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List of Chicago Bears seasons

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Summary

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The Chicago Bears franchise was founded as the Decatur Staleys, a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA). The team moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1921 and changed its name to the Bears in 1922, the same year the APFA changed its name to the National Football League (NFL). This list documents the franchise's completed seasons from 1920 to present, including postseason records and results from postseason games.

The Chicago Bears have played over 1,000 games in their history, and have had eight NFL Championships victories and one Super Bowl win. The Bears' nine championships are the second most by any team in NFL history. The franchise has captured 18 NFL divisional titles and four NFL conference championships. The Bears have also recorded the second most regular season victories of any NFL franchise.

The franchise has experienced three major periods of continued success in their history. The first period of success came from to when the Bears won six NFL Championships. In this period the Bears participated in the first National Football League playoff game, the first NFL Championship Game, and became the American football sports dynasty of the 1940s. The Bears played in four straight NFL Championship Games between and , winning three of them, including an NFL record 73–0 victory over the Washington Redskins in 1940. The second period of success was between and when the Bears captured six NFC Central Division titles in eight years and won Super Bowl XX. A brief period of success stretched from to 2007 when the franchise captured two straight NFC North titles and a NFC Championship title, which earned them a berth in Super Bowl XLI, a game that the Bears lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite their historic championship record and long periods of success, the Bears have also experienced periods of failure in their history. The franchise finished in last place within its division five times in the 1970s. In 1971, the team moved from Wrigley Field to Soldier Field to play its home games. In the mid- to late 1990s and early 2000s, the Bears posted six seasons with 10 or more losses. In the season, the franchise posted their worst regular season record with a 1–13 showing.

Soldier Field, current home of the Chicago Bears

Legend

	One-game playoff berth

Season records

Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Regular season	Postseason results	Awards	Ref.	Finish	W	L	T	Pct	1919	2007	2022	2023	2024	2025
Chicago Staleys	border=2}};"	Decatur Staleys
1919	Ind.			—	6	1	0	Named Central Illinois Champions		Robert E. Brannan	Note1	a	a}}
1920	APFA			2nd	10	1	2	The APFA did not hold playoff games		George Halas	Note1	a	a}}
Chicago Staleys	border=2}};"	Chicago Staleys
1921	APFA			1st	9	1	1	Named APFA Champions		George Halas	Note1	b	b}}
Chicago Bears	border=2}};"	Chicago Bears
1922	NFL			2nd	9	3	0	The NFL did not hold playoff games until 1932		George Halas
1923	NFL			2nd	9	2	1
1924	NFL			2nd	6	1	4
1925	NFL			7th	9	5	3
1926	NFL			2nd	12	1	3
1927	NFL			3rd	9	3	2
1928	NFL			5th	7	5	1
1929	NFL			9th	4	9	2
1930	NFL			3rd	9	4	1		Ralph Jones
1931	NFL			3rd	8	5	0
1932	NFL			1st	7	1	6	Named NFL Champions (2)		Note3	c	c}}
1933	NFL		Western	1st	10	2	1	Won NFL Championship (3) (Giants) 23–21		George Halas	Note4	d	d}}
1934	NFL		Western	1st	13	0	0	Lost NFL Championship (at Giants) 13–30		Note5	e	e}}
1935	NFL		Western	T-3rd	6	4	2
1936	NFL		Western	2nd	9	3	0
1937	NFL		Western	1st	9	1	1	Lost NFL Championship (Redskins) 21–28
1938	NFL		Western	3rd	6	5	0
1939	NFL		Western	2nd	8	3	0
1940	NFL		Western	1st	8	3	0	Won NFL Championship (4) (at Redskins) 73–0		Note6	f	f}}
1941	NFL		Western	1st	10	1	0	Won Divisional playoff (Packers) 33–14
Won NFL Championship (5) (Giants) 37–9		Note7	g	g}}
1942	NFL		Western	1st	11	0	0	Lost NFL Championship (at Redskins) 6–14		George Halas (5–0) Hunk Anderson & Luke Johnsos (6–0)	Note5	e	e}}
1943	NFL		Western	1st	8	1	1	Won NFL Championship (6) (Redskins) 41–21	Sid Luckman (MVP)	Hunk Anderson & Luke Johnsos
1944	NFL		Western	T-2nd	6	3	1
1945	NFL		Western	4th	3	7	0
1946	NFL		Western	1st	8	2	1	Won NFL Championship (7) (at Giants) 24–14		George Halas
1947	NFL		Western	2nd	8	4	0
1948	NFL		Western	2nd	10	2	0
1949	NFL		Western	2nd	9	3	0
1950	NFL	National		T-1st	9	3	0	Lost Conference playoff (at Rams) 14–24		Note8	h	h}}
1951	NFL	National		4th	7	5	0
1952	NFL	National		5th	5	7	0
1953	NFL	Western		4th	3	8	1
1954	NFL	Western		2nd	8	4	0
1955	NFL	Western		2nd	8	4	0
1956	NFL	Western		1st	9	2	1	Lost NFL Championship (at Giants) 7–47		Paddy Driscoll
1957	NFL	Western		5th	5	7	0
1958	NFL	Western		T-2nd	8	4	0			George Halas
1959	NFL	Western		2nd	8	4	0
1960	NFL	Western		5th	5	6	1
1961	NFL	Western		T-3rd	8	6	0
1962	NFL	Western		3rd	9	5	0
1963	NFL	Western		1st	11	1	2	Won NFL Championship (8) (Giants) 14–10	George Halas (COY)
1964	NFL	Western		6th	5	9	0
1965	NFL	Western		3rd	9	5	0		George Halas (COY)
1966	NFL	Western		5th	5	7	2
1967	NFL	Western	Central	2nd	7	6	1			Note9	i	i}}
1968	NFL	Western	Central	2nd	7	7	0			Jim Dooley
1969	NFL	Western	Central	4th	1	13	0
1970	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	6	8	0			Note10	j	j}}
1971	NFL	NFC	Central	3rd	6	8	0
1972	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	4	9	1			Abe Gibron	Note11	k	k}}
1973	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	3	11	0		Wally Chambers (DROY)
1974	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	4	10	0
1975	NFL	NFC	Central	3rd	4	10	0			Jack Pardee
1976	NFL	NFC	Central	2nd	7	7	0
1977	NFL	NFC	Central	2nd	9	5	0	Lost Divisional playoffs (at Cowboys) 7–37	Walter Payton (MVP, OPOY, WP MOY)
1978	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	7	9	0			Neill Armstrong
1979	NFL	NFC	Central	2nd	10	6	0	Lost Wild Card playoffs (at Eagles) 17–27
1980	NFL	NFC	Central	3rd	7	9	0
1981	NFL	NFC	Central	5th	6	10	0			url=http://www.bearshistory.com/seasons/1981chicagobears.aspx	title=1981 Chicago Bears	access-date=August 19, 2008	last=Taylor	first=Roy	date=2000–2008	publisher=bearshistory.com	archive-date=August 28, 2008	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828011336/http://bearshistory.com/seasons/1981chicagobears.aspx	url-status=live }}
1982	NFL	NFC		12th	3	6	0			Mike Ditka	Note12	l	l}}
1983	NFL	NFC	Central	3rd	8	8	0
1984	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	10	6	0	Won Divisional playoffs (at Redskins) 23–19
Lost NFC Championship (at 49ers) 0–23
1985	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	15	1	0	Won Divisional playoffs (Giants) 21–0
Won NFC Championship (Rams) 24–0
Won Super Bowl XX (9) (vs. Patriots) 46–10	Richard Dent (SB MVP)
Mike Singletary (DPOY)
Mike Ditka (COY)
1986	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	14	2	0	Lost Divisional playoffs (Redskins) 13–27
1987	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	11	4	0	Lost Divisional playoffs (Redskins) 17–21	Dave Duerson (WP MOY)
1988	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	12	4	0	Won Divisional playoffs (Eagles) 20–12
Lost NFC Championship (49ers) 3–28	Mike Singletary (DPOY)
Mike Ditka (COY)
1989	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	6	10	0
1990	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	11	5	0	Won Wild Card playoffs (Saints) 16–6
Lost Divisional playoffs (at Giants) 3–31	Mark Carrier (DROY)
Mike Singletary (WP MOY)
1991	NFL	NFC	Central	2nd	11	5	0	Lost Wild Card playoffs (Cowboys) 13–17
1992	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	5	11	0
1993	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	7	9	0			Dave Wannstedt
1994	NFL	NFC	Central	4th	9	7	0	Won Wild Card playoffs (at Vikings) 35–18
Lost Divisional playoffs (at 49ers) 15–44
1995	NFL	NFC	Central	3rd	9	7	0
1996	NFL	NFC	Central	3rd	7	9	0
1997	NFL	NFC	Central	5th	4	12	0
1998	NFL	NFC	Central	5th	4	12	0
1999	NFL	NFC	Central	5th	6	10	0			Dick Jauron
2000	NFL	NFC	Central	5th	5	11	0		Brian Urlacher (DROY)
Jim Flanigan (WP MOY)
2001	NFL	NFC	Central	1st	13	3	0	Lost Divisional playoffs (Eagles) 19–33	Dick Jauron (COY)
Anthony Thomas (OROY)
2002	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	4	12	0
2003	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	7	9	0
2004	NFL	NFC	North	4th	5	11	0			Lovie Smith
2005	NFL	NFC	North	1st	11	5	0	Lost Divisional playoffs (Panthers) 21–29	Lovie Smith (COY)
Brian Urlacher (DPOY)
2006	NFL	NFC	North	1st	13	3	0	Won Divisional playoffs (Seahawks) 27–24 (OT)
Won NFC Championship (Saints) 39–14
Lost Super Bowl XLI (vs. Colts) 17–29
2007	NFL	NFC	North	4th	7	9	0
2008	NFL	NFC	North	2nd	9	7	0
2009	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	7	9	0			url=http://www.bearshistory.com/seasons/2009chicagobears.aspx	title=2009 Chicago Bears	access-date=January 2, 2011	last=Taylor	first=Roy	date=2000–2009	publisher=bearshistory.com	archive-date=January 4, 2011	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104205847/http://www.bearshistory.com/seasons/2009chicagobears.aspx	url-status=live }}
2010	NFL	NFC	North	1st	11	5	0	Won Divisional playoffs (Seahawks) 35–24
Lost NFC Championship (Packers) 14–21
2011	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	8	8	0
2012	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	10	6	0
2013	NFL	NFC	North	2nd	8	8	0		Charles Tillman (WP MOY)	Marc Trestman
2014	NFL	NFC	North	4th	5	11	0
2015	NFL	NFC	North	4th	6	10	0			John Fox
2016	NFL	NFC	North	4th	3	13	0
2017	NFL	NFC	North	4th	5	11	0
2018	NFL	NFC	North	1st	12	4	0	Lost Wild Card playoffs (Eagles) 15–16	Matt Nagy (COY)	Matt Nagy
2019	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	8	8	0
2020	NFL	NFC	North	2nd	8	8	0	Lost Wild Card playoffs (at Saints) 9–21
2021	NFL	NFC	North	3rd	6	11	0
2022	NFL	NFC	North	4th	3	14	0			Matt Eberflus
2023	NFL	NFC	North	4th	7	10	0
2024	NFL	NFC	North	4th	5	12	0			Matt Eberflus (4–8) Thomas Brown (1–4)
2025	NFL	NFC	North	1st	11	6	0	Won Wild Card playoffs (Packers) 31–27
Lost Divisional playoffs (Rams) 17–20 (OT)		Ben Johnson
10	1	2		Decatur Staleys regular season record (1920)
9	1	1		Chicago Staleys regular season record (1921)
790	650	39		Chicago Bears regular season record (1922–present)
18	21	—		All-time postseason record (1933–present)
9 NFL Championships, 4 Conference Championships, 20 Divisional Championships

Footnotes

No official standings were maintained for the 1920 season, and the championship was awarded to the Akron Pros in a League meeting on April 30, 1921. Teams played schedules that included games against nonleague opponents.
The NFL did not hold playoff games until 1933. The team that finished with the best regular season record was named the league champions.
The result of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game to determine the NFL champion between the Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans. The game counted in the standings and broke the tie.
The score of the playoff game is in parentheses with the winning score first no matter the outcome for the Bears.
The Bears were denied perfect seasons on two accounts. The first one was in the 1934 when the 13–0 Bears lost to the New York Giants in the Championship game. The second occurrence happened in 1942 when the 11–0 Bears were denied perfection and a "three-peat" by the Washington Redskins.
The Bears victory over the Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship is an NFL record for greatest margin of victory and most points scored in a game.
The Bears tied with the Rams for 1st place at the end of the season, but they lost a one-game playoff tiebreaker and therefore did not win a Conference Championship.
The 1967 NFL season marks the first season in the league's history where the league was divided into two conferences which were subdivided into two divisions. Up to 1967, the league was either divided into two divisions, two conferences, or neither.
As a result of the AFL–NFL merger, the league was broken into two conferences, with the AFL teams moving into the American Football Conference.
As of the 2010 NFL season, this season marks the last tie game the Bears played. It was a game at Soldier Field on September 24, 1972, against the Los Angeles Rams. The game ended at 13–13.
The 1982 season was a strike-shortened season so the league was divided up into two conferences instead of its normal divisional alignment.
The Bears win in Super Bowl XX, marked the franchise's first Super Bowl victory and their ninth league championship.
The strike of 1987 reduced the regular season schedule from 16 to 15 games.
The Divisional Playoff game against the Eagles was known as the Fog Bowl due to the heavy fog that covered the field for most of the game.
As of the 2010 NFL season, this is the second postseason meeting of the Bears and Green Bay Packers in their longstanding rivalry.

References

;General

;Specific

References

Taylor, Roy. (2005). "Chicago Bears Seasons By Era". bearshistory.com.
"NFL History By Decade". nfl.com/history.
'''Note:''' The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list only regular season game results and exclude any postseason play records. Regular and postseason records are combined only at the bottom of the list.
Rankin, Larry. "Chicago Bears Team History and Timeline".
"Chicago Bears Franchise Encyclopedia". Sports Reference LLC.
"Green Bay Packers Franchise Encyclopedia". Sports Reference LLC.
(2008). "All-Time Win–loss Records By Team". Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Taylor, Roy. (2004). "The 1930s Bears, First Dynasty". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2004). "1940s Chicago Bears, Another Dynasty". bearshistory.com.
(2008). "Highlights from the 1980s". chicagobears.com.
(2008). "Highlights from the 1990s". chicagobears.com.
(2008). "Playoff Game Log". pro-football-reference.com.
(October 23, 2019). "100 Years of the Chicago Bears: The 2000s".
(2008). "Highlights from the 1970s". chicagobears.com.
(2008). "Team Records, Leaders, and League Ranks". pro-football-reference.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1979 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1980 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1981 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1983 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1984 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1985 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1986 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1987 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
(September 26, 2008). "Fog Bowl: 'A supernatural experience'". [[ESPN]].
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1988 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1989 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1990 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1991 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1992 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1993 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1994 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1995 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1996 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1997 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1998 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "1999 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2000 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2001 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2002 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2003 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2004 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2005 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2006 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2007 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2008). "2008 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
Musto, Adam. (December 2008). "Bears-Jaguars: Chicago Freezes Out Jacksonville, Earns 700th Franchise Vi". Bleacher Report.
Taylor, Roy. (2000–2009). "2009 Chicago Bears". bearshistory.com.
(June 28, 1999). "Bears Game Day: Dominant defense keys 16–0 win". Chicago Tribune.
(2026-01-22). "Final Word: The Chicago Bears moved on to 2026, but the 2025 season deserves to live forever". FOX.
"All Time Records of Current NFL Franchises". Pro-Football Hall of Fame.

Wikipedia Source

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