moved fromMall of America Field to TCF Bank Stadium due to the collapse of the Metrodome roof.

The Bears kicked off their season at home with an NFC North duel against theDetroit Lions. In the first quarter, the Bears took the early lead with kickerRobbie Gould nailing a 20-yard field goal. The Lions responded with 2 TD runs (7 and 4 yards) by running backJahvid Best in the second quarter. The Bears fought back with quarterbackJay Cutler completing an 89-yard screen pass to running backMatt Forté for a TD, followed by Gould's 31-yard field goal after a Stafford fumble. The Bears increased their lead in the fourth quarter when Cutler threw a 28-yard TD pass to Matt Forté. The Bears tried to extend their lead to 7, but failed on their 2-point conversion. The game ended in somewhat controversial fashion, however, as an apparent touchdown reception in the final minute by Detroit receiverCalvin Johnson was overturned via a little known rule (completing the process of a catch) and ruled incomplete.

With the win, Chicago began the season at 1–0.

Hoping to continue their winning streak, the Bears flew toCowboys Stadium for an NFC matchup with the Cowboys. In the first quarter Chicago took the early lead as kickerRobbie Gould nailed a 38-yard field goal. Then they trailed with WRDez Bryant returning a punt 62 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. While the Cowboys were able to pressure quarterback Jay Cutler in the early stages of the game, the Bears' offense made adjustments and regained momentum. The Bears got the lead back whenCutler made a 39-yard TD pass to tight endGreg Olsen. In the second quarter the Bears trailed again when QBTony Romo made a 1-yard touchdown pass to RBChris Gronkowski, but took the lead with Cutler making a nine-yard TD pass to WRDevin Hester. The Bears increased their lead when kickerRobbie Gould made a 40-yard field goal. In the third quarter Dallas would reply with kickerDavid Buehler nailing a 28-yard field goal. The Bears increased their lead in the fourth quarter when Cutler made a three-yard TD pass to RBMatt Forte. The Cowboys made the final score of the game with Buehler hitting a 48-yard field goal.

With the win, Chicago improved to 2–0.

Coming off their road win over the Cowboys, the Bears went home, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 3 Monday night duel with their so-called hated rival, theGreen Bay Packers. Chicago would trail in the first quarter as Packers quarterbackAaron Rodgers completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverGreg Jennings. Green Bay would add onto their lead in the second quarter with a 38-yard field goal from kickerMason Crosby. Afterwards, the Bears answered with quarterbackJay Cutler connecting with tight endGreg Olsen on a nine-yard touchdown pass. After a scoreless third quarter, Chicago took the lead as wide receiverDevin Hester returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown. However, the Packers struck back as Rodgers got a three-yard touchdown run. The Bears would get the last laugh as kickerRobbie Gould booted 25-yard and 19-yard field goals, the latter in the closing seconds of the game to put the Bears on top.

With the win, Chicago improved to 3–0.

Coming off their Monday night home win over the Packers, the Bears flew toNew Meadowlands Stadium for a Week 4 Sunday night duel with theNew York Giants. Chicago would trail early in the first quarter as Giants kickerLawrence Tynes got a 22-yard field goal. Both teams went scoreless in the second quarter, but pressure on Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was mounting. By the half's end, Cutler had already been sacked nine times. Cutler would leave the game early in the third quarter with a concussion and would be replaced by backupTodd Collins. The Bears' deficit increased in the third quarter as running backAhmad Bradshaw got a three-yard touchdown run. Chicago would finally get on the board in the fourth quarter as kickerRobbie Gould got a 40-yard field goal, but New York would come right back as running backBrandon Jacobs scored on a two-yard touchdown run.

With the loss, Chicago fell to 3–1.

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Giants the Bears flew toBank of America Stadium for a matchup against theCarolina Panthers. The Bears took the lead in the first quarter as RBMatt Forte got an 18-yard TD run. The Panthers replied with kickerJohn Kasay making a 24-yard field goal. The lead increased with Forte making a 68-yard TD run, followed by a 28-yard field goal from kickerRobbie Gould. In the third quarter the Panthers replied with Kasay making a 53-yard field goal, but in the fourth quarter the Bears pulled away when Gould made 53- and 43-yard field goals.

With the win, Chicago improved to 4–1.

Hoping to increase their winning streak the Bears returned to Chicago for an NFC duel with theSeattle Seahawks. The Bears took the early lead as RBMatt Forte got a six-yard TD run. But the Seahawks answered back with QBMatt Hasselbeck getting a 22-yard TD pass to WRDeon Butler, followed in the second quarter by RB Justin Forsett getting a 9-yard TD run. Then the Bears responded with kickerRobbie Gould making a 34 and a 24-yard field goal. In the third quarter the Bears fell further behind when QBJay Cutler was sacked in the endzone by free safetyJordan Babineaux for a safety. This was followed in the fourth quarter by RBMarshawn Lynch getting a 1-yard TD run. The Bears tried to come back into the game but only came away with a touchdown after WRDevin Hester returned a punt 89 yards to the endzone for a touchdown.

With the loss, Chicago fell to 4–2.

The Bears' seventh game was an NFC duel with the Redskins at home. In the first quarter, the Bears took a sudden lead as CBD.J. Moore returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown. However, their defense was broken down as QBDonovan McNabb completed a 24-yard TD pass to WRSantana Moss. In the second quarter, they trailed after kickerGraham Gano nailed a 46-yard field goal. The Bears' offense broke through as QBJay Cutler got a 9-yard TD pass to WRJohnny Knox, but was closed off in the third quarter as Cutler's pass was intercepted byDeAngelo Hall and returned 92 yards for a touchdown. Hall intercepted four passes during the game, which is an NFL record.

With the loss, Chicago fell to 4–3 heading into their bye week.

Coming off their bye week, the Bears flew to theRogers Centre for their Week 9 interconference duel with the winlessBuffalo Bills. After a scoreless first quarter, Chicago delivered the opening strike in the second quarter as quarterbackJay Cutler found tight endGreg Olsen on a 4-yard touchdown pass. The Bills responded with quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick completing a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverRoscoe Parrish.

The Bears regained the lead in the third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backChester Taylor. Buffalo answered with running backFred Jackson getting a 4-yard touchdown run (with a blocked extra point). Chicago trailed in the fourth quarter as fullbackCorey McIntyre got a 1-yard touchdown run, yet they came right back as Cutler found wide receiverEarl Bennett on a 2-yard touchdown pass, followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to running backMatt Forté. The Bears would eventually take the win as a Fitzpatrick throw was intercepted by cornerbackTim Jennings.

With the win, Chicago improved to 5–3.

Coming off their win over the Bills the Bears played on home ground for an NFC North rivalry match against the Vikings. In the first quarter the Bears trailed early after kickerRyan Longwell hit a 36-yard field goal. They took the lead in the second quarter when QBJay Cutler threw a 17-yard TD pass to TEGreg Olsen. They fell behind after QBBrett Favre completed a 53-yard TD pass to WRPercy Harvin. They got the lead back when Cutler got a 19-yard TD pass to WRDevin Hester. The Bears extended their lead in the third quarter after kickerRobbie Gould nailed a 34-yard field goal. The Vikings replied with Longwell making a 33-yard field goal, but the Bears continued to score with Gould hitting a 37-yard field goal, and in the 4th quarter with Cutler making a 19-yard TD pass to TEKellen Davis.

With the win, the Bears improved to 6–3.

Coming off their home win over the Vikings, the Bears flew toSun Life Stadium for a Week 11 interconference duel with theMiami Dolphins on Thursday night. Chicago delivered the game's opening strike in the first quarter with a 46-yard field goal from kickerRobbie Gould. The Bears added onto their lead in the second quarter with Gould's 24-yard field goal.

Chicago went back to work in the third quarter as Gould booted a 50-yard field goal, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run from running backMatt Forté. As they had done all game, the Bears defense continued to stifle any offensive production by the Dolphins, thus completing theshutout, the first shutout recorded by the Bears since2006. As of2016, this remains the final shutout by the team.^[9]

With the win, not only did the Bears improve to 7–3, but they also won their 700th game in franchise history (the first NFL team to do so).^[10]

Ironically, 25 years prior, the Bears lost to the Dolphins, with the score of the 2010 matchup being the record the 1985 team was vying for had they been able to defeat the Dolphins.

Coming off their win over the Dolphins, the Bears played on home ground for an NFC duel with the Eagles. The Bears trailed early with kickerDavid Akers nailing a 45-yard field goal. They took the lead after QBJay Cutler completed a 10 and a 20-yard TD pass to wide receiversEarl Bennett andJohnny Knox respectively. The lead was narrowed with QBMichael Vick getting an 8-yard TD pass to WRJeremy Maclin, followed by Akers hitting a 36-yard field goal. The Bears increased their lead as Cutler got a 6 and a 9-yard TD pass to Bennett andGreg Olsen. This was followed by kickerRobbie Gould making a 23-yard field goal. The Eagles tried to narrow the lead as Akers got a 22 and a 36-yard field goal, followed by Vick throwing a 30-yard TD pass to TEBrent Celek, but they failed to recover the onside kick which could have given them one last shot to win.

With the win, Chicago improved to 8–3.

The Bears' twelfth game was an NFC North rivalry match against the Lions atFord Field. In the first quarter the Bears trailed early as QBDrew Stanton scrambled 3 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. They replied with RBChester Taylor getting a 1-yard TD run. The tie did not last long as kickerDave Rayner hit a 50-yard field goal. They took the lead with RBMatt Forte getting a 14-yard TD run. They fell behind again after Stanton completed a 46-yard TD pass to WRCalvin Johnson, followed by Rayner nailing a 25-yard field goal. The Bears responded to take the win with kickerRobbie Gould making a 54-yard field goal, followed by QBJay Cutler making a 7-yard TD pass to TEBrandon Manumaleuna.

With the win, Chicago improved to 9–3.

Hoping to make it 6-straight the Bears played an interconference duel with the Patriots at home. The Bears trailed early as the Patriots commanded the first half with QBTom Brady throwing a 7-yard TD pass to TERob Gronkowski, followed by RBDanny Woodhead getting a 3-yard TD run, then with ILBGary Guyton recovering a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown. This was followed by kickerShayne Graham getting a 30 and a 25-yard field goal, and then by Brady completing a 59-yard TD pass to WRDeion Branch. The Bears fell further behind with Graham getting a 29-yard field goal. The Bears tried to come back, but only came away with a 1-yard TD run byChester Taylor, with the fourth quarter controlled by the defense, giving them a loss.

With the loss, Chicago fell to 9–4.

With theMonday night game having been moved to theUniversity of Minnesota'sTCF Bank Stadium due to the snow-induced collapse of the Metrodome roof,^[11] Chicago looked to rebound from the previous week's rout in the first outdoor NFL game held in Minnesota in over two decades. QuarterbackBrett Favre made a surprise start for the Vikings after having been ruled out earlier in the week due to injury.

Minnesota started strong with an impressive opening drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from Favre toPercy Harvin, but the Bears soon took control in all three phases as the Vikings would be outscored 40–7 over the rest of the game. Jay Cutler connected with Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, and Rashied Davis for three touchdown passes, and Robbie Gould was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts. Chicago wide receiver/kick returner Devin Hester ran his way into the record books in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown on a punt return off the foot of the Vikings'Chris Kluwe and becoming the all-time NFL leader in combined punt and kick returns for touchdowns.^[12] Minnesota quarterbackJoe Webb (who entered the game in the second quarter after Favre was injured while being sacked by Bears rookieCorey Wootton) scrambled for a touchdown in the third quarter.

With the win, Chicago improved to 10–4 and clinched the NFC North division title.

Coming off their win over the Vikings the Bears played on home ground for an interconference duel with the Jets. In the first quarter the Bears took the lead as kickerRobbie Gould got a 37-yard field goal, followed byMatt Forte getting a 22-yard TD run. They trailed with RBShonn Greene getting a 3-yard TD run, followed by CBDwight Lowery returning an interception 20 yards for a touchdown, followed by RBLaDainian Tomlinson getting a 3-yard TD run letting the Jets lead 21–10. The Bears tried to cut the lead as QBJay Cutler scrambled 2 yards for a touchdown, but the lead was soon extended as kickerNick Folk made a 26-yard field goal. They got the lead back with Cutler completing a 40 and a 25-yard TD pass to wide receiversDevin Hester andJohnny Knox respectively, but soon the game was tied with QBMark Sanchez throwing a 23-yard TD pass to WRSantonio Holmes. The Bears escaped the tie with Cutler finding Knox again on a 26-yard TD pass. After a 34-yard field goal from Folk, and the Bears punting, the Jets attempted to score with less than a minute left in the game, but aChris Harris interception would seal the game for the Bears.^[13]

With the win, Chicago improved to 11–4, and clinched a first-round bye when the Eagles lost to the Vikings.

The Bears' final game was an NFC North rivalry rematch against the Packers. While the Bears scored first with kickerRobbie Gould nailing a 30-yard field goal, the Packers tied the game with kickerMason Crosby hitting a 23-yard field goal, and then eventually found the winning score with QBAaron Rodgers throwing a 1-yard TD pass to TEDonald Lee.

With the loss, the Bears finished with an 11–5 regular season record.

Entering the postseason as the NFC's #2 seed, the Bears began their playoff run at home against the #4Seattle Seahawks, hoping to avenge their Week 6 loss. Chicago delivered the game early strike in the first quarter as quarterbackJay Cutler found tight endGreg Olsen on a 58-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 1-yard touchdown run from running backChester Taylor. The Bears added onto their lead in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run from Cutler.

Chicago continued their dominating day in the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run from Cutler. Seattle would finally get on the board as kickerOlindo Mare got a 30-yard field goal. The Seahawks tried to rally as quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMike Williams, yet the Bears pulled away with Cutler hooking up with tight endKellen Davis on a 39-yard touchdown pass. Seattle closed out the game with Hasselbeck completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Williams, followed by a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverBrandon Stokley.

With the win, Chicago improved their overall record to 12–5.

Coming off their win over the Seahawks, the Bears stayed at home for theNFC Championship Game against their historic rival, the #6Green Bay Packers (who were coming off their victory over the top-seededAtlanta Falcons), in Round 3 of their 2010 series. This would be the second playoff meeting between the two teams, the first since defeating Green Bay 33–14 in 1941.

Chicago trailed early in the first quarter as Packers quarterbackAaron Rodgers got a 1-yard touchdown run. Green Bay added onto their lead in the second quarter as running backJames Starks got a 4-yard touchdown run. Bears centerOlin Kreutz had aLisfranc injury on the first play of the second half, but he played through the entire second half, even though he couldn't block anyone, because no one else on the active roster could effectively play center.^[14] Starting Bears quarterbackJay Cutler left the game early in the third quarter with a knee injury.^[15] After a scoreless third quarter, Chicago finally got on the board in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backChester Taylor. However, the Packers came right back with nose tackleB. J. Raji returning an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. The Bears tried to rally with quarterbackCaleb Hanie finding wide receiverEarl Bennett on a 35-yard touchdown pass, but Green Bay'sSam Shields intercepted a pass with 37 seconds left in the game.

With the loss, Chicago's season came to an end with an overall record of 12–6.

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