Last time Bears won a playoff game: Revisiting Chicago's 2010 divisional win over Seahawks

Daniel Chavkin

Last time Bears won a playoff game: Revisiting Chicago's 2010 divisional win over Seahawks image

The Chicago Bears are one of the oldest teams in the NFL, but they don't have the strongest playoff history.

In the last few decades, the Bears have found themselves in the bottom of the NFL in terms of playoff success. The best moment in franchise history was when the '85 Bears ran through the NFL for their championship, but Chicago hasn't been able to find consistent success since.

Therefore, it's worth looking back at the last time the Bears even won a playoff game. Here's a breakdown of last time the Bears found themselves on the winning side in the postseason.

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Last time Bears won a playoff game

During the 2010 season, the Bears went 11-5 and won the NFC North, earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. As a result, Chicago got a bye in the first round and hosted the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round.

Seattle was 7-9 that year but won the NFC West and was coming off an upset win over the New Orleans Saints in wild-card weekend. However, the Seahawks were no match for the Bears, who cruised to a 35-24 victory.

That Bears team had many big names on the roster, including Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Greg Olsen, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs. While Chicago was known for its defense, the offense was also pretty well-rounded.

Chicago began the game strong, as Cutler found Olsen for a 58-yard touchdown on the Bears' first drive of the game. The Bears added two more touchdowns at halftime, then another out of the break to take a 28-0 lead deep into the game.

The Seahawks did make a strong comeback attempt, scoring 24 points in the final 17 minutes of the game. However, Chicago's fifth touchdown put the game out of reach, as the Bears won by 11.

It was Cutler's first playoff game ever, and it ended up being his only playoff win. The quarterback ended the game with 274 passing yards, 43 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, two rushing and two passing. Olsen added 113 passing yards and a score, while Urlacher led the team with seven tackles.

However, the good times for the Bears ended a week later, as they lost the NFC championship game to the Green Bay Packers, 21-7, as Cutler couldn't finish the game with an injury. Since 2011, the Bears have only played in two other playoff games, one at home and one on the road, including:

  • 16-15 loss vs. The Philadelphia Eagles in 2019
  • 21-9 loss @ the New Orleans Saints in 2021

This game also marked the Bears' only playoff win since their Super Bowl appearance in 2007, and one of three Chicago playoff wins since 1994.

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Bears Super Bowl history

DateSuper BowlOpponentResultScore
Jan. 26, 1986Super Bowl 20New England PatriotsWin46-10
Feb. 4, 2007Super Bowl 41Indianapolis ColtsLoss26-17

The Bears have only played in the Super Bowl twice in their history, winning Super Bowl 20 and losing Super Bowl 41. However, Chicago did win eight NFL championships before the Super Bowl was established, all of them coming between the years of 1921 and 1963.

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