2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2014
Following the Chibok kidnapping, several attacks linked to Boko Haram occurred in Nigeria. On 5 May, at least 300 residents of the nearby town of Gamboru Ngala were killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants after Nigerian security forces left the town to search for the kidnapped students. The next day, Boko Haram militants abducted 8 girls aged between 12 and 15 from northeastern Nigeria. In the night of 13 to 14 May, Boko Haram ambushed a military convoy that was searching for the abductees near Chibok, killing twelve soldiers and wounding several others.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2014
The incident led to mutiny of government forces at Maiduguri, reducing the ability of the Nigerian Army to rescue the schoolgirls. Between 20 and 23 June 91 women and children were abducted in other areas of Borno State by Boko Haram militants, with an estimated 600 girls held by Boko Haram in three camps outside Nigeria by this stage. Boko Haram once again attacked Chibok and other nearby villages on 22 July, killing at least 51 people including 11 parents of the abducted girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2014
A journalist-brokered deal to secure the release of the girls in exchange for 100 Boko Haram prisoners held in Nigerian jails was scrapped at a late stage on 24 May after President Goodluck Jonathan consulted with U.S., Israeli, French and British foreign ministers in Paris, where the consensus was that no deals should be struck with terrorists, and that a solution involving force was required. On 26 May, the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff announced that the Nigerian security forces had located the kidnapped girls, but ruled out a forceful rescue attempt for fears of collateral damage.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2014
Two of the kidnapped girls were found raped, "half-dead", and tied to a tree on 30 May by a civilian militia in the Baale region of Northeastern Nigeria. Villagers said that Boko Haram had left the two girls, and had killed four other disobedient girls and buried them. Another 4 girls escaped later in the year, walking for three weeks and reaching safety by 12 October. They said they had been held in a camp in Cameroon and raped every day.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2014
It was reported on 26 June that the Nigerian government had signed a contract worth more than $1.2 million with Levick, a Washington, D.C. public relations firm to work on "the international and local media narrative" surrounding the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping. The contract was labelled a waste of money by President Jonathan's critics. President Goodluck was criticized for a lack of communication regarding the kidnapping, however he later attributed his silence to a desire not to compromise the details of security efforts being carried out to rescue the girls via a column in the Washington Post.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2014
On 1 July, a businessman suspected of carrying out the kidnappings of the school girls, as well as the bombing of a busy market in northeastern Nigeria, was arrested. Military sources said that he was also accused of helping the Islamist militant group kill the traditional leader Idrissa Timta, the Emir of Gwoza. Two weeks later, Zakaria Mohammed, a high-ranking member of Boko Haram, was arrested at Darazo-Basrika Road while fleeing from the counter insurgency operations going on around the Balmo Forest.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2015
Stephen Davis, a former Anglican clergyman, contacted three Boko Haram commanders who said they might be prepared to release Chibok schoolgirls  and went to Nigeria in April 2015. He was given proof of life (a video of them being raped) and was told 18 were seriously ill, some with HIV. Davis got initial agreement that Boko Haram would release these ill girls. However, after three attempts the deal fell through when another group abducted the girls believing they could make money out of them and Davis left Nigeria. Davis commented that it was not difficult to locate the five or six main Boko Haram camps, and that he was able to find them on Google Earth.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2015
Renovation of the school commenced in March, with Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala visiting Chibok to deliver a short speech and help with laying bricks at the school.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2015
By May, the Nigerian military had reclaimed most of the areas previously controlled by Boko Haram in Nigeria including many of the camps in the Sambisa forest where it was suspected the Chibok girls had been kept. Although many women previously held captive by Boko Haram had been freed as the Nigerian military reclaimed these areas, none of the Chibok girls were found. President Muhammadu Buhari, who gained power through the 2015 Nigerian general election, stated in December that he was willing to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the Chibok girls without any preconditions.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2015
Acting director of defence information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, stated that the Nigerian armed forced would "not rush" to rescue the remaining girls. He justified this by claiming that rescue operations required "diligent intervention and a high-level operation".


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
The Nigerian military freed 1,000 women and girls held captive in the village of Boboshe by Boko Haram in January, but none of them were Chibok girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
Boko Haram released another video in April showing 15 girls who appeared to be Chibok girls, at which point at least 219 of those originally kidnapped were still missing. The video was reportedly taken in December 2015, and the girls seemed to show no signs of distress, though it is possible that the militants selected the girls on the video specifically to give the impression all the Chibok girls were in good health.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
Chibok schoolgirl Amina Ali Nkeki was found on 17 May by the vigilante Civilian Joint Task Force group in the Sambisa Forest, along with her baby and Mohammad Hayyatu, a suspected Boko Haram militant who claimed to be her husband. All three were suffering from severe malnutrition when they were found. She was then taken to house of the group's leader Aboku Gaji who recognised her. The group then reunited the girl with her parents. She met Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on 19 May.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
Government officials announced the same day that the Nigerian army and vigilante groups had killed 35 Boko Haram militants, freed 97 women and children and claimed one of the women was a Chibok schoolgirl. However, there were doubts that this girl, Serah Luka, was really one of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. On 21 May 2016, Amir Muhammad Abdullahi, who claimed to be the Boko Haram second in command and speaker for several senior militants, offered to surrender so long as they would not be harmed and in return they would release hostages including the Chibok girls. However when talking about the Chibok girls he said that "...frankly, just about a third of them remain, as the rest have been martyred".


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
In August the Nigerian military announced they had launched an air attack on Boko Haram's headquarters in the Sambisa Forest, claiming to have killed several commanders and seriously wounded the leader Abubakar Shekau. Later reports suggested the attack also killed 10 of the Chibok girls and wounded 30 others. Later in the month Boko Haram released a video of what appeared to be about 50 Chibok girls, some holding babies, with an armed masked spokesman who demanded the release of jailed fighters in exchange for the girls' freedom. The masked gunman said some of the Chibok girls had been killed by Nigerian air strikes and 40 had been married. The film was apparently released on the orders of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of one of the factions of Boko Haram.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
21 of the Chibok schoolgirls were released in October by Boko Haram after negotiations between the group and the Nigerian government, brokered by International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government. A child born to one of the girls and believed by medical personnel to be about 20 months old also was released. On 16 October, President Buhari's spokesperson stated that the ISIL-allied faction of Boko Haram was willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2016
According to him, the splinter group had stated that the rest of the girls were under the control of Shekau-led faction. Two days later, Pogu Bitrus, the chairman of the Chibok Development Association, claimed that more than 100 of the missing girls apparently did not want to return home because they had either been brainwashed or were fearful of the stigma they will receive. Another girl named Maryam Ali Maiyanga was found along with a baby and rescued by the Nigerian Army on 5 November. The spokesman for the army, Sani Usman, said that she was found in Pulka, Borno State whilst screening escapees from Boko Haram's Sambisa forest base. She was confirmed to be one of those kidnapped at Chibok by Bring Back Our Girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2017
One of the kidnapped girls, Rakiya Abubakar, was reported on 5 January to have been found by the Nigerian Army along with a 6-month-old baby while they were interrogating suspects detained in army raids on the Sambisa forest. Her identity was later confirmed by Bring Back Our Girls group.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2017
82 further schoolgirls were released on 6 May following successful negotiations between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram, involving the exchange of five Boko Haram leaders. The negotiations were carried by Mustapha Zanna, barrister and owner of an orphanage in Maiduguri. The deal also involved the intervention of the human security division of Swiss government's foreign ministry and the Red Cross. 3 million Euros (about 3.7 million US$) were paid as ransom money in two duffel bags for the total of 103 girls released in October 2016 and May 2017. A Nigerian government spokesman stated that though 83 girls were originally to be released in May 2017, one of them chose to stay with her husband instead of being freed.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump met Chibok schoolgirls Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu at the White House on 27 June, who were due to start education at Southeastern University in Florida. Bishara and Pogu delivered a letter to Trump, urging him to "keep America safe and strong".


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2018
The Nigerian military stated on 4 January that it had rescued Salomi Pogu, another of the kidnapped girls. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu stated that she was rescued near Pulka, Borno. She was found in the company of another young woman and her child. In February 2018 most of the released girls were studying at the American University of Nigeria not far from the original scene of the kidnapping at Chibok. It was estimated that 13 girls were presumed dead and 112 were still missing.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2018
In September 2018, Ali Garga, a Boko Haram militant, offered to free 40 of the remaining Chibok schoolgirls. However, he was tortured and killed by other Boko Haram members when they found out what he was doing. In July Nigerian police arrested and charged eight Boko Haram fighters allegedly involved in the kidnapping, with one defendant convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Aftermath, Events in 2021
An unknown number of girls escaped in January 2021. In 2021 Parkinson and Hinshaw published a book ("Bring Back Our Girls: The Astonishing Survival and Rescue of Nigeria's Missing Schoolgirls") which drew on interviews with the girls, former militants, spies and government officials. Much of the book was based on a diary kept by 24-year-old Naomi Adamu, one of the girls who had been kidnapped and freed in 2017. Adamu described her experiences, including how they had compulsory lessons on the Quran every day and were regularly beaten with rifle butts, rope and wire. The girls who refused to be married were not abused sexually; however, they were treated as slaves and forced to provide hard manual labor. She led a group of resistant girls who refused to convert to Islam, who were threatened with being killed and starvation by the militants.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Reactions
After the kidnapping, Governor Kashim Shettima demanded to visit Chibok, despite being advised that it was too dangerous. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNICEF condemned the abduction, as did former Nigerian military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. The UN Security Council also condemned the attack and warned of action against Boko Haram militants for abducting the girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Reactions
The president of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria called on Muslims to fast and pray "in order to seek Allah's intervention in this precarious time". Sa'ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, also called for prayers and intensified efforts to rescue the students. On 9 May, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State called on all Muslims and Christians to join in "three days of prayers and fasting". On the same day, Muslims in Cameroon called on fellow believers not to marry any of the girls should they be offered to them.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Reactions
On the same day, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, joined other religious leaders in the Muslim world in condemning the kidnappings, describing Boko Haram as misguided and intent on smearing the name of Islam. He stated that Islam is against kidnapping, and that marrying kidnapped girls is not permitted.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Reactions
On the 600th day of the Chibok girls' abduction, a group of Nigeria experts in the United Kingdom called Nigeria Diaspora Security Forum called on the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a special taskforce tasked solely with the responsibility of looking for the girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Reactions, International Reactions, Organisations
European Union passed a resolution on 17 July, "calling for immediate and unconditional release of the abducted schoolgirls".


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
Parents and others took to social media to complain about the government's perceived slow and inadequate response. The news caused international outrage against Boko Haram and the Nigerian government. On 30 April and 1 May, protests demanding greater government action were held in several Nigerian cities. However, most parents were afraid of speaking publicly for fear their daughters would be targeted for reprisal. On 3 and 4 May, protests were held in major Western cities including Los Angeles and London.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
Initially, usage of the hashtag came from individuals attempting to raise awareness of the kidnapping. Ibrahim M Abdullahi, a lawyer in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, started the hash tag #BringBackOurGirls in a tweet posted in April 2014 after listening to the former Federal Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili speak on the kidnappings at an event at Port Harcourt. It was then used by a group of Nigerian activists protesting about the government's slow response to the kidnapping to tag tweets as they marched down a highway in protest.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
The hashtag began to trend globally on Twitter by May 2014 as a form of hashtag activism and the story spread rapidly internationally, becoming for a time Twitter's most tweeted hashtag. By 11 May it had attracted 2.3 million tweets and by 2016 it had been retweeted 6.1 million times. An official Twitter account for the movement was then set up, with a group of 20–30 people involved in its organization. Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu have both been described as co-founders or co-conveners of the movement. A $300,000 cash reward was initially offered by the movement to anyone who could help locate or rescue the girls from their kidnappers.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
The movement has been involved in the organization of several protests against the Nigerian government's slow response to the kidnapping. Naomi Mutah and Saratu Angus Ndirpaya, two women who were involved in the leadership and organization of the protests, were detained by the Nigerian police reportedly because the First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan, "felt slighted" when they were sent to attend a meeting instead of some of the mothers of the kidnapped girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
Ndirpaya was released soon after, and stated that the First Lady had accused them of fabricating the abductions, whilst others at the meeting had accused the two of being members of Boko Haram. Several online petitions were created to pressure the Nigerian government to act against the kidnapping. On 30 April, hundreds of protestors marched on the National Assembly to demand government and military action against the kidnappers. Vigils and protests were held around the world to mark 100 days since the kidnapping. Participating countries included Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Togo, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Portugal.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
Daily rallies by Bring Back Our Girls demonstrators at the Unity Fountain in Abuja were continuing to at least 5 January 2015, despite efforts by the police to shut down such protests. To mark a year since Boko Haram kidnapped the girls, on 13 April 2015 hundreds of protesters wearing red tape across their lips walked silently through the capital Abuja. Security forces are known to have detained protestors and dispersed crowds with armed police and water cannon.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
The movement attracted support from several celebrities. Notable participants included Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton, Chris Brown Forest Whitaker, and then First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, who was photographed holding up a sheet of paper with the hashtag to support the movement and gave a public address on the kidnappings a few days later. Beyoncé had a separate section on her website that was dedicated to the movement.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
The movement was criticized by some American conservatives, including Fox News contributor George Will, who stated that it was "not intended to have any effect on the real world" and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers who stated that the White House could not base its policy "on what's trending on Twitter". However, the hashtag has reportedly had an impact on Nigerian politics, with Oby Ezekwesili, a notable #BringBackOurGirls activist, running for presidency in the 2015 Nigerian general election. President Goodluck was criticized for using the hashtag "#bringbackgoodluck2015", a play on #BringBackOurGirls, during his reelection campaign in 2015.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
The newly-elected Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who gained power over Goodluck following the 2015 elections after promising to tackle Boko Haram, said during his inaugural address to the nation on 29 May 2015 that they could not claim to "have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls". Two weeks after President Buhari was sworn in, he, his wife Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, and the Vice President's wife Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo met with some mothers of the abducted girls.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests
Abubakar Shekau mocked the efforts of the movement in a video released by Boko Haram. The movement has also been attributed to a change in Boko Haram tactics, and was linked to an increase in gender violence in the group in order to increase their recognition. A report released by Human Rights Watch in October 2014 on Boko Haram's violence against women and girls in Nigeria claims that, "The relative ease with which Boko Haram carried out the Chibok abductions seems to have emboldened it to step up abductions elsewhere." It has been reported that the international publicity for the Chibok schoolgirls has ironically made it more difficult to free the girls, with a military commander based in Maiduguri stating that Boko Haram viewed the Chibok girls as their "trump card".


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Later abductions, 2015
In January 2015, less than a year after the 2015 Chibok abduction, in the village of Malari, Borno State about 40 boys and young men were abducted by Boko Haram.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Later abductions, 2018
In February 2018, approximately four years after the 2014 Chibok abduction, in the nearby town of Dapchi again another 110 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram, with no government intervention intercepting the abductors yet as of 4 March 2018.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Later abductions, 2018
A UNICEF report released in April 2018, claimed that more than 1,000 children have been kidnapped by Boko Haram since 2013.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Later abductions, 2020
In December 2020, more than 500 boys were abducted by a group of masked gunmen from a secondary school in Kankara, a town in Nigeria's northwestern state of Katsina. Later, Boko Haram took responsibility for the abductions. Seven days after the incident, 344 boys out of the group were released due to successful negotiations by the Nigerian government.


2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, Later abductions, 2021
In February 2021, three mass kidnappings occurred at schools in Nigeria. In the first incident, gunmen kidnapped over 40 people, including at least 27 students, from a school in north-central Nigeria. In the second incident, on 25 February, gunmen abducted 317 girls from the Girls Science Secondary School  in Jangebe, Zamfara State. In March 2021, another mass kidnapping in Afaka resulted in 39 students (made up of 23 females and 16 males) being abducted from Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, in the Igabi local government area of Kaduna State.


2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire
The 2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire was an incident in the United States where arson at an air traffic control facility in Aurora, Illinois (also known as "Chicago Center") caused close to 2000 airline flights to be grounded. One employee at the facility was treated for smoke inhalation, while 15 to 30 employees were evacuated.


2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire
Brian Howard, an employee of Harris Corporation, was charged in the incident. He made a guilty plea in federal court in May 2015, and in September of that year received a prison term of 12 1/2 years.


2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire, Timeline
On September 26, by approximately 5:20 am, Brian Howard had gained access to the basement of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) facility in Aurora, Illinois. Using gasoline-soaked rags, he then started a fire near the computer equipment critical to the facility's operations. This led to a loss of radar services and communications used by controllers to direct air traffic in the Chicago region, and to an evacuation of the building. Howard then attempted to commit suicide but was stopped by emergency crews at the scene. By 6:00 am, a ground stop was implemented at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport as an emergency measure to alleviate traffic loads.


2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire, Aftermath
The fire caused substantial damage to the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) system, which allows Chicago Center to digitally share flight data throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). Because of the fire much of the Chicago traffic that was normally handled by the Center was allocated to nearby Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities; this led to a 200 to 400 percent increase in flights handled by these locations.


2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire, Aftermath
Because the TRACONs were designed primarily for the lower altitude approach and departure structure of the National Airspace System, the radar and communications capabilities did not extend to the higher altitudes used normally for cruise flight, restricting the remaining flights to lower, less efficient altitudes. Eventually this situation was improved by adjusting radar and communication equipment at the neighboring Centers around Chicago to regain capability. Controllers from Chicago then temporarily relocated to these Centers to aid in traffic control operations until repairs eventually brought the Aurora facility back online on October 13.


2014 Chicago Bears season
The 2014 Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 95th season in the National Football League, as well as the second under head coach Marc Trestman. The Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs after being eliminated from contention in week fourteen, their fourth consecutive season without making the postseason.


2014 Chicago Bears season
The Bears entered 2014 with hopes of improving their 8–8 record in 2013. After losing the season opener to the Buffalo Bills, the Bears won their next two games. However, this would be the only week of 2014 that the Bears had a winning record, as they fell to 3–5 upon reaching the bye week. The Bears lost three of those games by more than one touchdown, and allowed more than 50 points in consecutive games against the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers.


2014 Chicago Bears season
The Bears won two straight games after the loss to the Packers, but ended the season with five consecutive losses, all but two (in the second games against the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings) by more than two scores. The Bears ended the season 5–11, their first losing season since 2009 and first season with more than ten losses since 2004.


2014 Chicago Bears season
General manager Phil Emery was fired on December 29, and Trestman was fired later in the day.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Organizational changes
After the defense set franchise worsts in points (478), total yards (6,313) and rushing yards (2,583) allowed, defensive line coach Mike Phair and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar were fired by the team on January 12. Head coach Marc Trestman stated, "We need to improve in all areas defensively and that will be a focal point for us this offseason. The process starts with me as the head coach.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Organizational changes
Our search for a defensive line and linebackers coach has begun and we will be looking for the best candidates whose experience can bring the most out of our veteran and young players in both areas." On January 22, Houston Texans linebacker coach Reggie Herring was hired to take Tibesar's place, while former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and Connecticut Huskies head coach Paul Pasqualoni became the defensive line coach. On January 25, assistant defensive line coach Michael Sinclair was replaced by Louisville defensive line coach Clint Hurtt. On February 12, assistant offensive line coach Pat Meyer was promoted to offensive line, while martial artist Joe Kim was hired as assistant strength/skill development coach.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Organizational changes
On February 7, assistant head athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation Bobby Slater joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 15 years of service with the Bears.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Roster changes
The Bears enter the offseason with 27 players set to become free agents, 17 of whom are on defense, with safety Anthony Walters being a restricted free agent, while guard Taylor Boggs and defensive lineman Cheta Ozougwu are exclusive rights free agents. CBS Sports writer Joel Corry projected the Bears' salary cap to be $41,632,799, with an adjusted cap of $128,013,800, which ranked fourth in the league, behind the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. By February 22, the Bears' salary cap was approximately $2.7 million.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Roster changes, Acquisitions
The first acquisition of 2014 occurred on February 17, when defensive end Austen Lane was signed. The following day, cornerback Derricus Purdy was signed. On March 6, the Bears signed defensive end Trevor Scott. On March 11, the first day of free agency, the Bears signed defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, safety Ryan Mundy and linebacker Jordan Senn. On March 12, the Bears signed cornerback M. D. Jennings. On March 13, defensive end and wide receiver Willie Young and Domenik Hixon, respectively, were signed. Five days later, former Bears defensive end Israel Idonije and safety Danny McCray were signed.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Roster changes, Acquisitions
On March 26, the Bears signed Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Jared Allen. On April 6, center Brian de la Puente was signed. The following day, Chicago signed former Canadian Football League long snapper Chad Rempel. Washington Redskins receiver Josh Bellamy was acquired via waivers by the Bears, and tight end Matt Mulligan was signed, both on April 8. Thirteen days later, wide receiver Josh Morgan was signed, followed by running back Shaun Draughn three days after. On June 3, receivers Armanti Edwards and Micheal Spurlock were signed, and two weeks later, Chicago signed quarterback Jimmy Clausen. On June 19, defensive lineman Jamil Merrell and linebacker Conor O'Neill, both being undrafted free agents, were signed. Four days later, five-time Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson and tight end Jeron Mastrud were acquired, and were the final acquisitions by the Bears prior to Training Camp.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Roster changes, Departures
On March 5, the first departure of the year was punter Adam Podlesh. Five days later, running back Michael Bush was waived. Eleven days after signing, tight end Dante Rosario was released on March 10. On March 11, defensive end Julius Peppers was released after the Bears were unable to trade him. He later signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers. On March 18, receiver Earl Bennett was waived after refusing to have his salary reduced. On April 15, the Bears released defensive end Cheta Ozougwu. On June 3, linebacker Tana Patrick was waived. On June 19, quarterback Jerrod Johnson, tight end Fendi Onobun, defensive lineman Israel Idonije and safety Sean Cattouse were waived.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Roster changes, Departures
On March 12, unrestricted free agent quarterback Josh McCown signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Six days later, defensive end Henry Melton joined the Dallas Cowboys. On March 20, special teamer Devin Hester and defensive lineman Corey Wootton were signed by the Atlanta Falcons and Vikings, respectively. Cornerback Zack Bowman joined the New York Giants on March 31. On April 4, safety Major Wright was signed by Tampa Bay. In May, Anthony Walters signed with the Arizona Cardinals and Ozougwu joined the New Orleans Saints on May 14 and 18, respectively. From June 3–4, linebacker Blake Costanzo was signed by the San Francisco 49ers, followed by James Anderson with the New England Patriots. On June 20, long snapper Patrick Mannelly retired after 16 seasons in the NFL, all with the Bears.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
The Bears did not receive any compensatory picks for the draft. Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith wrote Chicago needed to draft players at four positions for the first round: defensive back, with first-round possibilities including Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Justin Gilbert; linebacker, such as C. J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier; defensive tackle, like Aaron Donald. Additionally, Smith wrote the Bears could target a running back or quarterback with mid- to late-round draft picks, such as De'Anthony Thomas and James White, and Tom Savage, respectively.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
With the 14th pick in the draft, the Bears selected Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller, who recorded 173 tackles, 4.5 sacks, six interceptions and 21 deflections during his college career. In round two, with the 51st pick, LSU defensive lineman Ego Ferguson was drafted; Ferguson had started only one full season in 2013, recording a sack, but had his season end due to an injury, which had prevented him from participating in the NFL Scouting Combine.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
In the following round, Chicago drafted defensive tackle Will Sutton of Arizona State with the 82nd pick; Sutton recorded 20.5 sacks in his college career, while leading the Pac-12 Conference with 10.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2012. The Bears held two fourth-rounders: the 117 and 131, the latter being acquired after a trade with the Denver Broncos. The former was used on Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey, the school's career-leading rusher, and was considered as the best running back available by numerous experts. The 131st pick was used on Minnesota safety Brock Vereen.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
As a result of the trade with Denver, the Bears did not have a fifth-rounder. In the sixth round, with the 183rd pick, San Jose State quarterback David Fales was drafted, who holds every passing record in school history. The next round, with the 191st pick, Miami punter Pat O'Donnell was drafted; O'Donnell led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked second in the nation in punting average with 47.1 yards. The Bears' final pick, the 191st pick in the seventh round, was Boise State offensive lineman Charles Leno Jr., who started 36 consecutive games since 2011.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
Analysts gave above average grades for the draft class. James Neveau of WMAQ-TV graded the offensive selections as an "A", considering Carey as the "best value pick" by the Bears. On defense and special teams, Neveau gave the picks a "B+", praising Sutton's selection, but doubted the decision to take Ferguson in the second round. NFL.com's Bucky Brooks wrote Carey was the biggest steal of the draft among NFC North draft picks, ultimately giving the Bears' class a "B".


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
Foxsports.com, who gave the Bears a "B", praised Carey, while stating that despite playing well in 2012, Sutton had been too heavy in 2013, and must be "at the right playing weight in 2014 to make a difference in the big leagues". Chris Burke and Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated considered the Sutton and Carey selections as "a win for the team's Southwest area scout"; the two gave the class an "A-".


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. awarded the class a "B", believing the team performed well in focusing on team needs, and stating he is fine with Fuller's selection, as Gilbert is not "superior to Fuller", though Clinton-Dix would've been a good selection; Todd McShay, another ESPN analyst, considered Vereen as the best NFC North selection.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
All eight rookies were signed to four-year deals. Two days after the draft, on May 12, Vereen and Fales were signed. Ferguson, Carey, Fales, O'Donnell, and Leno were signed the following day, followed by Fuller the next day, and concluded with Sutton on May 15. The Bears were the first team to sign a draftee in 2014, and the first to complete signing their class.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, 2014 draft class
After the draft, the Bears signed nine undrafted free agents: quarterback Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, who was listed as a running back; defensive tackles Brandon Dunn (Louisville) and Lee Pegues (East Carolina); guards Ryan Groy (Wisconsin) and James Dunbar (TCU); tackle Cody Booth (Temple); and linebackers Tana Patrick (Alabama), Christian Jones (Florida State) and Devekeyan Lattimore (USF).


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities
The Bears began their offseason program on April 22, with a mandatory minicamp ending the program from June 17–19.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Rookie minicamp
The Bears began rookie minicamp on May 16, which lasted for three days, in the Walter Payton Center. Asides from the eight drafted rookies, the undrafted rookies signed after the draft, and 2013 rookies, 38 players were present for tryouts, including four Illinois-born players. At the end of the camp, punter Drew Butler was waived, while tryout players Senorise Perry, a running back from Louisville, and North Texas safety Marcus Trice were signed.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Rookie minicamp
Veterans in both italics and boldDrafted players in boldUndrafted signees in italics


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois began on July 24, with the first practice the following day. The first two practices were held without pads; additional practices were held from July 27–28, and from July 30–August 1.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
Kyle Long missed the seven practices due to a viral infection. Chris Conte and Craig Steltz did not participate on the first day due to a shoulder and groin injury, respectively; both were later placed on the active physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list. The second day's practice featured Tim Jennings and Willie Young having quadriceps injuries, the latter participating, but leaving prior to the end. The next day, Jennings and Young returned, but the former left after the first play. Terrence Toliver didn't play due to a toe injury.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
Alshon Jeffery, Toliver, Conte, and Steltz skipped July 28 practice, Jeffery due to a sore foot. After a day off on July 29, Jeffery returned, while Jennings participated in individual drills. During the day, Eben Britton suffered a torn hamstring during a one-on-one drill with Jeremiah Ratliff. Despite being cleared to return, Long did not practice until Family Fest. Roberto Garza skipped the August 1 practice for "personal reasons".


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
The annual Family Fest at Soldier Field was held on August 2 in front of 27,000 spectators. Long made his return at the event, along with Garza, while Shaun Draughn was not present for personal issues. Jared Allen and Ratliff were excused. Later practices were held in Bourbonnais from August 4–6, with the first preseason game on the following day. On August 4, Jeffery, Britton, Conte, Steltz, and Draughn did not practice, while Lance Briggs bruised a knee; the first major injury of Training Camp was Marquess Wilson's broken clavicle.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
During the session, a fight between Martellus Bennett and Kyle Fuller occurred: while attempting to force Bennett to fumble, Fuller grabbed Bennett's shoulder pad, pulling him down. In retaliation, Bennett body-slammed Fuller, causing Lamarr Houston, Matt Forte and Zach Miller, along with offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer to intervene. Head coach Marc Trestman would end the practice earlier than scheduled. The next day, Bennett was indefinitely suspended by the team. August 5's practice featured Britton, Briggs, Allen, and Draughn being absent, while Jordan Mills injured his foot prior to the end of the workout.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
On August 6, Long, Isaiah Frey, Mills, Britton, Jennings, Steltz, Conte, and Allen did not practice. The final practices would be held from August 10 to 12. Bennett was reinstated and practiced on August 10, while Steltz and Conte returned to practice. However, Mills, Britton, Chris Williams, Frey, and Brian de la Puente did not practice. The five, Wilson, and Briggs did not work out the next day, with Briggs being given a day off. August 12's practice had Williams, Britton, Mills, Wilson, Frey, Dante Rosario, Tillman, and Ratliff out.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Offseason, Offseason activities, Training Camp
On July 25, offensive lineman Dylan Gandy was signed, while Jamil Merrell was waived. James Dunbar was released two days later. On July 29, receiver Dale Moss was signed. Two days later, Toliver was released via an injury settlement, while offensive linemen Graham Pocic and Dennis Roland were signed. On August 6, Greg Herd was signed, while Conor O'Neil was released.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Schedule
The Bears' preseason opponents were announced on April 9, 2014. The Bears began the preseason at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, who had hampered the Bears' playoff chances in 2013 after a 54–11 win. The next two games would be away games against the Jacksonville Jaguars on ESPN, followed by the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The Bears would end the preseason against frequent opponent Cleveland Browns, marking the eleventh consecutive preseason closer between the two teams.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
In the preseason opener against the Eagles, Craig Steltz, Tim Jennings, Isaiah Frey, Chris Conte, Eben Britton, Jordan Mills, Jared Allen, Kyle Long, and Martellus Bennett did not participate. On the Eagles' first possession, Nick Foles was pressured by Willie Young and Lamarr Houston into having a pass intercepted by Ryan Mundy. However, Robbie Gould's 41-yard field goal was blocked by Damion Square. On Chicago's next drive, the offense traveled 69 yards, culminating in Jay Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Foles, who had thrown only two interceptions in 2012, would be intercepted again after his pass intended for Zach Ertz was intercepted by Sherrick McManis. In the second quarter, Matthew Tucker's 4-yard and 1-yard touchdown runs gave the Eagles the 14–7 lead. Jordan Palmer threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Miller, but Josh Huff would return the following kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown to end the first half with the Eagles leading 21–14. In the third quarter, Khaseem Greene forced Tucker to fumble, with the Bears scoring on Gould's 26-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Matt Barkley then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to David Fluellen to increase the lead to 28–17, but the margin would be shortened with Jimmy Clausen's 73-yard touchdown pass to Chris Williams; the Bears would fail to score on the two-point conversion after Clausen's pass was batted. Chicago would claim the lead after Clausen's 22-yard touchdown pass to Micheal Spurlock, followed by Dante Rosario scoring on the two-point conversion to make the score 31–28.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
In the fourth quarter, David Fales threw a 41-yard pass to Josh Bellamy, but the drive ended after his pass for Bellamy was intercepted by Jaylen Watkins. The Bears would begin rushing to spend time, going 73 yards before Gould kicked a 25-yard field goal, the final points of the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Against Jacksonville, Marquess Wilson, Steltz, Isaiah Frey, Conte, Britton, Brian de la Puente, Mills, Williams, Rosario and Young were scratched from the game-day roster. The Jaguars scored first, off Josh Scobee's two field goals of 49 and 25 yards. On the latter play's ensuing kickoff, Eric Weems fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Will Blackmon; Jacksonville would capitalize on the recovery, with Chad Henne's six-yard touchdown pass to Marqise Lee. In the second quarter, the Bears scored their first points of the game with Cutler's four-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Scobee would kick a 43-yard field goal, the last score of the half. The Bears' first drive of the second half ended with Clausen being intercepted by Josh Evans. Jacksonville would convert the takeaway into Kasey Redfern's 29-yard field goal, the lone score of the third quarter. On Chicago's first drive of the fourth quarter, Ka'Deem Carey scored on a one-yard run. With 50 seconds left in the game, Senorise Perry scored on a five-yard run, but failed the two-point conversion, making the score 20–19. With 27 seconds remaining, C. J. Wilson intercepted Stephen Morris to clinch the victory.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Wilson, Kyle Fuller, Frey, Britton, de la Puente, Mills, Allen, and Williams were inactive in Seattle. The Seahawks scored touchdowns on their first four drives: Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson's seven-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter and Wilson's touchdown passes to Jermaine Kearse and Christine Michael of seven- and 29 yards, respectively, in the second quarter. For the Bears' four first quarter drives, three ended in punts; on the team's final possession of the second quarter, Cutler's 23-yard touchdown pass to Bennett was nullified when Bennett was downed at the one-yard line.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Cutler would throw a two-yard touchdown pass to Rosario, but a pass interference call on Marshall overturned the play; Cutler would be intercepted by Jeremy Lane; the Seahawks would convert the turnover into a Steven Hauschka 59-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a 31–0 lead. On Seattle's first drive of the second half, they failed to score for the first time of the game when Hauschka's 53-yard field goal hit the left upright; Gould would also miss a field goal, missing a 43-yarder wide right.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Hauschka would record the only score of the third quarter, with a 38-yard field goal. In the final quarter, the Bears would reach the Seahawks' red zone, where Gould scored on a 30-yard kick. On Seattle's ensuing play, Terrelle Pryor was intercepted by C. J. Wilson, leading to a Gould 38-yard field goal to make the final score 34–6.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
Visiting the Browns, the Bears sat their starters, having only 35 of 75 players participating, while the Browns kept their starters in the game. After the Bears scored on the opening drive off Gould's 39-yard field goal, the Browns took the lead off Ben Tate's one-yard touchdown run; Gould would eventually miss a 52-yarder wide right. On Cleveland's next drive, Terrance West fumbled, allowing M. D. Jennings to recover. Early in the second quarter, Fales threw a pass to Santonio Holmes, who escaped Justin Gilbert to score on the 32-yard play.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Preseason, Game summaries
The Bears scored again via Gould's 23-yard field goal, but the Browns took the 14–13 lead with Johnny Manziel's one-yard touchdown pass to Jim Dray. The Browns extended the lead on their final drive with Billy Cundiff's 22-yard field goal. On Cleveland's first drive of the third quarter, Cundiff scored on a 37-yarder, followed by 47- and 29-yard kicks to increase the margin by 13 points. In the fourth quarter, Fales would be intercepted by Robert Nelson. The Browns scored the final score of the game with Isaiah Crowell's 48-yard field goal, making the final score 33–13.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Buildup
Michael C. Wright and Jeff Dickerson of ESPN made predictions regarding how the season goes for the Bears, believing the team will go 10–6 and 11–5, respectively.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Buildup
John McMullen of The Miami Herald assigned grades for each position group but the quarterbacks entering the season, the highest being a B+ for the wide receivers and offensive line, while the lowest being a C+ for the linebackers and special teams. McMullen stated Jay Cutler's extension was "a prudent move", and while he "might not be in the Manning–Brady–Rodgers class but is on the tier below".


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Buildup
Regarding the running backs, McMullen wrote that while Matt Forte is one of the top running backs, there is not an impressive depth behind him, while the wide receiving corps may be "the best in the business", but Marquess Wilson's injury led to a lack of depth; behind tight end Martellus Bennett, Zach Miller's injury led to Dante Rosario and Matthew Mulligan serving as backups, the former having "decent hands but just average speed", while the latter having "bounced around".


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Buildup
The offensive line was considered the "most improved in 2013", with all five starters returning, while the defensive line has been refurbished with Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston's signings. For the linebackers, Lance Briggs and D. J. Williams would return as starters, while Shea McClellin, who had converted to linebacker, being written by McMullen as a move that "has a chance if defensive coordinator Mel Tucker lets McClellin go straight ahead as a disruptor and not expect the former Boise State star to play in space".


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Buildup
The Bears did not have team captains for 2014, breaking a seven-year trend. Head coach Marc Trestman stated he intended to select captains weekly.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Schedule
The schedule was announced on April 23. ESPN ranked the Bears' schedule as the 15th strongest in the league, with opponents having a combined winning percentage of .496. The Bears will open the season with six away games from weeks 2–10, due to three conflicting events in the Chicago area: week 2 is unavailable due to a NASCAR race and PGA golf tournament, week 6 due to the Chicago Marathon utilizing Soldier Field as a start/finish line, and week 9 due to a rugby union game at Soldier Field on Saturday night.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Schedule
To resolve the situation regarding week 9, league schedulers created a bye week for the Bears. The Bears will also play five prime time games, the most allowed by the league scheduling, and a Thanksgiving Day game during the season. In December, the Bears had three consecutive home games, the first since 2008 and the second since 1963. Although CBS, which airs AFC games against the Lions on Thanksgiving, held the rights to the game for 2014, the league's new "crossflexing" policy, which allows CBS and Fox to switch seven games, permitted the Bears to play Detroit.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bears opened the season at home against the Buffalo Bills, who had a record of 6–10 in 2013. Entering the game, the Bears were 54–35–5 in season openers, the most wins of any team, and they had not lost an opening game since 2009, the most in the NFC and second-most in the NFL behind the New England Patriots.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bears were 7–4 against the Bills, with their last meeting being a 22–19 victory in Toronto in 2010, while winning 40–7 in the last game between the two at Soldier Field; the Bears had won all five meetings between the two in Chicago. When comparing the two teams in 2013 statistically, the Bears had the advantage in three offensive categories (points scored, total offense, and passing offense), while the Bills had the second-best rushing offense, compared to the Bears' 16th-ranked rushing game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
On defense, the Bears were outmatched in all three categories (total defense, rushing defense, and passing defense), but are one spot higher than Buffalo in turnover ratio (+5 to +3). Scout.com's Jeremy Stoltz writes that one of the players the Bears must contain is the defensive tackle duo of Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus, who had a combined 139 total tackles, 18.0 sacks and two forced fumbles during 2013. While the Bears' offensive line boasted the fourth-least sacks, none of the five starters played in the preseason.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
As a result, to combat the rush, the Bears need Jay Cutler to release the ball quickly. For the Bears' defense, Stoltz stated all the Bears needed to do was stop Buffalo's running backs Fred Jackson and C. J. Spiller, as the Bills had the second-best rushing attack in the league. The Bears were favored to win by seven points, the third-largest spread of the week. Matt Forté, Charles Tillman, and Robbie Gould were the captains for the game. David Fales, Kelvin Hayden, Tony Fiammetta, Khaseem Greene, Charles Leno Jr., David Bass and Cornelius Washington were inactive for the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bears won the coin toss, and elected to kick. After Buffalo punted, Chicago scored on Cutler's 12-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett, which the Bills retaliated with E. J. Manuel's two-yard touchdown run. On the Bears' first drive of the second quarter, Brandon Marshall fumbled, with linebacker Preston Brown recovering; the Bills would score on Dan Carpenter's 50-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Afterwards, Cutler was intercepted by former Bear Corey Graham after Bennett did not "turn to look for the ball in time", with the Bills again capitalizing on the takeaway, with Manuel's seven-yard touchdown pass to Spiller, and the half ended with Buffalo leading 17–7. On the Bears' first possession of the third quarter, Gould kicked a five-yard field goal, and on the Bills' first drive of the half, Chris Conte read a pass intended for Marquise Goodwin, stepping in front of the pass to intercept the ball.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
On Chicago's ensuing drive, the offense rallied to tie the score on Cutler's 11-yard touchdown pass to Marshall. In the fourth quarter, the Bears drove from their own six-yard line to reach the Buffalo 34, but Cutler's forced pass intended for Bennett was intercepted by Kyle Williams; Carpenter would kick a 33-yard field goal, which the Bears responded with Gould's 37-yarder. The Bills would kneel to end regulation with a 20–20 score. After the Bears went three-and-out, the Bills started on their own 22-yard line, but drove to the Bears' 39.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
On the next play, Jackson found a hole in the line of scrimmage, getting past Lance Briggs. Conte reached Jackson at the 20-yard line, but was stiff-armed; Conte attempted to tackle again, but was knocked down, with Jackson being pushed out of bounds at the one-yard line. Two plays later, Carpenter kicked the game-winning 27-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Four of the Bears' offensive starters suffered injuries during the game: Roberto Garza (right ankle) and Matt Slauson (left ankle) did not play after the first half, Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) departed in the third quarter, while Marshall (right ankle) was hurt after being tackled. Conte received scrutiny after the game for failing to tackle Jackson, but defended himself by saying, "It was a play where it's the end of the game – I've got to get the ball out or something. If I hit him, it's a field goal no matter what, so I've got to try and get the ball out. It's a desperation play where I've got to try and punch the ball or something."


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
In the previous meeting between Chicago and San Francisco at Candlestick Park in 2012, the 49ers won 32–7. Entering the game, the 49ers led the all-time series 32–29–1; while the Bears had won five of the last eight meetings between the two since 2001, they had lost all eight road games against the 49ers since 1985. Comparing the two teams' week one rankings, the Bears had more total and passing yards than the 49ers, 427–319 and 341–192, respectively, while the 49ers had more rushing yards (127–86).


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
Defensively, the 49ers allowed more yards (382–360) and allowed two more sacks than the Bears in week one. Writing for WBBM-TV, Bears radio play-by-play commentator Jeff Joniak stated the Bears' offense had a chance to utilize their running backs, as the 49ers had allowed the Dallas Cowboys to record 100 rushing yards in week one, the first time in 18 games, and with linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith inactive, the Bears had the chance to attack on the ground.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
For the Bears' passing game, recording short passes was important, while stating playing against the 49ers' defense "requires patience", with Vic Fangio utilizing zone defense blitzes. Additionally, Jay Cutler had struggled against the 49ers during his career, being 0–2, with one touchdown, six interceptions, and a 59.2 passer rating. On defense, the Bears had to contain Colin Kaepernick, who had thrown for two touchdowns the previous week and recorded his fourth-best passer rating (125.5), and in his first career start, had guided the 49ers to the victory over the Bears in 2012.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The Bears also faced a challenge in 49ers' running backs Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde, the former having become the 29th player to record 10,000 career rushing yards the previous week, and the latter averaged 7.1 yards and scored a touchdown. Against San Francisco's receivers, while Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree were not fast, their physicality allows them to make blocks and "bully defensive backs". The 49ers were favorites to win, with every ESPN analyst but former Bears head coach Mike Ditka to predict a 49ers victory. Jermon Bushrod, Lamarr Houston, and Sherrick McManis served as team captains. For the game, Josh Morgan, Khaseem Greene, Roberto Garza, Matt Slauson, Charles Leno Jr., David Bass, and Cornelius Washington were scratched.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers won the coin toss, and decided to kick. On the Bears' first drive, Pat O'Donnell's punt was blocked by Aaron Lynch, and the 49ers scored on Kaepernick's three-yard touchdown pass to Crabtree, the first score in Levi's Stadium history after the play stood via review. On the 49ers' next drive, Kaepernick was intercepted by Charles Tillman, but the pick was overturned; Phil Dawson would kick a 27-yard field goal, the final score of the first quarter.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
On San Francisco's second drive of the second quarter, Kaepernick's pass for Boldin would be intercepted by a diving Chris Conte, though the Bears failed to take advantage, being forced to punt. Gore would then score on a 54-yard run, which was nullified by a holding call on Boldin, and two plays later, Kaepernick was stripped by Jared Allen, and the ball was recovered by Danny McCray, but the Bears would again be forced to punt.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers extended the lead by ten points on Gore's eight-yard touchdown run, but the Bears managed to score for the first time in the half on Cutler's 17-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, who caught the pass with one hand. In the second half, the 49ers scored on Dawson's 24-yard kick, culminating a drive that took 9:04. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Marshall, narrowing the score to 20–14.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
On the first play of San Francisco's next drive, Kaepernick's pass for Crabtree was pulled away by Kyle Fuller, with the Bears scoring on the first play with Cutler's three-yard touchdown to Martellus Bennett to give the Bears the 21–20 lead. Kaepernick was intercepted again by Fuller on the next drive after Fuller reached his pass intended for Derek Carrier, the Bears converting the pick into a Cutler three-yard touchdown to Marshall, increasing the lead by eight. On San Francisco's final drive, the offense reached Chicago's 17-yard line, but on 4th down, Kaepernick's pass to Crabtree fell incomplete, and Cutler kneeled twice to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The game featured 26 penalties, 10 by the Bears for 58 yards, and 16 by the 49ers for 118 yards. Late in the second quarter, Cutler, who had completed only 8 of 18 passes for 38 yards, was hit by Quinton Dial, and after the hit, Cutler completed 15 of 16 passes for 138 yards and four touchdowns. Fuller became the first rookie in Bears history to record two interceptions in a game since Chris Harris against the Green Bay Packers in 2005.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
The Bears traveled to East Rutherford, New Jersey to play the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, the Bears having won the last three meeting between the two since 2001, the last being a 38–34 win in 2010, and the Bears led the all-time series 7–3.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
When comparing the two teams, Brad Gagnon of CBSSports.com stated they are "complete opposites", with Marc Trestman being a pass-first coach, while Rex Ryan prefers running first; as a result, while the Bears were ranked higher in passer rating (9th to 25th) and QB rating against (4th to 26th), the Jets had the advantage in yards per carry (5th to 23rd) and yards per carry against (3rd to 28th). In the running game, Gagnon writes the Bears' 23rd-ranked rushing offense would have trouble against the third-ranked Jets run defense, which had allowed only 2.8 yards per carry.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
He adds that as a result, the Bears would be forced to throw – 71 percent of Chicago's offensive plays had been passing, the most in the league, which Gagnon states is not a "good thing", as the five teams with the highest passing percentage in the NFL in 2013 had losing records.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
Additionally, the passing attack would have to defend against the rush, with the Jets blitzing 75 percent of the time; New York had recorded 47 sacks since week one of 2013, tied for the 10th most in the league, while Pro Football Focus ranked Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson as the top 12 pass-rushing 3–4 defensive ends in the NFL, with Quinton Coples having the most QB pressures of a 3–4 OLB with ten. However, Jay Cutler had completed 67 percent of passes under pressure, the second-most in the NFL.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
the Bears led the league in completions of four yards or more on first down with 21, and despite injuries to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, the passing game could have a chance against a secondary that struggled in the previous week against the Packers.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
Matt Forte would also be a viable passing option, but the Jets had the fifth-fewest receiving yards by an RB allowed with 28.5 On defense, the Bears would have to stop the Jets' rushing game, which led the league with 358 total rushing yards, while tying for third in the NFL with 33 runs of four yards or more, and averaged 5.54 yards on first down.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
Chris Ivory also had the highest rushing average with 6.3 yards, while the Jets averaged 5 yards offensively, and the Bears were allowing 5.3 yards per carry, while allowing a total of 320 yards and four touchdowns on 60 carries. On special teams, the Bears had promoted Rashad Ross, who averaged 32 return yards with the Washington Redskins in the preseason, from the practice squad, which appeared to be an improvement over Senorise Perry, who had returned only two of eleven kickoffs in the first two games of the season. The betting line for the game was New York by -2.5. The Bears' captains were Cutler, Lance Briggs, and Danny McCray, while Sherrick McManis, Shea McClellin, Roberto Garza, Matt Slauson, Charles Leno Jr., and Trevor Scott were not active.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
The Bears won the coin toss, and deferred until the second half. On the second play of the Jets' first drive, Smith's fake screen pass was intercepted by Ryan Mundy, scoring on a 45-yard return. After the Jets punted, the Bears also were forced to punt, but Jalen Saunders muffed the punt, which was recovered by Ahmad Dixon. Four plays later, Jay Cutler threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett, with New York scoring the final points of the first quarter via Nick Folk's 43-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
Both teams exchanged field goals on their first drives of the second quarter. On the Jets' next drive, Smith connected with Jeremy Kerley on a 19-yard pass to make the score 17–13. On the Bears' following possession, Cutler was stripped by David Harris, with Demario Davis scoring on the return. However, the officials had believed Cutler was downed prior to losing the ball, and while a challenge ruled the play as a fumble, the touchdown was not recorded. Despite the takeaway, the Jets would be forced to punt. The half would end with no additional scoring.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
On Chicago's first drive of the second half, Cutler threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bennett. After both teams traded punts, Smith and the Jets reached the Bears' 18-yard line, but was his pass intended for David Nelson was intercepted by Kyle Fuller in the endzone. The Jets would later kick a 22-yard field goal. In the final quarter, Folk kicked a 42-yarder, with Robbie Gould kicking one of 45 yards on the next drive, the score becoming 27–19. On New York's final drive of the game, the offense reached the Bears' nine-yard line, but on 4th and 5, Smith's pass for Kerley was defended by rookie Brock Vereen, and despite catching the ball, Kerley was out of bounds. The Bears kneeled three times to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New York Jets
The game marked the first time since week 16 of 2012 against the Arizona Cardinals that the Bears allowed fewer than 20 points in a game. Fuller, who was making his first career start, became the first NFL player in the last 20 years to record three interceptions and two forced fumbles in the first three games.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
For week four, the Bears donned their 1940s throwbacks when they hosted the 1–2 Packers, the Bears having led the all-time series 93–89–2, but the Packers had won 9 of the previous 11 games. On offense, the Bears' worst-ranked rushing game (64 yards per game) had a chance to produce against the Packers, who were ranked 30th by allowing 156 yards per game, while opponents had run a league-most 37.3 times per game while scoring an also league-high five rushing touchdowns. Also, Matt Forte had recorded 336 yards and four touchdowns against the Packers in his last two games.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
The offense also was challenged by the pass defense, with defenders Sam Shields and Tramon Williams, who were stingy in man coverage. For the Bears' defense, the Packers had also struggled on the run, ranking 26th in the league with a 78-yard rushing average and the longest run being of 17 yards, while having averaged only 3.63 yards per carry. Additionally, Green Bay was ranked 28th in the league in yards. However, the team faced the Packers' passing attack, which featured the receiving duo of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
The former led the league in targets (37) and first downs (16), while ranking second in receiving yards (351), while the Bears had struggled with covering slant and dig routes, both of which Nelson excelled at. The latter had three touchdowns in 2014, but was used primarily for hitch and stick routes. The Packers were two-point favorites. Sherrick McManis, Shea McClellin, Roberto Garza, Matt Slauson, Jared Allen, Charles Leno Jr., and Jeremiah Ratliff were inactive. Kyle Long, Alshon Jeffery, and Ryan Mundy served as team captains for the game, while the honorary captains were Dick Butkus and Kurt Becker.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Packers won the coin toss, and decided to kick. On the first drive, the Bears scored on Jay Cutler's six-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, which the Packers responded with Eddie Lacy's two-yard touchdown run. During Chicago's next drive, on 4th and 1, Cutler fumbled the snap, and upon picking up the ball, recorded a 16-yard run on an accidental fumblerooski. The drive continued into the second quarter, ended with Robbie Gould kicking a 23-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
The two teams exchanged touchdowns on the final three plays: Aaron Rodgers' three-yard pass to Nelson, Cutler's eight-yard pass to Jeffery, and Rodgers' 22-yard pass to Cobb. The Bears reached the Packers' nine-yard line by the final play of the first half; on the play, Cutler's pass for Bennett was ruled short of a touchdown. During the television review, Micah Hyde covered the camera angle, preventing the touchdown and ending the half with the Packers leading 21–17.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
In the third quarter, the Packers drove to the Bears' 34-yard line, where Rodgers completed a touchdown pass to Davante Adams, which would be nullified by a holding penalty on center Corey Linsley; Crosby would eventually kick a 53-yard field goal. Afterwards, Cutler's pass for Josh Morgan would be tipped by Williams and intercepted by Clay Matthews, with Green Bay capitalizing on the takeaway with Rodgers' 11-yard touchdown pass to Nelson. On the next drive, Shields intercepted Cutler, and Crosby kicked a 23-yard field goal; however, a holding penalty on Jon Bostic led to Rodgers' three-yard touchdown pass to Cobb.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
On Chicago's next drive, Williams intercepted Cutler, but the play would be nullified; the Bears would subsequently punt. On the Packers' next drive, they would reach the Bears' 20-yard line before Crosby's field goal was blocked by Willie Young, the first block by the Bears in over a year. Jimmy Clausen replaced Cutler on the final drive, and the Bears ran out the clock to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Bears recorded 496 yards, the first time since 1979 against the Minnesota Vikings that the Bears recorded such yardage and lost. The last time the team recorded more than 496 yards and lost occurred in 1947 against the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Cardinals. Additionally, the rushing attack recorded 102 yards in the first quarter, the first time Chicago recorded at least 100 rushing yards in the first quarter since 2010 against the Carolina Panthers. The game was only the second in NFL history to have no total punts.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
In week five, the Bears, looking to go 3–0 on the road for the first time since 2006, visited the 2–2 Carolina Panthers, the Bears having led the all-time series 5–3, and also having won the most recent meeting in 2012 23–22. The Bears had been plagued by inconsistency during the season, for example in the passing attack, with Jay Cutler, playing in his first away game with Chicago against Carolina, completing 67.5 percent in the two home games with four touchdowns and four interceptions while posting an 84.7 rating.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
On the road, he had completed 63.9 percent of passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions, along with a 106.3 rating. In two games against the Panthers, Cutler had thrown a touchdown and two picks with a 69.5 passer rating. The Bears had to protect Cutler from a Panthers defense that recorded 60 sacks in 2013, and despite missing Greg Hardy, featured defending Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly and Star Lotulelei. However, Panthers' cornerback Antoine Cason was struggling during the year, having allowed three touchdowns.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
Additionally, the Panthers' had allowed 75 points the last two games, compared to 21 in the first two weeks, and while allowing an average 201.7 passing yards in the first three games, the team permitted the Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco to throw for 327 passing yards in their last game. On the ground, the Bears had an advantage against the Panthers' 27th-ranked rushing defense, which allowed 140.8 rushing yards per game, 264 rushing yards two games prior against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a total 391 rushing yards in the last two games.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
The Bears also had a chance to capitalize on the Panthers' worst-ranked red zone offenses and defenses, with Chicago boasting a second- and sixth-ranked red zone offense and defense, respectively. The Panthers were the -2.5 favorite for the game's betting line. The Bears' inactives were Sherrick McManis, Ahmad Dixon, Shea McClellin, Roberto Garza, Charles Leno Jr., and Jeremiah Ratliff, while Matt Slauson, D.J. Williams, and Robbie Gould were the captains.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
After the Bears won the toss and kicked off, the Panthers punted on their drive, and on the punt return, Santonio Holmes fumbled the ball out of bounds. The Bears would also be forced to punt, and on the return, Philly Brown was tackled by Teddy Williams before receiving the ball, and while both teams were attempting to recover the ball, Brown picked up the ball and scored on the 79-yard return.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
On the Bears' next drive, despite reaching the Panthers' seven-yard line, Cutler's pass for Brandon Marshall went into double coverage and was intercepted by Roman Harper, who returned the pick 44 yards to the Bears' 49-yard line, but was ruled down by challenge, and as a result, the Panthers started the drive from their own eight-yard line. Three plays later, Isaiah Frey forced Kelvin Benjamin to fumble, recovering the loose ball at Carolina's 28-yard line.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
The Bears would score on Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte; Chicago would then capitalize on another turnover during the Panthers' next drive: after Willie Young strip-sacked Cam Newton, Lamarr Houston recovered at Carolina's 18-yard line, and on the Bears' ensuing drive, Cutler scored on a ten-yard run, the first rushing touchdown for Cutler since 2011 and the first for the team in 2014. The Bears' next drive lasted into the second quarter, and ended with the Bears extending the score to 21–7 after Cutler threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
The Panthers then drove to Chicago's 25-yard line, but the drive ended after Newton's pass was intercepted by a diving Lance Briggs. However, the Bears failed to take advantage of the pick, with Gould missing a 35-yard field goal. On the final drive for Carolina, Newton threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen to make the score at halftime 21–14.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
After the Bears punted on their first drive of the second half, the Panthers reached the Bears' seven-yard line, and a penalty on Kyle Fuller moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Chris Ogbonnaya scored on a one-yard run to tie the game. Gould would give the Bears the lead again via a 45-yard field goal. The two teams exchanged punts five times in the fourth quarter, and on Chicago's third possession of the quarter, Cutler's pass for Holmes was overthrown and intercepted by Thomas DeCoud, which set up a Graham Gano 44-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
On the Bears' next play, Forte was stripped by Cason, and Kawann Short recovered. Six plays later, Cam Newton threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Olsen to take the 31–24 lead. On the Bears' final drive, the offense faced 4th-and-21 from their own 34-yard line when Cutler fumbled while being sacked by Short, and Charles Johnson recovered. Carolina kneeled twice to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
The Bears had three turnovers in the fourth quarter, the second team to do so in 2014, after the New York Giants, while committing two turnovers in consecutive possessions during the fourth quarter. In comparison, the team had only one in the first four games. In the passing game, poor production on short passes led to Cutler's struggles on longer throws, completing only one of five passes of 15 yards or more during the game, including two interceptions; entering the game, he was ranked 31st of 33 quarterbacks in completion percentage for such throws with 24 percent. However, the Bears had managed to score multiple passing touchdowns against the Panthers, the fourth time this had happened to the Panthers in 2014; the Panthers had only two games allowed in 2013.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
The Bears played the 2–3 Atlanta Falcons in week six, the Bears leading the all-time series between the two 13–12, 5–2 since 2001, and having won the most recent meeting in 2011, 30–12. Among the players the Bears faced was former returner and receiver Devin Hester, who had recorded 19 his NFL-record 20 return touchdowns with the team. Atlanta entered the game with the second-best passing offense in the league, with the receiver duo of Julio Jones and Roddy White having combined for 56 catches for 765 yards and five touchdowns.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
The former also led the league with 40 receptions and 552 yards. Hester, despite being 23rd in the NFL with 15.1 yards on 14 receptions, was one the Bears had to be prepared when he was used as a slot receiver. Among the goals the Bears' defense had was to rush Matt Ryan, who – despite being pressured often and tied with Jay Cutler with 130 pass attempts – was one of five quarterbacks with an average of eight yards per pass.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
Altogether, the Falcons had the third-best offense in yards gained, first in yards per play with 6.58, second in red zone touchdown percentage, and third with 29 points per game. However, the Bears offense could attack the Falcons' 28th-ranked rushing defense, which had been allowing 147.6 yards per game; the Bears had been recording 116 rushing yards each game. In addition, Atlanta had allowed a league-leading ten rushing touchdowns and six yards per play, while having the second-worst sacks per pass attempt with 2.47 percent, and was one of five teams allowing 400 yards per game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
On special teams, Chicago would have to watch out for Hester, who recorded one of the league's four punt return touchdowns in 2014, while recording an average of 14.4 yards off eight punt returns, and was ranked eighth in the league with a kick return average of 24.2 yards. The Falcons were predicted by every CBSSports.com analyst to win, and were the -3.5 favorite. Brandon Marshall, Danny McCray, and Tim Jennings served as the Bears' captains, while Sherrick McManis, Ahmad Dixon, Shea McClellin, Lance Briggs, Jon Bostic, D. J. Williams, and Jermon Bushrod were inactive.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
After the Bears won the coin toss, elected to receive, and punted on the first drive, the Falcons scored on their first drive with Matt Bryant's 52-yard field goal. After the Bears punted again, Jones was stripped by Kyle Fuller, but recovered; the Falcons would also punt.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
On Chicago's next drive, Cutler, after spiking the ball, was drilled by Paul Worrilow, allowing the Bears to gain a first down at the Falcons' 14-yard line; the drive lasted into the second quarter, and ended with Robbie Gould's 25-yard field goal; the Bears extended the lead on their next drive via Cutler's three-yard touchdown pass to Josh Morgan. The Falcons would be forced to punt again, with Chicago scoring off Gould's 28-yard field goal, the final scoring play of the first half, the Bears leading 13–3.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
After receiving the ball in the second half, the Falcons drove to Chicago's 41-yard line, where Ryan threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Antone Smith, and the Falcons tied the game on their next possession off Bryant's 54-yard field goal. On Chicago's drive, the Falcons failed to provide safety assistance at the right side of the field, leading to Cutler throwing a 74-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery, completing it to the Falcons' five-yard line, with Matt Forte scoring on the next run, though Gould's extra point would be blocked by Ra'Shede Hageman.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
Now down by six, the Falcons failed to score, and were forced to punt. In the final quarter, the Bears reached the Falcons' eight-yard line, where Cutler threw a touchdown pass to Jeffery. However, the score would be nullified by Jeffery stepping out of the endzone on the play. On the next play, Martellus Bennett fought to the nine-yard line, where Forte scored on the rushing touchdown. The Bears then scored on the two-point conversion with Cutler's pass to Bennett, putting the Bears up by 14 points, 27–13.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
On Atlanta's next drive, Jared Allen recorded his first sack as a Bear, and would later be forced to punt, and the Bears would also punt. Afterwards, Ryan's pass for Jones would be intercepted by Demontre Hurst, though the Bears would have to punt. The Falcons' final drive ended with a turnover on downs, and Cutler would kneel thrice to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
The Bears became the first team to win 750 total games. It took only 4 road games for the Bears to match their road win total from last season (the Bears were 3–5 on the road during the 2013 season). The 13 points allowed by the Bears were the fewest that they had ever allowed in a game under Marc Trestman. It was also fewest that they allowed in a game since Week 12 of the 2012 season when they held the Vikings to 10 points. When the Bears held a two-touchdown lead, Falcons fans began leaving the Dome, with Bears fans forcing the Falcons to utilize silent counts and had to call a timeout due to crowd noise and a ticking play clock.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Bears, seeking to avoid going 0–3 at home for the first time in ten years, hosted the Miami Dolphins in week seven, trailing the all-time series 4–7, though the Bears won the most recent game in 2010 16–0. The Bears had struggled at home during the season, scoring a total of 37 points and a -4 turnover differential; in contrast, the Bears had an average score of 26.5 and a +6 turnover difference on the road.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
In addition, Jay Cutler had nine passing touchdowns, two interceptions and a 104.6 passer rating in away games, while having four touchdowns, four interceptions (three of which occurred in the second half) and a rating of 84.7 at home, with a rating of 58.1 after halftime. Chicago had to protect Cutler from the defensive line duo of Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, both recording 1.5 sacks each in the previous week against the Packers. In addition, the Dolphins were ranked second in the league in sacks on third and fourth downs with 10.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
However, the Bears' receivers posed a size threat to the Miami secondary, though Miami was ranked third in yards per pass attempt allowed with 6.09, one of only eight teams allowing less than seven yards in 2014. The Dolphins also allowed only 3.8 yards per carry and yards allowed per play with 4.7 yards. On defense, the Bears would have to prepare for a Ryan Tannehill-led zone-read option offense, which has an average drive length of 3:08, third-fastest in the league. However, Tannehill could make mistakes, as he had thrown 35 interceptions in 37 career starts.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins also had the second-fewest completions of at least 20 yards with 11. The Bears would also have to watch the run game, which ranked third in the NFL with 4.97 yards per carry. Entering the game, the Bears' defense was tied for the fourth-most sacks (15), third-most interceptions (eight), and third in points recorded off turnovers (49). The Bears were the favorite by -3. Terrance Mitchell, Ahmad Dixon, Chris Conte, Lance Briggs, Jon Bostic, Charles Leno Jr., and Trevor Scott were scratches for the game, while Jermon Bushrod, Brandon Marshall, Robbie Gould, Ryan Mundy and Jeremiah Ratliff were team captains.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins won the toss, and elected to receive. On the first play from scrimmage, Tannehill was sacked by Ratliff for a loss of five yards; Ratliff would finish the game with a career-high 3.5 sacks. After both teams punted on their first drives, the Dolphins scored first on Tannehill's 13-yard touchdown pass to Charles Clay. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler fumbled on his own 38-yard line, but Ka'Deem Carey recovered the ball; the Bears would punt three plays later.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
Miami's eventual drive lasted into the second quarter, but ended with Caleb Sturgis missing a 50-yard field goal wide right. The Bears would reach the Dolphins' 37-yard line, but Cutler's pass for Martellus Bennett was intercepted by Reshad Jones, who returned the pick to the Bears' 29-yard line, and was stripped by Brandon Marshall, Koa Misi recovering at the 23-yard line. The fumble was subsequently challenged, but was upheld. Miami would drive to the Bears' eight-yard line, and two plays later, Tannehill threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
Both teams would exchange punts at the end of the half, Miami leading 14–0. On their first drive of the second half, the Bears scored their first points of the game with Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte, though the Dolphins retaliated on their next possession with Lamar Miller's two-yard touchdown run. The Bears' drive lasted into the fourth quarter, but ended at their own 24-yard line when Wake strip-sacked Cutler, recovering it at Chicago's 16. The Dolphins would go three-and-out on the drive, resorting to Sturgis' 33-yard field goal.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
On the Bears' next drive, Cutler threw a pass to Dante Rosario, who fumbled after being stripped by Cortland Finnegan, Randy Starks recovering at the Bears' 35-yard line. However, the Dolphins failed to take advantage of the takeaway, Sturgis' 37-yard field goal being blocked by Lamarr Houston. Starting from their own 27, the Bears reached the Dolphins' 44, and a defensive pass interference penalty on Jason Taylor brought the Bears to the five-yard line. Three plays later, Forte scored on a one-yard run.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins would score on their next drive via Miller's four-yard run, but was nullified by holding penalty on Clay; Sturgis would kick a 19-yard field goal to make the score 27–14. Chicago's final drive reached Miami's 15-yard line, but the offense failed to gain ground, Cutler first throwing an incomplete pass, then fumbling but recovering, and finally throwing two more incomplete passes. Tannehill would kneel twice to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Bears fell to 0–4 in games where Cutler throws an interception. After the game, in the Bears' locker room, there were reports of shouting and players being pulled out of the room, with Marshall calling out Cutler, and Kyle Long criticizing the fans. Former Bears linebacker Blake Costanzo was also critical, stating Marc Trestman had "made the Bears soft". In an interview, Gould stated, "Everyone's trying to make this a story out of something that really wasn't that big of a deal. Obviously everyone's frustrated. Everyone wants to win. Our fans want to win. Coaches want to win. The players want to win. And everyone's obviously frustrated."


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
The Bears visited Gillette Stadium in week eight to take on the New England Patriots, the first game in Foxborough for the Bears since 2006, which had ended in a 17–13 loss. Chicago had never won in Foxborough, where the Patriots had won twelve consecutive games. The Bears trailed the all-time series 3–8 entering the series, and lost the most recent meeting at home in 2010, 36–7.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
A target the Bears could attack was the Patriots' run defense, which had allowed a season-high 218 rushing yards against the Jets, a combined 398 in losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Dolphins, and was ranked 24th in the league by allowing 126.3 rushing yards per game on 28.7 attempts, by utilizing Matt Forte, the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL with 448 yards and league-leading 52 receptions for 436 yards.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
In addition, New England did not have defenders Jerod Mayo and Chandler Jones, and had allowed fifteen drives lasting at least ten plays in 2014, all but one culminating in a score. However, the Patriots' pass defense was more stingy, forcing quarterbacks to throw three interceptions on passes longer than 21 yards with a 37.1 passer rating, the sixth-worst in the league. On defense, the Bears had to contain Tom Brady, who had thrown for 964 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in three games against the Bears.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
Likewise, tight end Rob Gronkowski was among the targets of Brady, whose 42 of 68 targeted throws were to tight ends, seventh-most in the NFL. 71 percent of Gronkowski's catches had resulted in first downs, though he had caught only 31 of his 56 targets, and while Brady had never completed less than 60 percent of passes in his career, Miami and New York forced him to complete less than 55 percent. While the Bears could blitz Brady, they would have to prepare for the Patriots' no-huddle offense and Brady's quickie release.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
However, the Patriots' rushing offense was ranked only 26th in yards per carry with 3.75, though they had recorded 4.76 yards per first down rush. Like in week two, Mike Ditka was the lone ESPN analyst to predict a Bears victory. Terrance Mitchell, Danny McCray, Ahmad Dixon, Lance Briggs, Jon Bostic, Jordan Mills, and Charles Leno Jr. were inactive for the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
After winning the coin toss, New England kicked off. The Bears punted on their first drive, while the Patriots scored on their first possession with Brady's six-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. The Bears would punt on their next two drives, while the Patriots scored on their following drives in the second quarter, with Stephen Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal and Brady's one-yard touchdown pass to Tim Wright. On the Bears' ensuing possession, Jay Cutler's pass for Martellus Bennett was intercepted by Devin McCourty, though it would be nullified by Brandon Browner's illegal contact penalty.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
The Patriots would score three times in 57 seconds: with 1:52 left in the second quarter, Brady threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski; the Bears punted on the next drive, the Patriots returning it 42 yards to the Bears' 19-yard line, and a holding penalty on Trevor Scott moved the ball to the nine, where Brady threw a touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell with 1:07 remaining. On the Bears' next play, Cutler fumbled, and Rob Ninkovich recovered, scoring on the 15-yard return with 55 seconds left in the half.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
The Bears' final drive of the half ended with Cutler's pass for Brandon Marshall being intercepted by Darrelle Revis at the Patriots' five-yard line. On New England's first drive of the second half, they extended the lead to 45–7 with Brady's 46-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. After the Bears failed to convert on 4th-and-10 from the Patriots' 26, the Patriots were forced to punt for the first and only time in the game. The Bears would score on the following possession with Cutler's 20-yard touchdown pass to Bennett, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Dante Rosario being completed.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
The Patriots' next drive would last into the fourth quarter, and ended with Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal. Chicago would then score on their following drive with Cutler's ten-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, followed by Cutler's two-point conversion pass to Matt Forte, decreasing the deficit to 25 points. Patriots' backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo substituted for Brady on their next drive, and five plays later, Lamarr Houston sacked Garoppolo, his first sack of the year. However, when he was celebrating, Houston tore his ACL, and would be out for the rest of the season. Gostkowski would kick a 39-yard field goal to make the score 51–23. Jimmy Clausen replaced Cutler on the Bears' last drive, ending with the Bears failing to convert on 4th down. Garoppolo would kneel once to end the game.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: at New England Patriots
Until the week ten game against the Packers, the 38 points allowed in the first half were the most in team history.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: Bye week
The Bears entered the bye week with a 3–5 record, tied with the Vikings for last in the NFC North, two games behind the Packers, and four behind the Detroit Lions. The last time the Bears had been 3–5, yet made the playoffs was in 1979, and had also performed the feat in 1977, while the last time that Chicago had made the playoffs after having a record of two games below .500 occurred in 2005, when the team was 1–3, but finished the regular season 11–5.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: Bye week
On offense, the Bears were tied for seventh in the league in passes per game with 37.4 and 27th in rushing attempts per game with 23.5. The offense had also regressed in points scored per game; in 2013, the team averaged 27.8 points, while after eight games in 2014, had scored only 22.4, despite having all 11 starters from 2013 returning.


2014 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: Bye week
In their first three games, the Bears had a +4 turnover margin with eight turnovers forced and four turnovers allowed, but in their last five games, the margin was -7 with four takeaways and 11 giveaways, including -5 in the previous two games with no forced turnovers and five allowed turnovers; this marked the first time that the Bears had failed to force a turnover in consecutive games since 2010. Despite these struggles, the Bears' offense had the league's fifth-best red zone scoring percentage with 88.5.