Chicago Bears Season 2016 Game Reviews

Read Chicago Bears season 2016 game reviews and relive the best moments of the Bears’ NFL Season 2016. Click here to find reviews of more recent Chicago Bears games.

Chicago Bears NFL season 2016 recap

The Chicago Bears were not expected to be come out at the very top and they did not. But with more losses in the 2016 season than in 2015, there is a reason for concern. The team finished 3-13 losing all away games (0-8) for the first time in history. This is the team’s worst record since the start of 16-game seasons by NFL in 1978. The team was under the management of John Fox as the head coach for the second season. Why did Fox not improve the 6-10 record from 2015? At the start of the season the Bears signed in players like the defensive end Akiem Hicks and linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerell Freeman. They lost their offensive coordinator Adam Gase who was hired as the head coach by the Dolphins and Dowell Loggains promoted to fill the position.

What messed the team even more are injuries which begun early in the season. By the end of the season, the Bears had 19 players out on injury cases; 11 of those from the starting list. Their no. 1QB Jay Cutler incurred multiple injuries throughout the season and so backups Matt Barkley and Brian Hoyer played most games this season. Others on the injured list were guard Kyle Long, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, tight end Zach Miller and outside linebacker Lamarr Houston. On the brighter side, these injuries gave the young players a chance to play. Cody Whitehair is now among the league’s best young centers whereas Jordan Howard the rookie running back made history being second in rushing yards.

NFL 2016 Week 17: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, January 01, 1:00 PM, U.S. Bank Stadium

The Minessota Vikings came out as winners against their opponent Chicago Bears. Although already defeating the Vikings this year once, the Bears came into the game as a dissapointment. It was obvious they almost lost their faith with only three wins in the season.

Unlike the Bears, the Vikings have a lot to overcome, still. They won the game but can they stay strong? 38-10 was the final score and that is the strength they will need in the off season to come. The win was not a modest way to enter the 2017 season for the Vikings and the crowd loved it. Not all was perfect in the last season and they have plenty on their backs, and by playing this way, they are sure on the right track.

They didn’t make it to the playoffs nor win the division title and that is a big reason for the fans to be dissapointed. Let’s hope they learned the hard way and will make some changes game-wise and personnel-wise. All in all, they shined in this game and that was a great reminder for their fans to what exactly they can do on the field.

NFL 2016 Week 16: Chicago Bears vs Washington Redskins on Saturday, December 24, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

The playoff hopes of the Washington Redskins were boosted as they won 41-21 against their host the Chicago Bears. The Bears (3-12) have been struggling this season and it did not come as a surprise that they were trampled on by the Redskins. The win was enabled by the hard work of Kirk Cousins who ran for two touchdowns and threw one. He threw a 17-yarrd touchdown in the first quarter and scored a 9-yard run in the second quarter. DeSean Jackson and managed 114 yards receiving but he had to leave the field after he got hit on the jaw in the third quarter.

On the Bears side, Barkley made history with the second-highest total interceptions with five in the game. Jordan Howard ran 119 yards whereas Cameron Meredith added 135 yards receiving and Alshon had 92. They however just could not hold up against the Redskins who took an early lead 14-0 in the first quarter. This was quite commendable with a history of having only three points in total from the past four games. The Washington team is now eighth in the NFC following the Green Bay.

NFL 2016 Week 15: Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers on Sunday, December 18, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

The NFL season is up in full swing and with each game becoming tougher for the players; Mother Nature had even more difficulties in mind. The last Sunday was a cold day, with arctic wind settling over the region and resulting in quite a low temperature. Packers and Bears have had a long history of Rivalry and last Sunday they went all in for one of the coldest games of the season. The Green Bay Packers came out on top with 30-27 over the Chicago Bears. The temperature was around 10 degrees with a biting cold wind that gave a wind chill of around minus 18 degrees.

The Game at halftime was drawn with 10-10 score and with temperatures and winds creating a tough time for players, the Green Bay Packers finally stole the show with total yards of the game at 406 for Packers with 1 turnovers and 39:36 possession. The Bears also led with around double the number of 1st downs. The game was thought as the fifth coldest games that the Bears have played in history. With excited fans rooting in for the game even with a low temperature, the players displayed great potential and skills. which makes the game more interesting and even the fans were very happy to watch that game.

NFL 2016 Week 14: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions on Sunday, December 11, 1:00 PM, Ford Field

The Detroit Lions emerged victorious over the Chicago Bears last Sunday with a score of 20 to 17. However, it wasn’t on account of the fact that they were superior in their game play.

While the game was on the line – and when things were heated up and mattered most – the Bears found unique ways to get penalized severally. They snatched up the defeat from the very jaws of victory to the tune of 11 penalties over 139 yards.

Most of these penalties were leveled against the Chicago Bears during the 4th quarter when the team had the game right within their grasp. The clock management was also highly questionable.

Matt Barkley, the quarterback, got another chance on the field to relived Jay Cutler – who had been injured. He tried everything in his power to secure a win for the Bears.

However, seeing as how discipline is of utmost importance in the NFL, it seemed like the Bears had an easy time shooting themselves right in the foot during the 2nd half of the game.

Due to this loss, the Chicago Bears have fallen to 3 to 10 in the season. They are yet to battle it out with the Vikings, the Redskins, and the Packers.

NFL 2016 Week 13: Chicago Bears vs San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, December 04, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

The 49ers were the first to get the ball and start the game and in no time, they secured a penalty but had nothing to show for it. They again try to surge but were easily put away by the 49ers when Kaepernick got sacked again. The game appeared more of a defensive struggle in the first half as no side showed serious intentions of scoring a point.

In the second quarter, Draughn succeeded in blocking the Bears pint and Dontae Johnson scooped it then made for the end zone but San Francisco was flagged for celebrating the play, thus making them back up 15 yards. Eventually, Phil Dawson struck a thunderous 31-yard field goal to put the San Francisco ahead 3-0. He would later follow through with another 28-yard strike to put his team ahead 6-0.

However, Chicago responded before halftime through skillful displays by Meredith and Barkley to put his team ahead 7-6. Chicago offended again in the third quarter and his two chances put his team ahead 21-6. To seal the deal Leonard Floyd ensured his name was on the score sheet and the final score was 26-6 in favor of Chicago. The match meant the 49ers extended their losing streak to 11.

NFL 2016 Week 12: Chicago Bears vs Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 27, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

The Titans won on Sunday to put them at the .500 mark (as far as winning percentage goes because they have lost six games and won six games so far this season). The Chicago Bears have only won two games and lost nine games so far in the season, and have not won a game since week eight, losing three straight games. The Titans have gone back and forth between losing and winning this season. The Tennessee Titans are currently second in the AFC South, while the Chicago Bears are in last in NFC North.

The quarterback for the Titans, Marcus Mariota, completed fifteen of twenty-three passes on Sunday, throwing for two touchdowns, 226 passing yards, and no interceptions. He also rushed for forty-six yards on four carries.

The quarterback for the Chicago Bears, Matt Barkley, completed twenty-eight of his fifty-four pass attempts, throwing for three touchdowns, 316 passing yards, and two interceptions.

At the end of the first quarter, things were tied at seven, but the Titans went into halftime having scored 21 points. The Bears would turn things around in the second half, but that would not be enough, only scoring fourteen points while the Titans scored another six points. The Titans scored in every quarter, whereas the Bears went scoreless in the second and third quarters.

NFL 2016 Week 11: Chicago Bears at New York Giants on Sunday, November 20, 1:00 PM, MetLife Stadium

The Chicago Bears came into their game against the New York Giants with little hope after suffering defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Giants came into this one on a four game winning streak and were playing admirably on both sides of the ball. With such a foundation, the Bear still lost to the Giants 22-16 however

The Bears began the scoring off in the principal quarter on their first drive of the game. It truly was a story of two parts for the Giants defenders. Chicago would go up 9-6 taking after a 40 yard field goal by Connor Barth. The Bears had four great chances in the primary half and scored on their initial three

The second half had a place with the Giants. New York would tie the game on a nine yard touchdown go from Eli Manning to Will Tye. Chicago couldn’t answer the score or their next or consequent belonging. The Giants would lead the pack soon after the tying score when Manning hit Sterling Shepard for a 15 yard touch-down. That put it at 22-16 and with no scoring in the fourth by either group, that is the manner by which it would end.

This is the most noticeably awful season in late memory for the Bears’ and their fans. This game was a decent representation of what this group has been through in 2016. Injuries, lost goal chances and poor play.

NFL 2016 Week 10: Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, November 13, 1:00 PM, Raymond James Stadium

Buccaneers were seen to be in complete form to defeat Bears this time with score 36-10. And yes, they had their best performance this time against Chicago Bears. It seems like Buccaneers had learnt a lot from their last defeats from Raiders and the Falcons where they surrendered 8 explosive pass plays in each game. So, they used it as a lesson and measuring stick this time while playing against Bears.

Jude Barimah said that their team players were always at the right spot in the game, so even there were bunch of attacks on the players, but we were successful to score. He said that this week his team was very aggressive, every player played very well and they practiced all along. This was the reason of their victory over Bears this year. Another player from the team; Smith said when the team players covered well and the quarterback had to hold ball and run, they got him on the move, get him on the ground and they had couple of turnovers that time. Ayers said the performance of Grimes was outstanding during the game. He finished the game with 1.5 sacks. That thing made Jay to hold the ball for longer time and the team was able to capitalize.

NFL 2016 Week 8: Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings on Monday, October 31, 7:30 PM, Soldier Field

The Minnesota Vikings were very ready to meet with the Chicago Bears during the North showdown. The Minnesota Vikings were embarrassed by the Bears on Halloween during their week eight games held on October 2016. The Vikings started off the game with offense and therefore struggled to establish a run. In the beginning, the Minnesota were very competitive, and they were able to start off the game on a high note until the drive went down and they were forced to pass the ball to the Bears. Having given up to the Chicago Bears, they were automatically locked on their ten-yard line where Chicago Bears took up offense from there.

After playing for a while, Howard finds a strategy, and he uses the hand tackles which resulted in a massive gain. The Minnesota Vikings fought them out of the end zone forcing the Chicago Bears to occupy the field goal making them score three goals against zero of the Vikings. The two teams traded punts for a while, and the Vikings defense put them in the end zone again. In the next match, the Bears had lead with six goals and after that thirteen against zero from the Vikings.

NFL 2016 Week 7: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers on Thursday, October 20, 8:25 PM, Lambeau Field

The Chicago Bears lose against the Green Bay Packers (10 – 26), 326 yards thrown by Aaron Rogers and 3 touchdowns setting a record. Massive play by Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery in second half made Green Bay Packers beat to Chicago Bears easy on Friday, 21st October. Most of the night Packers (4-2) moves were short gain. Making Packers first match winning, without injuring Eddie lacy. Coach Mike McCarthy was full satisfied with their winning in home ground.

The Packers second half made their win when Adam caught the first of his two touchdowns with 13 -10 lead in 9:11 left time. Again Roger and Adam together made 4 – yard score on the start of last quarter with a lead of 10. This was the main pick up by Green Bay to make pressure on their offensively challenged NFC North Rivals.

The Bears (1-6) loses as Brian Hoyer went out with broken left – arm in the second quarter. Chicago moved to 3rd stringer Matt Barkley because Jay Cutler was already out with right thumb injury. Barkley 6 – 15 for 81 yard, two interception and NFC North Rivals offense in scoring got worse. Bears coach John Fox was really depressed but knows it is reality.

Kadeem Carey made 48 – yards on 10 carries with 24 – yarder too. Alshon Jeffersy who was receiver caught three catches for 33 – yard against Packers secondary, as its best three comebacks were out because of injury. It was really bad for Bears when their offensive plays (36) become less the completions of Rogers (37) in 5:31 of the fourth Quarter. End was with 37 completion of Rodgers with 2 – yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb, by making straight 16 points lead.

NFL 2016 Week 6: Chicago Bears vs Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, October 16, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

On Sunday, October 16, Jacksonville Jaguars were able to emerge winners in a tightly contested match against the Chicago Bears.Jacksonville outcompeted Chicago Bears 17-16. This was Bears second successive loss as they had previously lost to Indianapolis.

The interesting part of the game was when Blake Bortles made a throw for 271 yards. Benn, who was slipping in the closing stages was able to make the catch as well as make the touchdown ( 51 yards). The touchdown was enough to lift the earn the victory for the Jaguars.

Bortles played a significant part in the win with 20 complete passes out of 33 passes he made throughout the game. Allen Hurns and Chris Ivory were other players, who contributed substantially to this win. Allen contributed with 74-yards receiving whereas Chris ran for a TD for the team.

Benn was able to give Jaguars the lead when Tracy Porters, who was trying to tag him, slid and fell. In fact, Benn had slid and fell too, however, because of Tracy’s fall, he got up, run and make the touchdown. This was Benn’s first touchdown in five seasons. This is so, due to the fact that, he has been injured for the past three seasons.

Bears’ Brian Hoyer performance stood out despite the defeat. He threw for 302-yards. This was his fourth straight 300-yard game. He was actually included in the team because Jay Cutler was injured. In fact, there were two sacks for Chicago Bears involving Willie Young.

Bears coach John Fox had this to say with regard to the defeat, “it’s not lack of heart, lack of trying.” “Our guys battled. We just don’t play well enough right now. That’s on all of us.”

This was a memorable day for Jaguars and specifically for Benn. On the other hand, it was a terrible day for the Bears and specifically for Tracy.

NFL 2016 Week 5: Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 09, 1:00 PM, Lucas Oil Stadium

It was agonizing, sad and unbelievable for the Chicago Bears to accept the 29-23 defeat at Lucas Oil Stadium by the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. This was a fourth game for the Bears to lose. Although they outplayed Indy in almost every aspect, luck was not on their side hence they ended up losing.

As he threw a shot pass over the middle to running back Jordan Howard who scored without struggling much, Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer Spearheaded a touchdown dive to give the Bears a 23-19 lead in the fourth quarter. One of the Bears that had otherwise played perfectly made a poor decision which could have marked the difference in winning and losing. With less than a minute left on the clock for the final whistle to be blown, the Bears reached the Colts 28-yard line on the final possession before turning the ball over on downs.

Hoyer tried forcing the ball into Cameron Meredith rather than passing it to Alshon Jeffery who was now being covered one on one on fourth down with the game on line. While also catching a 21- yard TD pass in the fourth quarter, Bears running back Howard rushed for 118 yards on 16 attempts.

NFL 2016 Week 4: Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 02, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

The game was played on the Sunday afternoon of the NFL schedule between Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. Two games were lost by the Detroit Lions continuously combining total of eight points and their three games have been decided by a total of 12 points. In the meantime the Chicago Bears were winless after 31-17 last Sunday night. Injuries became the factor for both the teams. The player of Detroit Lions’ Ameer Abdullah was out of the session and Jeremy Langford was expected to miss due to the ankle injury. In place of Abdullah Theo Riddick and Rookie Dwayne Washington were taking the charge. Instead of Langford, Jordan Howard has taken the charge. On the other hand in the Chicago Bear’s team Jay Cutler did not take part in the game because of injury in the right thumb.

The Chicago Bears are very fast and they are in top 5 pick in the NFL draft .The Detroit Lions must work hard to get back on the track in order to maintain the game within the NFC north. The Lions are facing as much difficulty running the balls as the Bears. Last week the Bear’s defensive front was exposed for using backups in key roles.

NFL 2016 Week 3: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 25, 8:30 PM, AT&T Stadium

When Tony Romo went down with an injury that would sideline him for multiple weeks Cowboys fans nationwide showed concern. Turns out, no concern was needed. Dak Prescott and fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott have Dallas off to a 2-1 start after soundly beating the Bears Sunday night. The final score was 31-17, but this game was rarely in doubt. Prescott led the Cowboys to four first-half scores and took a 24-3 lead into the intermission. He also threw his first career touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to salt the game away. The touchdown also got Dez Bryant into the end zone for the first time this year. This game really summed up the struggles that the Bears have faced this season so far. The offense struggled for much of the game and the defense had no answers for the Cowboys offense. The started the game without Jay Cutler, their starting Quarterback, and ended it without running back Jeremy Langford. While Culter could return for week four, it looks like Langford will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. If Culter can’t go then Brian Hoyer will get the start again, while Jordan Howard is expected to fill in at running back. The Bears will be hoping to get healthy as they dig themselves out of a 0-3 start.

NFL 2016 Week 2: Chicago Bears vs Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, September 19, 8:30 PM, Soldier Field

Monday night’s NFL-action pitted a Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears showdown. The match extended one of the only eight teams’ unbeaten streaks as the Eagles won again to keep the Bears winless. And as the contest culminated in favor of the Philadelphia Eagles, a rookie signal-caller was signaled out as the real deal. Carson Wentz impressed once again during the game, showing plenty of poise in the pocket to throw for 190-yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a 29-14 win. The unassuming rookie looked like a seasoned NFL-veteran for the second straight week.

Even those who subscribe to the idea that first impressions are usually the most lasting can admit to the significance of Wentz’s second NFL start. In the Eagles v Bears match, he impressed by completing 21-of-34 passes. In addition, his size and strength did play a huge deal, as Wentz took some hard hits from the Bears defenders. He even threw a beautiful dime to wide-receiver Jordan Matthews before the end of-the half, although Jordan dropped it. That pass would have been a 35 yard touch-down and his stats would’ve been even better.

In contrast, Chicago Bears struggled to protect their quarterback Jay Cutler, who got hit by the Texans defense 13 times, as they slipped to a 23-13 loss. Cutler had a rough night despite his good start. He fumbled once and even threw a bad interception, before leaving the game with a hand injury. This was definitely not the game the Chicago Bears had anticipated from the veteran gunslinger.

With the way Carson Wentz is playing, the Eagles may finally go-back to being NFL contenders. In Week 3, the Philadelphia Eagles have a tough one when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Philly. Meanwhile, the Bears are in danger of seeing their NFL season slip away. They followed up a season opening-loss at Houston with a rather dismal performance, and even lost Cutler to a right thumb injury. The Chicago Bears have another rookie quarter-back, Dak Prescott, as they take-on the Dallas Cowboys next week.

NFL 2016 Week 1: Chicago Bears at Houston Texans on Sunday, September 11, 1:00 PM, NRG Stadium

Week 1 turned out very well for the home team when the Chicago Bears at Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium lost by a full nine points. It’s never fun to lose by that much, and you have to respect the Texans for stopping them that much. It should also be appreciated that the last time these two teams faced off was all the way back in 2012, so they aren’t often teams that travel the same fields. Well, Sunday made a definite change to that with the Chicago Bears visiting the Texans’ home turf, ready to go.

The Chicago Bears weren’t helped by shifts in the roster even a few days before the start of the game, because that means they didn’t have as much time to get used to the new formation that their offense was going to be playing with. As a result, there were some definite struggles from the windy city’s team. You’d be surprised to hear that, seeing as the Bears actually took the lead for the start of the game, leading all the way to the end of the second quarter. Unfortunately for them, the Texans pulled themselves together and got two field goals and a touchdown before the end of the game while stopping the Bears from doing the same.

NFL Preseason 2016 Week 4: Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns on Thursday, September 01, 8:00 PM, FirstEnergy Stadium

The Chicago Bears made their first preseason win against the Cleveland Browns. At last! Though the Browns may not have been pretty impressive with their defense, that’s not to say the Bears had it easy. Kevin White stayed in action for some time and was quite amazing. Jordan Howard was late in running over people. The Bears after falling behind 7-3 Browns, kept the Browns scoreless over the final three quarters. The usual Bears starters were on the sideline during the first quarter. Probably why they took the 7-3 whooping.

They used their second string offense against the first string players of the Browns, after which, Ka’Deem Carey delivered some short touchdowns for the Bears. A great highlight for the match was Josh Howard, who took a short field and took up the whole yardage through to the end zone all for himself. Deiondre Hall and Jacob Glenn pulled some good pass breakups against Josh Gordon. The Bears first victory may however come with a few pointers to note. The team has a number players who may not be playing anymore including Cornelius Washington who left the night with another knee injury. These will be part of their major form challenges moving forward.

NFL Preseason 2016 Week 3: Chicago Bears vs Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, August 27, 1:00 PM, Soldier Field

The Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears was also a very highly awaited game. The defense had most of its key starters. The unit was made much stronger than it has been in the previous matches. There was however some points of concern starting with Justin Houston’s health which made him unable to play as was expected by most of the fans. The back side end of the defense would include Maclin deep and Kelce. Smith on the other hand was the one who made deep throws for the team. Travis Kelce was able to run numerous patterns which worked in their favor as he was able to duck a number of touch downs.

He became the most consistent receiver through out the game and made it very interesting to follow. Chris Jones was making a debut in this game as the rookie and there were a lot of expectations placed on him. The defensive lineman was able to get into the backfield during the forth and the first play. He was able to carry out a couple of tackles which worked very well for the benefit of the team.

NFL Preseason 2016 Week 2: Chicago Bears at New England Patriots on Thursday, August 18, 8:00 PM, Gillette Stadium

It was a tight loss for the Chicago Bears when they paid a visit to New England. The game at Gillette stadium ended 23-22 for the Patriots. However, Chicago fans can rest in the knowledge that there has been some recent improvements in the team which is encouraging.

This became clear as Alshon Jeffrey earned his money by blocking most of anything that came close to him. Another encouraging thing to watch for Bears fans was the skill shown by running back Jeremy Langford, whose game was so impressive he was rightfully given the Bears’ ‘player of the match’.

The fights during the joint practices had given some cause for concern but luckily it didn’t seem to have spilled over into the game. It seems that Patriots players who had been ejected as a result had served as an ample warning.

It had been a slow start for the Patriots as they faced an 11 – 0 comeback. A very tight matches overall.

The thing I love most about sports is that anything can happen. When that starting whistle goes there is a whole range of emotions ready to set loose. The Chicago Bears vs the New England Patriots proved that.

NFL Preseason 2016 Week 1: Chicago Bears vs Denver Broncos on Thursday, August 11, 8:00 PM, Soldier Field

Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears was the other game that graced the love of football on Thursday night. The Broncos victory against the bears is another way to show that this season is full of so much fun and surprises from every team.

During the training sessions the defense squad from the Chicago Bears showed that they were able and ready to face the challenge from the opponents. The swagger in which they were exhibiting on the catches and passes would all tell they were ready enough. But when it was time for the real thing I guess they fell under the pressure and gradually they had to take on the blame of losing the game to the opponents. It was so clear that they were missing the strength of their injured Hroniss Grasu though they did not want to show it by feeling in the space with other experience players in the team. The bears need to work out on some areas for them to get better results in the games to come in the season. From the Broncos side, this was a good start this season. Although they need to improve on the team coordination as well for greater results in the next games.

Follow this link to find out how Chicago Bears did in NFL season 2015.