The 1988 Chicago Bears season was their 69th regular season and 19th postseason completed in the National Football League. The Bears looked to improve on an 11-4 finish that won them the NFC Central Division but where they were eliminated for the second consecutive year by the Washington Redskins. The Bears won 12 games and lost 4, tying for the best record in the league with the Buffalo Bills and the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, and earned home field advantage in the NFC. However, the Bears failed to advance to the Super Bowl as one of the top two seeds for a third straight season, falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier 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 defeating the Bears on their way to Super Bowl XIX.
Coach Mike 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. This was Jim McMahon's last season as starter for the Bears as he was traded during the following offseason to the San Diego Chargers.
Roster [edit]
1988 Team Starters
Offense
9 Jim McMahon QB
35 Neal Anderson RB
26 Matt Suhey FB
85 Dennis McKinnon WR/PR
29 Dennis Gentry WR/KR
80 James Thornton TE
73 John Wojciechowski LT
62 Mark Bortz LG
63 Jay Hilgenberg C
57 Tom Thayer RG
78 Keith Van Horne RT
Defense
90 Al Harris LDE
76 Steve McMichael LDT
99 Dan Hampton RDT
95 Richard Dent RDE
59 Ron Rivera LB
50 Mike Singletary LB
51 Jim Morrissey LB
27 Mike Richardson LCB
24 Vestee Jackson RCB
22 Dave Duerson SS
37 Maurice Douglass FS
6 Kevin Butler K
15 Bryan Wagner P
| Chicago Bears 1988 roster |
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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1988 Chicago Bears draft choices [edit]
Regular season [edit]
Schedule [edit]
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1 |
September 4, 1988 |
Miami Dolphins |
W 34-7 |
63,330
|
| 2 |
September 11, 1988 |
at Indianapolis Colts |
W 17-13 |
60,503
|
| 3 |
September 18, 1988 |
Minnesota Vikings |
L 31-7 |
63,990
|
| 4 |
September 25, 1988 |
at Green Bay Packers |
W 24-6 |
56,492
|
| 5 |
October 2, 1988 |
Buffalo Bills |
W 24-3 |
62,793
|
| 6 |
October 9, 1988 |
at Detroit Lions |
W 24-7 |
64,526
|
| 7 |
October 16, 1988 |
Dallas Cowboys |
W 17-7 |
64,759
|
| 8 |
October 24, 1988 |
San Francisco 49ers |
W 10-9 |
65,293
|
| 9 |
October 30, 1988 |
at New England Patriots |
L 30-7 |
60,821
|
| 10 |
November 6, 1988 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
W 28-10 |
56,892
|
| 11 |
November 13, 1988 |
at Washington Redskins |
W 34-14 |
52,418
|
| 12 |
November 20, 1988 |
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
W 27-15 |
67,070
|
| 13 |
November 27, 1988 |
Green Bay Packers |
W 16-0 |
62,026
|
| 14 |
December 5, 1988 |
at Los Angeles Rams |
L 23-3 |
65,579
|
| 15 |
December 11, 1988 |
Detroit Lions |
W 13-12 |
55,010
|
| 16 |
December 19, 1988 |
at Minnesota Vikings |
L 28-27 |
62,067
|
Standings [edit]
[1]
Playoffs [edit]
In the divisional playoffs, the Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Fog Bowl, earning their first postseason victory since Super Bowl XX. A week later, Chicago was routed 28-3 by the San Francisco 49ers. This was the Bears' last appearance in the NFC Championship Game until 2006.
Divisional [edit]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Eagles |
3 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
12 |
| • Bears |
7 |
10 |
0 |
3 |
20 |
|
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| Scoring summary |
|
| 1 |
|
CHI |
Dennis McKinnon 64 yard pass from Mike 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 |
|
[2]
NFC Championship [edit]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| • 49ers |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
28 |
| Bears |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
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Awards and records [edit]
Milestones [edit]
References [edit]
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- Formerly the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Staleys
- Founded in 1919
- Based in Chicago, Illinois
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| NFL championships (9) |
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| Super Bowl appearances (2) |
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| Former league affiliations |
- League: Independent (1919)
- Conference: National Conference (1950–1952); Western Conference (1953–1969)
- Division: NFL Western Division (1933–1949); Central Division (1967–1969); NFC Central Division (1970–2001)
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| 1920s–1930s |
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| 1920s – 1930s |
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| 2000s – 2010s |
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Bold indicates NFL Championship winning season
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External links [edit]
