Notable NFL game
On October 16, 2006, during Week 6 of the
National Football League (NFL) regular season
, the
Chicago Bears
defeated the
Arizona Cardinals
, 24?23, at
University of Phoenix Stadium
in
Glendale, Arizona
. The undefeated Bears staged the "comeback of the year" against the 1-win Cardinals after trailing by 20 points at halftime.
[1]
This game is the first game in which the Bears won after trailing by 20 or more points since 1987 (they defeated the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, 27?26). According to the
Elias Sports Bureau
, it was the first win in Bears history in which they trailed by at least 20 points in the second half,
[2]
and the Cardinals became the first team in NFL history to lose consecutive games in a season after being ahead by 14 or more points at the end of the first quarter in each of their games. The Bears also set an NFL record for the biggest comeback without scoring an offensive touchdown in league history.
[3]
Cardinals quarterback
Matt Leinart
became the first quarterback in history to throw at least 2 touchdown passes in each of his first 2 career starts. The last time a team won after committing 6 turnovers was over 20 years prior.
[4]
The postgame press conference was notable for Cardinals head coach
Dennis Green
's profanity-laced rant, highlighted by the quote "But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!". The game was ranked #6 on
NFL Top 10
on
NFL Network
for
Top Ten Greatest Comebacks of All Time
under the title "Cardinals Blow It"/"Monday Night Meltdown",
[5]
[6]
[7]
as well as
Top Ten Meltdowns
at #7.
Background
[
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]
Prelude
[
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]
Before the meeting, the Bears led the series 56?36, which also includes the Bears as the Decatur Staleys and Chicago Staleys, as well as the Cardinals as the Chicago Cardinals and St. Louis Cardinals (the team was also briefly known as the Phoenix Cardinals). Earlier in the year, in the preseason, the Cardinals defeated the Bears at
Soldier Field
23?16 in a Friday night game.
[8]
The Bears
[
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]
The Bears were having a great season, being
undefeated
heading into the game at 5?0, having their best start to the season since
1989
, having committed only 5 turnovers all season and averaging an NFL-best 31.2 points per game, and scoring 156 points compared to allowing only 36 points. This was the Bears' first
Monday Night Football
appearance since
2003
. The Bears' third-year coach
Lovie Smith
was having the best season start of his coaching career, going
1?4 in 2004
and
2?3 in 2005
(despite making the playoffs in 2005), and notably defeated four of their first five opponents by more than 3 touchdowns (26?0 win against the
Green Bay Packers
, 34?7 win over the
Detroit Lions
, 37?6 win over the
Seattle Seahawks
, and 40?7 victory against the
Buffalo Bills
; their other game was a 19?16 win over the
Minnesota Vikings
). The team was led by the talented-yet-inconsistent quarterback
Rex Grossman
, running back
Thomas Jones
, wide receiver
Muhsin Muhammad
, linemen
John Tait
,
Olin Kreutz
, and
Roberto Garza
, defensive linemen
Adewale Ogunleye
, rookie
Mark Anderson
, who eventually recorded 12 sacks on the season, linebackers
Brian Urlacher
,
Lance Briggs
, and
Brendon Ayanbadejo
, rookie and future record holder for career returns for touchdowns and punt return touchdowns
Devin Hester
, a cornerbacking tandem in
Charles Tillman
and former record holder for the longest play in NFL history (broken by
San Diego Chargers
cornerback
Antonio Cromartie
)
Nathan Vasher
,
Chris Harris
,
Mike Brown
, and the 7th most accurate kicker in NFL history in
Robbie Gould
.
[9]
The Cardinals
[
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]
The Cardinals, contrary to the Bears, were not having
a good season
, being 1?4 heading into the game, with their lone win being a Week 1 victory over the
San Francisco 49ers
, and mustering only 50 points while allowing 92 points.
Dennis Green
was leading the team, and was hoping for a win to snap their 4-game losing streak, as well as hopefully make the playoffs after going
5?11 the year before
. The team's roster featured rookie quarterback and 2004
Heisman Trophy
winner
Matt Leinart
, as well as rookie
Leonard Pope
, along with serious receiving threats in
Anquan Boldin
and
Larry Fitzgerald
, along with
J. J. Arrington
, running back
Edgerrin James
,
Obafemi Ayanbadejo
, brother of Brendon Ayanbadejo (both brothers played together with the Bears in the preseason in 2007), 3x
Pro Bowler
Darnell Dockett
,
Gerald Hayes
,
Orlando Huff
,
Calvin Pace
, kicker
Neil Rackers
, as well as former MVP and
Super Bowl XLIII
quarterback
Kurt Warner
at backup.
Game summary
[
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]
The Bears won the toss, and elected to receive the kickoff. After the Bears went 3-and-out, the Cardinals scored on their first possession on a
Matt Leinart
pass to
Bryant Johnson
, with Leinart completing 9 of his first 10 passes. After the Cardinals threw an interception, which was eventually challenged and reversed before ultimately punting, Bears quarterback
Rex Grossman
threw an interception to
Aaron Francisco
. The Cardinals scored on their next possession on a Leinart pass to
Anquan Boldin
. At the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals led the Bears, 14?0.
In the second quarter, after exchanging punts, Grossman threw another interception, this time to
Gerald Hayes
.
Neil Rackers
missed a field goal on the ensuing possession. The Cardinals recovered two Grossman fumbles in the quarter, and scored field goals on each of the ensuing possessions, making the score 20?0.
In the third quarter, the Bears started their comeback with a
Robbie Gould
field goal. Neil Rackers responded with a field goal, which turned out to be the final score for the Cardinals. Near the end of the third quarter, Leinart was sacked by rookie
Mark Anderson
, and fumbled the ball. Safety
Mike Brown
recovered the fumble and returned it 3 yards for a touchdown with just two seconds left in the quarter, making the score 23?10.
After an exchange of punts, Grossman threw an interception to Dockett, who returned it 73 yards for a touchdown. However, the Bears challenged the play, claiming Dockett was down by contact. The touchdown was nullified, though the interception stood. On the Bears' next possession, Grossman threw another interception, this time to
Robert Griffith
. On the second play of the ensuing possession,
Edgerrin James
had the ball stripped by
Brian Urlacher
.
Charles Tillman
recovered the fumble and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. With the score 23?17, rookie
Devin Hester
returned a punt 83-yards for a touchdown to take the lead 24?23.
[10]
With a few seconds left in the game, Rackers set up for the game-winning field goal with less than a minute. After the Cardinals got into field goal range, Rackers, who missed only two field goals the
season before
, and already having made a 41-, 28- and 29-yard field goals, missed the 40-yard field goal, with the kick going wide left, with the ball possibly deflecting off linebacker
Hunter Hillenmeyer
's fingertips.
[11]
The Bears
took a knee
to end the game, giving the Bears a 6?0 record, and dropping the Cardinals to a 1?5 record on the season.
[12]
The game also featured one of the best performances of
Brian Urlacher
's career, with 19 tackles and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Teammate
Devin Hester
commented on Urlacher's performance, stating, "We watched the film and everybody was saying that he just turned into the Incredible Hulk the last four minutes of the game, just killing people and running over and tackling whoever had the ball."
[13]
Dennis Green post-game rant
[
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]
"My doctor was very happy. He called me the next day, said: 'You know what? After that kind of game, (me) blowing up like that was a very good stress reliever', and my wife agreed."
?
Dennis Green
[5]
After the loss, in the postgame press conference, Cardinals coach
Dennis Green
lost his temper, letting out a profane meltdown about the fact that the Cardinals defeated the Bears in the preseason, and because of that, they were confident in beating them again, and that his team blew it after attacking the Bears' weaknesses, and also yanked the podium, destabilizing the microphone before storming out of the room.
[14]
The rant's popularity led to it being featured in a
Coors Light
commercial the next season.
[15]
The Bears are what we thought they were. They're what we thought they were. We played them in preseason?who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it's bullshit? Bullshit! We played them in the third game?everybody played three quarters?the Bears are who we thought they were! That's why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were!
And we let 'em off the hook!
?
Cardinals head coach Dennis Green
One year after the tirade, Green explained the context around the tirade by stating, "We went against this team in preseason and they're exactly what we think they are, which is a one-dimensional team." Green and his staff devised strategies to score points against the Bears defense in preparation for the game. He was frustrated when the Bears won despite the initial success of his game plan.
[16]
Aftermath
[
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]
The Bears finished the season with a 13?3 record, losing only to the
Miami Dolphins
,
New England Patriots
, and
Green Bay Packers
, and met
Peyton Manning
and the
Indianapolis Colts
in
Super Bowl XLI
but lost, 29?17. The next season, the Bears sputtered to a
7?9 record
. The game marked the beginning of the "good Rex/bad Rex" cycle, as quarterback
Rex Grossman
cycled between good performances vs bad performances.
[17]
He was eventually benched in
2008
and released in
2009
and signed with the
Houston Texans
. (Coincidentally, Leinart was signed by them a season later.)
[18]
Grossman eventually became the starting quarterback for the
Washington Redskins
.
[19]
[20]
His last NFL start was in
2011
for the Redskins, after which he was a backup quarterback for the Redskins,
Cleveland Browns
, and
Atlanta Falcons
.
[21]
Head coach Lovie Smith was fired after the Bears narrowly missed the playoffs at 10?6 following the 2012 season, and subsequently coached the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
from 2014 to 2015 and the Houston Texans in 2022.
The Cardinals ultimately dropped to 5?11 at the end of the season, and
Dennis Green
was fired and was replaced by
Ken Whisenhunt
. Two seasons later, the Cardinals met the
Pittsburgh Steelers
in
Super Bowl XLIII
, but lost, 27?23, with Leinart having been benched at the start of the season in favor of veteran
Kurt Warner
. In
2010
, despite Warner's retirement, Leinart was released by the Cardinals and was signed by the Texans,
[22]
starting Leinart's change to being considered a
journeyman quarterback
and (given his draft position and expectations coming out of college) a
draft bust
. By 2013, Leinart was out of football altogether.
[23]
[24]
Starting lineups
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]
Statistics
[
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]
Source:
[25]
|
Chicago Bears
|
Arizona Cardinals
|
First downs
|
9
|
17
|
Third down efficiency
|
4/14
|
6/20
|
Fourth down efficiency
|
0/1
|
0/0
|
Total yards
|
168
|
286
|
Passing yards
|
130
|
220
|
Passing ? completions/attempts
|
14/37
|
24/42
|
Rushing yards
|
38
|
66
|
Rushing attempts
|
16
|
38
|
Yards per rush
|
2.4
|
1.7
|
Penalties?yards
|
6?50
|
9?65
|
Sacks against?yards
|
2?14
|
1?12
|
Fumbles?lost
|
2?2
|
2?2
|
Interceptions thrown
|
4
|
0
|
Time of possession
|
20:17
|
39:43
|
Individual stats
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]
*
Completions/Attempts
a
Carries
b
Longest play
c
Receptions
d
Tackles
e
Forced Fumbles
f
Longest field goal
Scoring summary
[
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]
1ST QUARTER
2ND QUARTER
- ARI FG:
Neil Rackers
41-yard field goal
ARI 17?0
- ARI FG: Rackers 28-yard field goal
ARI 20?0
3RD QUARTER
- CHI FG:
Robbie Gould
23-yard field goal
ARI 20?3
- ARI FG: Rackers 29-yard field goal
ARI 23?3
- CHI TD:
Mike Brown
3-yard fumble return
ARI 23?10
4TH QUARTER
Game results
[
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]
Officials
[
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]
- Referee:
Jerome Boger
(#23)
- Umpire:
Carl Madsen (#92)
- Head Linesman:
Ed Camp (#134)
- Line Judge:
Jeff Bergman (#32)
- Field Judge:
Scott Steenson (#88)
- Side Judge:
Joe Larrew (#73)
- Back Judge:
Perry Paganelli (#46)
[26]
See also
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
Mindzak, Andrew (December 23, 2010).
"Top five NFL comebacks since 2000 ? NFL ? Yahoo! Sports"
. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from
the original
on December 28, 2010
. Retrieved
March 4,
2012
.
- ^
Elias Sports Bureau Inc. (October 17, 2006).
"Elias Says ..."
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
August 26,
2013
.
- ^
Rubenstein, Alan (May 30, 2013).
"The Ten Greatest Comebacks in Chicago Sports History"
.
Chicagonow.com
. Retrieved
August 26,
2013
.
- ^
"Bears do-it-all defense keys epic comeback vs. Cards"
. Scores.espn.go.com. October 16, 2006
. Retrieved
February 22,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history"
.
NFL.com
. July 29, 2009. Archived from
the original
on November 4, 2012
. Retrieved
March 5,
2012
.
- ^
"NFL Videos: Top Ten Comebacks: Cardinals blow it"
.
NFL.com
. June 4, 2009
. Retrieved
March 5,
2012
.
- ^
"Bears' win ranked 7th best comeback"
. Chicago Bears. June 14, 2011. Archived from
the original
on January 10, 2012
. Retrieved
March 4,
2012
.
- ^
"Mistake-prone Bears struggle in loss to Cardinals"
. Chicagobears.com. August 25, 2006. Archived from
the original
on July 22, 2012
. Retrieved
February 28,
2012
.
- ^
Roy Taylor.
"2006 Chicago Bears"
. Bearshistory.com
. Retrieved
March 4,
2012
.
- ^
"NFL Videos: Devin Hester Highlight, WK 06 vs. Cardinals 2006"
.
Nfl.com
. August 22, 2007
. Retrieved
February 22,
2012
.
- ^
"Bears stun Cardinals with improbable rally"
. Chicagobears.com. October 16, 2006. Archived from
the original
on September 16, 2011
. Retrieved
August 19,
2012
.
- ^
"Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals ? October 16th, 2006"
. Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 16, 2006
. Retrieved
August 19,
2012
.
- ^
"Roster"
. Chicago Bears. Archived from
the original
on May 19, 2011
. Retrieved
March 1,
2012
.
- ^
"Green's 42-second meltdown has made him a commercial icon"
.
ESPN.com
. December 23, 2007
. Retrieved
February 22,
2012
.
- ^
"Brewing a beer ad"
. Azcentral.com. September 4, 2007
. Retrieved
March 14,
2012
.
- ^
Wojciechowski, Gene (December 23, 2007).
"Green's 42-second meltdown has made him a commercial icon"
.
ESPN
. Retrieved
July 22,
2016
.
- ^
Wise, Mike (August 18, 2013).
"Rex Grossman hangs on with the Redskins and hangs on to his self-belief"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
September 27,
2019
.
- ^
Allen, Kevin (June 12, 2009).
"It's official: Rex Grossman signs with Houston Texans ? Sports Pros(e)"
.
Chicago Sun-Times
. Archived from
the original
on April 20, 2012
. Retrieved
March 8,
2012
.
- ^
Maese, Rick (March 17, 2010).
"Redskins sign Rex Grossman"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
March 8,
2012
.
- ^
"Redskins Sign Rex Grossman"
. Redskins.com. March 17, 2010
. Retrieved
March 8,
2012
.
- ^
"
Geary, Molly (December 22, 2014).
"Report: Browns called Rex Grossman, couldn't work out logistics"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
September 27,
2019
.
- ^
"Matt Leinart agrees to join Texans"
.
ESPN.com
. September 6, 2010
. Retrieved
September 27,
2019
.
- ^
"2006 Arizona Cardinals Roster"
. Footballdb.com
. Retrieved
July 14,
2012
.
- ^
"Player Roster"
. azcardinals.com
. Retrieved
July 14,
2012
.
- ^
"Bears do-it-all defense keys epic comeback vs. Cards"
.
ESPN.com
. October 16, 2006
. Retrieved
March 5,
2012
.
- ^
Miller, Ira (November 12, 1985). "Elway, Broncos Chill the 49ers".
San Francisco Chronicle
. pp. 61, 63.
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