2021 Chicago Bears season
2021 Chicago Bears season | |
---|---|
Owner | Virginia Halas McCaskey |
General manager | Ryan Pace |
Head coach | Matt Nagy Chris Tabor (Acting HC for Week 8 after Nagy tested positive for COVID-19) |
Home field | Soldier Field |
Results | |
Record | 6–11 |
Division place | 3rd NFC North |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 2
|
AP All-Pros | 3
|
Uniform | |
The 2021 season was the Chicago Bears' 102nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 103rd overall, and their fourth and final under head coach Matt Nagy. This was the first season under the NFL's new 17-game schedule.
The Bears finished 6–11, failing to improve upon their 8–8 record from the previous year, and failed to return to the playoffs. Nagy along with general manager Ryan Pace were fired on January 10, 2022.[1]
Draft
[edit]Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Justin Fields | QB | Ohio State |
2 | 39 | Teven Jenkins | OT | Oklahoma State |
5 | 151 | Larry Borom | OL | Missouri |
6 | 217 | Khalil Herbert | RB | Virginia Tech |
221 | Dazz Newsome | WR | North Carolina | |
228 | Thomas Graham Jr. | CB | Oregon | |
7 | 250 | Khyiris Tonga | DT | BYU |
Notes
- The Bears traded their first-round selection (20th overall) and their fifth-round selection (164th overall) as well as their 2022 first and fourth-round selections to the New York Giants in exchange for a first-round selection (11th overall).[2]
- The Bears traded their second-round selection (52nd overall), third-round selection (83rd overall) and sixth-round selection (204th overall) to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a second-round selection (39th overall) and a fifth-round selection (151st overall).[3]
- The Bears traded their fourth-round selection to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round selection.[4]
- The Bears acquired a conditional seventh-round selection, which could be upgraded to a sixth-rounder, in a trade that sent tight end Adam Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins and the pick ended up becoming a sixth-round selection (208th overall).[5]
- The Bears traded their sixth-round selection (208th overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for 2020 sixth-round (217th overall) and seventh-round (250th overall) selections.
Staff
[edit] Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
[edit]Preseason
[edit]Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 14 | Miami Dolphins | W 20–13 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | Recap |
2 | August 21 | Buffalo Bills | L 15–41 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
3 | August 28 | at Tennessee Titans | W 27–24 | 2–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
[edit]Schedule
[edit]The Bears' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. The Bears alternated home and away games every game of the season, becoming first team to do so in a 17-game season and the fifth since the NFL season expanded to 16 games in 1978.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–34 | 0–1 | SoFi Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 19 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–17 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
3 | September 26 | at Cleveland Browns | L 6–26 | 1–2 | FirstEnergy Stadium | Recap |
4 | October 3 | Detroit Lions | W 24–14 | 2–2 | Soldier Field | Recap |
5 | October 10 | at Las Vegas Raiders | W 20–9 | 3–2 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 17 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–24 | 3–3 | Soldier Field | Recap |
7 | October 24 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–38 | 3–4 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 31 | San Francisco 49ers | L 22–33 | 3–5 | Soldier Field | Recap |
9 | November 8 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 27–29 | 3–6 | Heinz Field | Recap |
10 | Bye | |||||
11 | November 21 | Baltimore Ravens | L 13–16 | 3–7 | Soldier Field | Recap |
12 | November 25 | at Detroit Lions | W 16–14 | 4–7 | Ford Field | Recap |
13 | December 5 | Arizona Cardinals | L 22–33 | 4–8 | Soldier Field | Recap |
14 | December 12 | at Green Bay Packers | L 30–45 | 4–9 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
15 | December 20 | Minnesota Vikings | L 9–17 | 4–10 | Soldier Field | Recap |
16 | December 26 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 25–24 | 5–10 | Lumen Field | Recap |
17 | January 2 | New York Giants | W 29–3 | 6–10 | Soldier Field | Recap |
18 | January 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 17–31 | 6–11 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
|
Game summaries
[edit]Week 1: at Los Angeles Rams
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Rams | 10 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- Date: September 12
- Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT/5:20 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 71 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 70,445
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 2: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: September 19
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,840
- Referee: Land Clark
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 3: at Cleveland Browns
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
Browns | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 26 |
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: September 26
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,431
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Bears | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: October 3
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 61,468
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib and Megan Olivi
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 5: at Las Vegas Raiders
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
Raiders | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
- Date: October 10
- Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 76,234
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 6: vs. Green Bay Packers
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: October 17
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,332
- Referee: Brad Rogers
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Buccaneers | 21 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 38 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: October 24
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Rain, 76 °F (24 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,635
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Gene Steratore
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 8: vs. San Francisco 49ers
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 3 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 33 |
Bears | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
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Week 9: at Pittsburgh Steelers
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 27 |
Steelers | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 29 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: November 8
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST/7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Clear, 55 °F (13 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,788
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
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Week 12: at Detroit Lions
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
Lions | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: November 25
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 56,355
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 14 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 33 |
Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 5
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,803
- Referee: Jerome Boger
- TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 14: at Green Bay Packers
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 3 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
Packers | 0 | 21 | 17 | 7 | 45 |
Game information | ||
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Week 15: vs. Minnesota Vikings
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 20
- Game time: 7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Clear, 38 °F (3 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,082
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 25 |
Seahawks | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
- Date: December 26
- Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Snow, 25 °F (−4 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,492
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Aaron Goldsmith, Aqib Talib and Megan Olivi
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 17: vs. New York Giants
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Bears | 14 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 29 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: January 2
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 24 °F (−4 °C)
- Game attendance: 59,594
- Referee: Shawn Hochuli
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Jay Feely
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 18: at Minnesota Vikings
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
Game information | ||
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Standings
[edit]Division
[edit]NFC North | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(1) Green Bay Packers | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 450 | 371 | L1 |
Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 425 | 426 | W1 |
Chicago Bears | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 311 | 407 | L1 |
Detroit Lions | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 325 | 467 | W1 |
Conference
[edit]# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division winners | |||||||||||
1[a] | Green Bay Packers | North | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .479 | .480 | L1 |
2[a] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .467 | .443 | W3 |
3[b] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .488 | .431 | W1 |
4[b] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .483 | .409 | L1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .490 | .492 | L1 |
6 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .500 | .438 | W2 |
7[c] | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .469 | .350 | L1 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8[c] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .512 | .516 | W2 |
9 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .507 | .434 | W1 |
10[d] | Washington Football Team | East | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .529 | .420 | W1 |
11[d][e] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .519 | .424 | W2 |
12[d][e] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .472 | .315 | L2 |
13 | Chicago Bears | North | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .524 | .373 | L1 |
14 | Carolina Panthers | South | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .509 | .412 | L7 |
15 | New York Giants | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .536 | .485 | L6 |
16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .528 | .627 | W1 |
Tiebreakers[f] | |||||||||||
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References
[edit]- ^ "Pace, Nagy relieved of duties with the Bears". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "Chicago Bears select QB Justin Fields with No. 11 pick in NFL draft after making deal with New York Giants". ESPN.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (April 30, 2021). "Bears trade up for Teven Jenkins". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (April 26, 2020). "Bears draft Gipson with pick acquired in trade". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (July 26, 2020). "Bears trade Shaheen to Dolphins". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.