2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In comparison, in their win against the Browns in week one, the Eagles ran 73 plays with a league-high 39:20 time of possession. On defense, the Bears had to improve on third down, where they allowed an NFL-high 12 of 20 third down conversions last week. Likewise, the defense had to pressure Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, who completed all eight of his passes in blitzing situations against Cleveland.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
After Chicago punted, Philadelphia took the lead with Caleb Sturgis' 25-yard field goal. Though the Bears attempted to respond with Connor Barth's 31-yard kick, it hit the left upright; they would take the lead on their next series with Jeremy Langford's one-yard touchdown run, receiving support from Jay Cutler throwing a 49-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery to reach the Eagles' five-yard line. Sturgis kicked 29- and 53-yard field goals to give the Eagles the 9–7 lead entering halftime.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
During the half, Cutler injured his right thumb and aggravated it during the Bears' first drive of the third quarter when he was strip-sacked by Destiny Vaeao. Late in the quarter, the Eagles scored two touchdowns in 21 seconds; Ryan Mathews scored on a three-yard run and Trey Burton caught a two-yard pass from Wentz (although Sturgis missed the following extra point); the Burton score was established after Cutler's pass for Jeffery was intercepted by Nigel Bradham. Cutler left the game prior to the start of the fourth quarter and was replaced by Brian Hoyer.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
With Hoyer leading the offense, the Bears traveled 25 yards before their drive ended due to Langford fumbling the ball and the Eagles' Ron Brooks recovering. Philadelphia converted the turnover into a score with Mathews' one-yard touchdown run. With 5:09 left in the game, Eddie Royal scored on a 65-yard punt return, but Brent Celek ended any chance of a comeback when he recovered Barth's onside kick.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Bears fell to 0–2 for the second consecutive year for the first time since 1997–1998, while also having lost 11 of their last 12 games at home. Royal's touchdown was the Bears' first second half score of the season; after two games, the team was outscored 33–7 in the second half. The Bears also struggled with injuries during the game, with seven players exiting as a result: Cutler (thumb), Lamarr Houston (knee), Eddie Goldman (ankle), Adrian Amos, Bryce Callahan and Chris Prosinski (concussions), and Ka'Deem Carey (hamstring).


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
In week three, the Bears went to Arlington, Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys in the second game of 2016 against a Texas-based team; this marked the first time since 1992 that the Bears played on the road against both Texas teams in a season. Week three marked the 26th game between Chicago and Dallas, the latter leading the series 14–11 entering the game. While the Bears won the last game in Dallas 34–18 (in 2012), the Cowboys won the most recent game 41–28 (in 2014).


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
Jeff Joniak wrote the Bears offense should attack the Cowboys with their run game; the latter had allowed 4.8 yards per carry in the first two games. Additionally, the offense was without Jay Cutler after his injury sustained in week two, meaning Brian Hoyer started against Dallas, though Alshon Jeffery, who was battling knee injuries during the week, made his return for week three.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
The defense, also depleted by injuries with players like Danny Trevathan and Eddie Goldman ruled out for the game, had to be able to successfully tackle Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten while also applying pressure on rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. Joniak also wrote the Bears needed to excel on both sides in the red zone; against the Eagles, the Bears defense had a 50 percent touchdown efficiency in the red zone, made some big plays in the red zone in the loss to the Eagles, with a 50 percent touchdown efficiency rating on six attempts. Meanwhile, against the Washington Redskins, the Cowboys restricted them to just two field goals in the red zone, including a late interception by Barry Church.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
The Bears fell behind early when Prescott scored on a quarterback sneak during the opening drive. The Bears' next two drives ended with punts, while the Cowboys' resulting drives concluded with scores: Dan Bailey kicked a 49-yard field goal and Lance Dunbar scored on a one-yard run. Down 17–0, Chicago would score their first points of the game via Connor Barth's 34-yard field goal in the second quarter. On the following kickoff, Barth attempted an onside kick that Sherrick McManis successfully recovered, but Jonathan Anderson was ruled offsides, nullifying the play. Instead of retrying the onside, Barth simply kicked off.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas scored on the next drive with Alfred Morris' three-yard touchdown run. After the Bears punted to start the second half, they regained possession when Terrance Williams was stripped by Jacoby Glenn and Adrian Amos recovered the ball. The takeaway resulted in the first touchdown of the game for the Bears when Hoyer threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller. Though the Cowboys punted on their next drive, Cameron Meredith was stripped by J. J. Wilcox and Tyrone Crawford recovered the fumble. However, they were unable to score when Bailey missed a 47-yard field goal wide left.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys extended the lead when Bryant scored on a 17-yard touchdown catch. Hoyer responded when he threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Miller to make the score 31–14, but he lost a fumble when he was strip-sacked by Benson Mayowa on the Bears' next series, while the offense was unable to score on their final possession.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
The 172nd game in the Bears–Lions rivalry took place in week four. Entering the game, the Bears held a 96–71–5 lead over the Lions, though the Lions had won the last six meetings; Chicago's last victory had been a 26–21 win in 2012. The first divisional game of the year, the Bears had struggled against NFC North teams in recent years; of their last 18 divisional matchups, they lost 14, including seven of the last nine at home.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
In his Keys to the Game, Jeff Joniak stated the Bears offense, once again with Brian Hoyer starting at quarterback in place of a still-healing Jay Cutler, had to hold off Teryl Austin's blitzes; the Lions had the second-highest number of blitzes in the league. While Detroit's top pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah was nursing an ankle injury, substitute Kerry Hyder recorded four sacks in his place. Joniak added the Bears could attack linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who had allowed three touchdown passes in 2016.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
Against a Detroit offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Bears needed to contain his targets like Marvin Jones, who had excelled over the course of the 2016 season, Pro Bowler Golden Tate, the experienced Anquan Boldin and young tight end Eric Ebron. As in previous games, third down was a critical factor in the game, Joniak stating the defense "must get off the field."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
After both teams exchanged punts on their first drives, the Bears scored first when Hoyer threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal despite being covered by Nevin Lawson. The next six series of the game ended in punts, the trend ending when the Bears were stopped on fourth down in Lions territory midway through the second quarter; Detroit eventually gained three points when Matt Prater kicked a 50-yard field goal. Connor Barth attempted his own 50-yard field goal on the next drive, but missed it wide right.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
With 16 seconds left in the first half, Stafford's pass for Tate was intercepted by Jacoby Glenn. The Bears were unable to turn the turnover into points as the half ended before they could score. Upon receiving the ball for the start of the second half, the Lions scored on Prater's 21-yard field goal, which the Bears responded on their following drive with Hoyer's six-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller; the drive gained momentum when Royal recorded a 64-yard pass play, the Bears' longest play from scrimmage of the season.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions
The Lions punted again and the Bears were able to extend their lead with their fourth quarter drive culminating in Barth's 25-yard field goal. With 4:03 left in the game, Stafford's pass for Boldin was intercepted by Deiondre' Hall, but the Lions retaliated when Andre Roberts returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. The Lions closed the margin to just three points when Stafford completed the two-point conversion to Tate. With the score now 17–14, the Lions attempted an onside kick, but Sam Acho recovered. Hoyer kneeled three times to seal Chicago's first win of the season.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
Eight years after their last game in Indianapolis (a 29–13 victory), the Bears returned to play the Colts in week five. The 43rd game between the two franchise, the Bears trailed the series 19–23, but won the last two games, recently a 41–21 win in 2012. "An efficient offensive attack", particularly a rushing-based offense like against the Lions, was a key to success against the Colts defense, according to Jeff Joniak; the Colts allowed the second-highest runs of at least four yards with 51.5 percent.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
He added the offense should punctuate the run with deep passes, as the Colts were the most penalized defense in the NFL with six pass interference and three personal fouls, along with just four turnovers forced resulting in only three total points. Meanwhile, the Bears defense had to attack Colts quarterback Andrew Luck; Indianapolis was allowing a league-high 15 sacks, was ranked 29th in pass protection efficiency, the second-most hurries (35) the highest number of knockdowns (33) allowed, along with 10 combined false start and holding penalties. Joniak added jet lag could play a factor in the game, as the Colts had lost in London the week before and had no bye week.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
Connor Barth scored the first points of the game when he kicked a 35-yard field goal on the Bears' opening drive. Adam Vinatieri responded with a 54-yard field goal and the Colts took the lead in the second quarter when Luck threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Allen. Both teams traded field goals on their next drives before Brian Hoyer threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Meredith. With 11 seconds left in the first half, Vinatieri kicked a 26-yard field goal to give Indianapolis the 16–13 lead at halftime.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
He converted a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter to increase the margin to six points; when Barth tried a 49-yarder on the next series, he missed it wide left, but redeemed himself with a 24-yard kick in the fourth. Hoyer later led the Bears on a 96-yard drive, ending it with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Howard; the drive was the longest touchdown-scoring series since a 97-yard possession against the Steelers in 2009.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
Luck responded with a 35-yard touchdown pass to T. Y. Hilton, who beat Jacoby Glenn for the score, followed by Vinatieri's 35-yard field goal after Meredith lost a fumble. Down by six points, Hoyer attempted to rally the Bears on one last drive but missed an open Alshon Jeffery on fourth down, throwing an incomplete pass to Meredith. The Colts ran out the clock to end the game.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
With the loss, the Bears fell to 1–4, their worst five-week start since they started the 2004 season 1–4. They ended the game with 522 offensive yards, the most since they recorded 542 in a 1989 win against the Lions and the most in a loss since 1940.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Bears hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars in week six, their first game since a 41–3 Bears victory in 2012 and the first in Chicago since the Bears won 23–10 in 2008. In six games, the Bears led the series 4–2. Jeff Joniak wrote the offense should employ a run-based attack with Jordan Howard, interspersed with short passes by Brian Hoyer. The Bears led the league in passes of at least four yards and rushes of at least six yards on first down.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Defensively, the Bears needed to disrupt quarterback Blake Bortles' rhythm; when his consistency is broken, he is prone to throwing interceptions. To do so, Joniak stated the Bears should apply a pass rush as "young quarterbacks don't like pressure." Meanwhile, Jacksonville's rushing attack, while not seeing much action, was spearheaded by T. J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory. Joniak also believed a crucial factor of the game is the battle on third down, where the Jaguars had struggled during the season. Of his six interceptions in 2016, Bortles had thrown four on third down, while the Jaguars were ranked 29th and 32nd on third down defense and offense, respectively.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Bears escaped a 7–0 deficit when Tracy Porter intercepted Bortles in the endzone to stop an 84-yard drive, instead taking a three-point lead on Connor Barth's 36-yard field goal in the second quarter. After the Jaguars punted, the Bears drove 86 yards and scored on Jordan Howard's one-yard touchdown run. By halftime, the Bears led 10–0, the first time they had shut out an opponent in the first half since 2012 against the Lions.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The first five drives of the second half failed to result in a score, instead ending with punts before the Bears widened the margin to 13 points with Barth kicking a 24-yard field goal. The Jaguars responded with Ivory's one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter; after a Chicago punt, they reclaimed possession when Willie Young stripped the ball from Bortles and Akiem Hicks recovered the fumble. Barth kicked a 32-yard field goal, but Jacksonville's Jason Myers narrowed the margin to six points with a 30-yard field goal.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Bears eventually punted again and four plays into the Jaguars' following drive, Bortles threw a pass to Arrelious Benn, who took advantage of Porter slipping to score on a 51-yard play and give the Jaguars the lead. With 2:49 left in the game, Brian Hoyer attempted to lead the Bears downfield, reaching as far as the Jaguars' 44-yard line when a holding penalty on Howard forced the Bears back. On fourth down, Hoyer's pass for Cameron Meredith was broken up by Jalen Ramsey and the Jaguars ran out the clock to claim the 17–16 win.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Bears dropped to 1–5, their worst start since 2004, and their 16th home loss in the last 20 games. The loss was also the first time the Bears lost despite a 13-point lead entering the fourth quarter since a 1999 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
The Bears took on the rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in week seven. The game was the eleventh consecutive primetime game between the two and the sixth in Green Bay, with the Bears winning two of the last three. Entering week seven, the Bears led the all-time series 93–91–6. In the teams' last meetings since the turn of the decade, the Bears had lost all but three games, including the most recent game in 2015, a 17–13 victory in Green Bay. The Bears were struggling to score in 2016, averaging a league-worst 16.8 points per game.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
As such, Jeff Joniak wrote the Bears needed to score touchdowns, especially considering their struggles in the red zone (on 19 trips to the region, the Bears scored only nine times). Outside of the red zone, the Bears scored only 10 points; in comparison, the NFL average was 37. Chicago's rushing attack faced a Green Bay defense that allowed only eight runs of at least ten yards and 3.4 yards on first down, the third-lowest in the league.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
On defense, the Bears faced Aaron Rodgers; while the Packers offense was only 26th in yardage and at –3 in turnover ratio, the unit led the league in third down completion percentage. Rodgers also excelled in the first quarter of games, where he had thrown four touchdown passes, good for second in the league, and a 106 passer rating. However, the Packers struggled on drives starting within their own 20-yard line, failing to score on 14 such drives, the only team unable to do so. Joniak also wrote the team needed a "spark"; defeating the Packers at Lambeau for the second straight season would "do wonders for a young team trying to find its way."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
After the Bears punted on the opening drive, the Packers took the lead first with Mason Crosby's 32-yard field goal. The Bears were forced to punt again on their next series and the Packers reached as far as the Bears' one-yard line before they were stopped on fourth down. On Chicago's resulting drive, Brian Hoyer was hit by Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers while throwing a pass, breaking his left arm. With Jay Cutler also inactive, third-string quarterback Matt Barkley took over for the next possession.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
With Barkley, the Bears were able to score points via Connor Barth's 39-yard field goal, which the Packers responded with Crosby's 40-yard kick. On Green Bay's first drive of the second half, Leonard Floyd strip-sacked Rodgers, recovering the fumble in the endzone to give the Bears the 10–6 lead. The score marked the Bears' first defensive touchdown since 2014. Rodgers overcame the play by throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams, followed by two more touchdown passes to Adams and Randall Cobb of four and two yards, respectively (though Crosby missed an extra point). Down 26–10, the Bears' next two series ended with interceptions, Barkley being intercepted by Blake Martinez and Nick Perry.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
The 1–6 start marked the first start with such a record since 2000.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week eight saw the second Monday night matchup of 2016 for the Bears as they hosted the 5–1 Minnesota Vikings. In the rivalry, the Vikings led the series 57–51–2. In 12 games played on Mondays, the two teams were split with six wins apiece. A week before the game, John Fox officially cleared Jay Cutler to return to practice and make his first start since week two.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With Cutler back, Jeff Joniak emphasized the offense helping him to adapt to game conditions once again, especially against a Vikings defense that had allowed just 14 points per game and a league-low 279.5 yards per game while recording a league-best 16 turnovers and a +11 turnover ratio. Cutler also had to watch for the front seven, as the Vikings had four players with at least three sacks, while the defensive line had 17 combined sacks, five forced fumbles, 17 tackles for loss, an interception and a safety.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
On defense, the Bears had to pressure quarterback Sam Bradford, who completed only five passes in week seven against the Eagles while being blitzed on 15 occasions. Additionally, Minnesota's rushing game lacked its top two running backs and had 29 runs of negative yards, the most in the NFL. As the bye week approached, Joniak stated, "Playing with pride and with heart is as much a part of this matchup as anything."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
After the Vikings punted on their opening drive, the Bears scored on Connor Barth's 30-yard field goal; the drive had been set up by Jordan Howard's 69-yard run. Howard also provided a 34-yard catch six drives later, which helped lead to Barth kicking a 28-yard field goal in the second quarter. On Chicago's next possession, Howard scored on a two-yard touchdown run.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota came close to scoring a touchdown on the following series, including reaching as far as Chicago's two-yard line, but Bradford was sacked by Akiem Hicks on third down; the Vikings were forced to settle for Blair Walsh's 30-yard field goal. The Bears scored on the first drive of the second half when Cutler threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery to give the Bears a 20–3 lead. Neither team scored on each of their next two drives.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With 5:41 left in the game, Bradford threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to cut the margin to ten points, but the Bears offense consumed much of the time remaining. When the Bears finally punted, there was only four seconds left and Bradford ended the game with a 25-yard pass to Cordarrelle Patterson.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings
In his return, Cutler completed 20 of 31 passes for 252 yards, a touchdown and a 100.5 passer rating, while the offense recorded 403 yards with no turnovers. Howard, who recorded 153 rushing yards, 49 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown, was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. On defense, the Bears sacked Bradford five times, forced the Vikings offense to go three-and-out on three straight drives and convert just two of their thirteen third-down situations.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Returning from the bye week, the Bears visited Raymond James Stadium to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who the Bears led 38–18 in the all-time series entering the game, also winning last season's game 26–21. According to Jeff Joniak, the Bears offense could exploit the Buccaneers defense in the redzone, which ranked 28th in touchdown efficiency and 30th in scoring on plays within the 30-yard line. Defensively, the Bears had to apply pressure on quarterback Jameis Winston and cover receiver Mike Evans. Joniak described the Bears as "inspired" by the Monday night victory against the Vikings and to not "let that [winning] feeling disintegrate" in Tampa.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bears and Bucs exchanged punts on their opening drives before the first turnover of the game was committed when Jay Cutler's pass for Alshon Jeffery was intercepted by Brent Grimes. Though Tampa Bay was forced to punt on the following drive, they scored when former Bears safety Chris Conte intercepted Cutler's pass to Logan Paulsen and returned it for a touchdown. The Bears eventually scored on Connor Barth's 54-yard field goal and regained the ball when Winston's pass for Cecil Shorts was deflected and intercepted by Harold Jones-Quartey.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chicago took advantage of the turnover to reach as close as Tampa's four-yard line, but Cutler was sacked by Noah Spence and fumbled, Kwon Alexander recovering the ball for the Bucs. Cameron Brate caught a ten-yard touchdown pass from Winston on the ensuing drive to make the score 14–3, followed by Roberto Aguayo kicking a 30-yard field goal to force a two-touchdown margin. On the final play of the first half, Cutler threw a Hail Mary pass, which was deflected and caught by Cameron Meredith for a 50-yard touchdown.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bears struggled to get to Winston during the Buccaneers' first drive of the third quarter, three players chasing him into his endzone but were unable to sack him. Winston eventually threw a pass to Evans, who caught it to result in a 39-yard play. A play later, Winston threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Martino. Aguayo later kicked a 27-yard field goal, while Robert Ayers sacked Cutler later in the quarter, forcing a fumble that rolled out of the endzone for a safety. Jordan Howard also fumbled when he was tackled by William Gholston, losing it to Bradley McDougald. In the fourth quarter, Doug Martin scored on a one-yard touchdown run to make the final score 36–10.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cutler struggled in the game, causing four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles). Entering the game, Tampa Bay had recorded just four interceptions. The Bears also lost Kyle Long to an ankle injury during the game when Paul Lasike landed on his right foot while attempting to catch an errant screen pass; he was eventually placed on injured reserve. To add to the Bears' woes, Jeffery was suspended for four games on Monday for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug use policy.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
The Bears traveled to MetLife Stadium in Week 11 to take on the 6–3 New York Giants. In 57 prior matchups, the Bears led the series 33–25–2. According to Jeff Joniak's Keys to the Game, the Bears offense needed to rely on Jordan Howard and the running game; the rushing attack, which led the NFL in yards per carry (YPC) with 5.5, faced a Giants defense that ranked 18th in first down run defense with 4.27 yards, seventh in overall run defense and fifth in YPC allowed.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
In terms of rushing plays of at least ten yards, the Giants allowed 19, the fourth-best in the league, while the Bears had 28, including 21 by Howard. On defense, the Bears had to contain New York's players after catches; Odell Beckham Jr. had 281 yards after catches, sixth-most among receivers, while the Giants as a whole was ranked sixth in the category. However, the Giants struggled with turnovers, allowing 18 (including ten by quarterback Eli Manning's interceptions), which ranked 27th in the league. Joniak stated the Bears needed "to find the players who are willing to fight, scratch and crawl their way out of the hole they're in."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
On the opening drive, Jay Cutler threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller, but in windy conditions, Connor Barth missed the extra point wide right. The Giants responded with Rashad Jennings' two-yard touchdown run, though former Bear Robbie Gould also missed the extra point when his kick hit the left upright. Barth kicked a 40-yard field goal on the following drive to give the Bears the 9–6 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Howard helped the Bears record a 79-yard drive with a 27-yard run, ending the series with a one-yard touchdown run.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal to draw the Giants within one touchdown by halftime. The deficit eventually became a 22–16 lead when the Giants scored on their first two drives of the second half: Manning threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Will Tye, followed by errors from Demonte Hurst and Deon Bush resulting in a 15-yard touchdown pass by Manning to Sterling Shepard, though Gould missed the extra point on the latter's resulting PAT.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
After the two scores, the Bears defense improved and was able to hold the Giants to five consecutive punts, while punter Pat O'Donnell contributed with 54- and 67-yard punts. However, the offense struggled, punting on all but two drives in the second half. Barth missed a 51-yard field goal when it hit the right upright early in the fourth quarter.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
Down by six points with three minutes left in the game, Cutler led the offense into Giants territory before the drive stalled: by the time the unit reached New York's 30-yard line, Cutler was sacked by Jason Pierre-Paul and fumbled before recovering his own ball, followed by an illegal shift penalty on Cameron Meredith that drew the Bears further back. Cutler's underthrown pass to Marquess Wilson was intercepted by Landon Collins with 1:11 left in the game to seal the Giants victory.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
The already-depleted Bears roster suffered further injuries during the game. Starters Bobby Massie, Eddie Goldman, Mitch Unrein, Kyle Long, Kevin White and Kyle Fuller missed the game due to prior to injuries, while Alshon Jeffery remained suspended. In the game, Josh Sitton suffered an ankle injury, while Cre'Von LeBlanc left the game due to a concussion. Shortly before the end of the first half, Miller broke his right foot when Pierre-Paul stepped on it; he was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, ending his season.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at New York Giants
Midway through the fourth quarter, Leonard Floyd was hospitalized after injuring his neck in a collision with Akiem Hicks, though he was later released. To further add to the Bears' troubles, Jerrell Freeman was suspended a day after the game for four games; like Jeffery, he was suspended for using PEDs. Later that day, Cutler was revealed to have suffered a shoulder injury in the game and was placed on injured reserve on December 5.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
In week twelve, the Bears hosted the 5–6 Tennessee Titans. The Bears were 6–5 in the all-time series, most recently a 51–20 victory in 2012, though the Bears lost the last game in Chicago, a 31–24 defeat in 2008. With Jay Cutler sidelined, Matt Barkley made his first career NFL start against a Dick LeBeau-led defense that blitzed often; on second down, the Titans recorded 12 sacks, second-most in the league.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
For the Bears defense, they faced an offense powered by a running game featuring DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, while quarterback Marcus Mariota led a unit that ranked eighth in the NFL in five-minute drives and a fifth-ranked third down conversion rate. Despite the recent woes, Jeff Joniak wrote the Bears needed to maintain a high morale and allow younger players to develop, both as players and as a team.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
On their opening drive, the Bears reached the Titans' 33-yard line before stalling and turning the ball over on downs. After the Titans punted, the Bears scored first when Barkley threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Brown, their first career touchdowns. The Titans responded with Henry's 11-yard touchdown run with four seconds left in the first quarter, followed by Mariota throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Delanie Walker in the second quarter. Chicago attempted to score again when they entered Tennessee's red zone on their next drive, but Barkley's pass for Ben Braunecker was intercepted by Wesley Woodyard.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
The next two drives of the game ended with a punt before Mariota threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Rishard Matthews to give the Titans a 21–7 entering halftime. To start the second half, Connor Barth attempted a surprise onside kick, which bounced off Titan Nate Palmer as Adrian Amos recovered. The Bears took advantage to drive to the Titan's five-yard line, but were unable to score as Barkley's pass for Cameron Meredith was intercepted by Da'Norris Searcy in the endzone. Tennessee's Ryan Succop kicked field goals of 19 and 31 yards to increase the lead to 20 points.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
In the fourth quarter, Barkley began to lead a comeback as he led a 75-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Marquess Wilson, followed by a 69-yard scoring drive that concluded with a six-yard touchdown pass to Deonte Thompson to narrow the score to 27–21. The Titans were forced to punt on their next possession with 1:56 left in the game. Barkley moved the Bears downfield with 14-, 21- and 23-yard passes to Wilson, where they reached the Titans' seven-yard line to create a first-and-goal situation with 47 seconds left. Barkley's first pass to Josh Bellamy, which would have resulted in a touchdown, was dropped. His next two passes to Brown and Thompson also fell incomplete. On fourth-and-goal, Thompson dropped a Barkley pass in the back of the endzone to result in a turnover on downs.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
In addition to the two late drops by Bellamy and Thompson, the Bears as a whole struggled with drops, with ten total in the game and eight in the fourth quarter.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The 2–9 Bears hosted the 1–10 San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, the 65th meeting between the two teams. The Bears trailed the series 34–30–1 entering the game, including losing last year's game in Chicago by a score of 26–21. Jeff Joniak wrote the Bears offense could exploit a 49ers defense through rushing; in 2016, 49ers' opponents ran the ball 48.2 percent of the time, a league high and nine percent higher than the average.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers also allowed 49 runs of at least 10 yards and 14 runs of 20 yards, meaning the Bears could utilize the running back trio of Jordan Howard, Jeremy Langford, and Ka'Deem Carey effectively. The 49ers had also been outscored by 116 points in 2016. On defense, the Bears needed to stop the 49ers' own rushing attack, led by Carlos Hyde, which ranked fourth in the NFL in running and fourth in plays of at least four yards on first down.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers offense also ran the most plays in the NFL, along with having the fewest minutes with the ball. To add to the 49ers' struggles on offense, they were forced to punt often; punter Bradley Pinion's 64 punts were the most in the league. Joniak stated the Bears, who needed to find a way to force turnovers, could do so against a 49er team that allowed a league-high 83 points after giveaways. In a game that featured snow, Joniak believed the "team [that] handles the situation better could have an edge," and while the Bears would normally have that advantage, much of the roster had little experience playing in such conditions.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Neither team could score in the first quarter as every drive ended with a punt. Early in the second quarter, Shaun Draughn blocked a Bears punt, which was returned by Dontae Johnson for a touchdown. However, a review showed Johnson's foot had stepped out of bounds at the Bears' four-yard line. To add to the play, Rashard Robinson celebrated the apparent score by making a snow angel in the endzone, which drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
As a result, the 49ers started the drive on the 19-yard line and was forced to settle for Phil Dawson's 31-yard field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Deonte Thompson fumbled the ball and San Francisco's Jimmie Ward recovered, which led to Dawson's 28-yard field goal. With 1:56 left in the first half, Matt Barkley guided the Bears offense on an 81-yard drive with four passes for 64 yards and ended the drive with Jordan Howard's one-yard touchdown run. The Bears' next two drives also ended with scores by Howard via two- and five-yard runs.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Connor Barth added a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick struggled during the game as he was sacked five times before being replaced by Blaine Gabbert early in the fourth. Gabbert also struggled as he was sacked in the endzone by Leonard Floyd for a safety to make the final score 26–6.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The six points allowed were the fewest by the Bears since they allowed three against Jacksonville in 2012. The defense also forced six sacks and allowed just 147 total yards; the former was the most since 2012 against the St. Louis Rams and the latter is the fewest since 2010 against Carolina. Both teams did not complete a pass in the first quarter; Barkley and Kaepernick attempted a combined three passes in the quarter. It was the first time since the 1988 game between the Patriots and Jets that neither team could complete a pass in a quarter. Kaepernick eventually threw a four-yard pass to Vance McDonald in the second quarter, ending the run at 22:30.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
The Bears traveled to Detroit for the second game of the season against the Lions, who led the division with an 8–4 record. Matt Barkley, who played in rowdy stadiums during his college career at USC, faced a Ford Field that Jeff Joniak stated would be agitated by the Lions' recent success, describing the atmospheres as "just different in the NFL." Barkley's offense also took on a defense that restricted its last six opponents to less than 20 points and prefer to blitz. As such, Joniak wrote the Bears' rushing offense would be crucial in the game.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
Defensively, the Bears needed to contain the Lions after catches, a category in which Detroit ranked fifth in the NFL, and as such need to ensure solid tackles. The Lions offense favored the pass, throwing 64 percent of the time, the fifth-highest, while Matthew Stafford had thrown 25 percent of his passes to running backs. Running back Theo Riddick caught 53 catches, meaning the Bears needed to apply pressure to him.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
As Joniak described it, the odds were "all stacked against the Bears", but an upset victory would give the Bears a 3–1 record in the NFC North, which would help John Fox and the Bears "turn negatives into positives by winning in the division to prop up what has turned into a rebuilding season."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
Connor Barth scored the first points of the game when he kicked a 38-yard field goal on the Bears' first drive. The Lions responded in the second quarter with Matt Prater's 29-yard field goal, followed by Stafford completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin with 19 seconds left in the first half; Boldin capitalized on Harold Jones-Quartey falling while attempting to cover him for the score. In the third quarter, Prater extended the gap to ten points when he kicked a 54-yard field goal.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
Barkley threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Meredith on the Bears' resulting drive to draw the Bears within three points. Chicago regained the ball when Demontre Hurst intercepted a Stafford pass that deflected off Golden Tate in the endzone for a touchback. Although the Bears were unable to score on the following series, they took the lead when Cre'Von LeBlanc intercepted Stafford's pass for Boldin and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. With 3:17 left in the game, Stafford scored on a seven-yard touchdown run to give Detroit the lead once again.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
Barkley attempted to lead the Bears offense down the field in hopes of recording a game-tying field goal, but a 27-yard pass to Meredith to the Lions' 16-yard line was nullified by a holding penalty on Charles Leno. Barkley then threw a 30-yard pass to Daniel Braverman, which was also overruled by a holding penalty on Ted Larsen. Now faced with a first-and-30 situation, Barkley completed a five-yard pass to Daniel Brown, followed by an incomplete pass to Deonte Thompson.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
Needing 25 yards for a first down, Barkley's pass for Meredith drew the Bears to 11 yards on fourth down with 13 seconds left. Barkley threw a pass to Josh Bellamy, but it hit his right shoulder while he was facing Darius Slay, resulting in a turnover on downs as the Bears fell 20–17.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Detroit Lions
The loss eliminated the Bears from postseason contention for the sixth consecutive year. The Bears have lost four consecutive games at Ford Field, their longest skid in Detroit since dropping six in a row at the Pontiac Silverdome between 1994 and 1999, while also dropping to 0–7 in away games for the first time since 1974.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
The week fifteen matchup between the Bears and Packers featured a forecast weather of 1 °F (−17 °C) with 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) winds, the coldest game in Chicago. The previous record was 2 °F (−17 °C) in a Bears–Packers game in 2008, won by the Bears. The game ultimately featured temperatures of 11 °F (−12 °C). Chicago's rushing unit took on a Green Bay defense that was ranked sixth in rushing plays of at least ten yards with 30, and fourth in average first down rushing yards with 3.72 yards.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
Additionally, the Packers run defense was one of thirteen teams in the NFL to allow less than 100 yards per game, while also forcing 44 runs for negative yards, the fifth-most in the league. Despite this success, Jeff Joniak stated the Bears should utilize Jordan Howard, as the Bears averaged five rushing yards on first-down, while Howard recorded most than three yards after contact and only 9.8 percent of his runs had resulted in negative yards.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
Regarding Chicago's defense, Joniak wrote it should "remain wary of [Aaron] Rodgers", who led the league in touchdown passes with 32 and threw only eight interceptions. On third down, the Packers offense ranked second with a 47.1 percent conversion rate.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
According to Joniak, the primary intangible of the game would be the 'scout's eye", as scouts would be using the last three games of the season to evaluate players, as those "who continue to compete with passion and toughness will earn high marks for not allowing the adversity of the season, the playing conditions or circumstances dictate the extent to which they invest themselves."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Packers opened the game with a score on the opening drive courtesy of Ty Montgomery's four-yard run. After three drives that ended with punts, the Packers were threatening to enter the Bears' red zone when Rodgers was sacked by Pernell McPhee to force a turnover on downs. Connor Barth kicked a 26-yard field goal and the Bears took the lead later in the second quarter when Matt Barkley threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Josh Bellamy. The Packers tied the game with Mason Crosby's 34-yard field goal.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
On the last play of the first half, Barkley's Hail Mary pass was intercepted by Micah Hyde. From there, the Bears began to struggle; Barkley was strip-sacked by Julius Peppers and was later intercepted by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. As a result, the Packers scored 20 unanswered points off Crosby's 18-yard field goal, Montgomery and Christine Michael's runs of three and 42 yards, respectively. In the fourth quarter, the Bears began to rally when Barkley threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, followed by Howard's nine-yard touchdown run. Barth tied the game at 27–27 with a 22-yard field goal. However, Rodgers threw a 60-yard pass to Jordy Nelson, which set up Crosby's game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
The final home game of the year featured the Bears hosting the Washington Redskins, who led the all-time series 26–23–1. To attack Washington's defense, Jeff Joniak stated the Bears should utilize Jordan Howard; Howard, who was approaching 1,200 rushing yards on the season, took on a Redskins run defense that ranked 27th in percentage of runs at least four yards and 30th in first down run defense with 4.98 yards per carry. As for Chicago's defense, it faced a Washington offense that ranked third in the league.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
It also contained plenty of speed with players like receivers DeSean Jackson, who recorded three 100-yard games in the last four; Jamison Crowder, who led the Redskins with seven receiving touchdowns; Pierre Garçon, who led the team with 71 catches; tight ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis combined for 104 catches and seven touchdowns. Joniak added the run defense, who struggled against the Packers last week, needed to watch running back Rob Kelly, who ran for 137 yards against Green Bay five weeks earlier. Joniak also wrote the Bears had provided a challenge for playoff-contending teams, and one like the Redskins, who were "on a short week, off a loss and on the road," was "susceptible against the feisty Bears."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
Chris Thompson scored the first points of the game for the Redskins with a seven-yard touchdown run. Matt Barkley attempted to lead the Bears in response, spurred by 18-yard passes to Deonte Thompson and Alshon Jeffery along with Howard's 23-yard run. However, Barkley threw two incomplete passes, which resulted in Connor Barth attempting a 22-yard field goal, but the kick was blocked by Preston Smith.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
Thompson ran for a 17-yard touchdown on the next drive; when Chicago entered Washington territory once again, Barkley's pass for Josh Bellamy went into triple coverage and was intercepted by Bashaud Breeland at the one-yard line. Dustin Hopkins later kicked a 29-yard field goal. The next three drives of the game ended with a touchdown: Jeremy Langford ran for a one-yard touchdown, Kirk Cousins recorded a nine-yard touchdown run and Barkley threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Meredith.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
Barkley struggled early in the second half when he threw interceptions on each of the Bears' first four drives of the half to Josh Norman (twice), Breeland and Will Blackmon; the Redskins converted two of the picks into scores with Cousins' one-yard touchdown run and Hopkins' 20-yard field goal. Although Barkley threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Thompson, Mack Brown's 61-yard touchdown run increased the margin between the two teams to 20 points as the Bears lost 41–21.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
With the loss, the Bears fell to 3–12 for the first time since the NFL expanded to 16 games in 1978. The 41 points allowed were the most since the team allowed 48 in 2015 to the Cardinals.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
The Bears visited U.S. Bank Stadium for the final game of the 2016 season against the Vikings. Held on New Year's Day, this marked the fourth New Year game for the Bears, all of which had been played in Minnesota; the Bears were 2–1 in such games. The Bears offense took on a Vikings defense that ranked second in the NFL in quarterback knockdowns; to contain the pass rush, Jeff Joniak stated the Bears should utilize Jordan Howard, who ranked second in the league in runs of at least ten yards.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
Defensively, the Bears needed to cover the Vikings' receivers; while the Vikings were ranked 28th in yards gained at the point of catch, they are more effective in gaining yards after the catch. Additionally, since the Bears' Monday night victory against the Vikings earlier in the season, Minnesota had gone 2–7. Joniak added the Bears should "leave them a little reminder of what's coming around the corner in 2017 by playing well and beating the Vikings in their home stadium."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings scored first on Sam Bradford throwing a swing pass to Jerick McKinnon, who beat Adrian Amos for the 19-yard touchdown. Matt Barkley led the Bears into the Vikings' red zone, where his pass for Alshon Jeffery was underthrown and intercepted by Xavier Rhodes, which the Vikings converted into Kai Forbath's 21-yard field goal. Two plays into the Bears' ensuing drive, Jeremy Langford fumbled when MyCole Pruitt bumped into him and Anthony Harris recovered the loose ball.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota converted it into another score when Bradford threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph, who escaped Harold Jones-Quartey to make the score. Both teams punted on their next drives before the Bears scored for the first time in the game; Langford took the snap before handing the ball off to Cameron Meredith, who passed to Barkley for the two-yard touchdown. Although the Bears forced the Vikings to punt on their next possession, Bralon Addison muffed the following punt and Viking Jayron Kearse recovered; the takeaway later resulted in Bradford's one-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
On the final kickoff return of the first half, Deonte Thompson returned it 61 yards. Barkley then threw a 31-yard pass to Meredith, which set up Connor Barth's 29-yard field goal. The first two drives of the third quarter ended with an interception as Barkley's pass for Meredith was intercepted by Trae Waynes, followed by Bradford's pass for Cordarrelle Patterson being intercepted by Cre'Von LeBlanc. However, the Bears were stopped on fourth down and turned the ball over, which resulted in Minnesota scoring again on McKinnon's ten-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Vikings' Everson Griffen recovered a fumble on the next driver and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. David Fales replaced Barkley on the next series, but was unable to lead the Bears on a scoring drive as the Bears fell 38–10.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
Chicago ended the year with a 3–13 record, the worst in team history since they went 1–13 in 1969 and the worst since the NFL's expansion to a 16-game schedule. The Bears also lost all eight away games for the first time since they went 0–7 on the road in 1974. Yet ironically that same year (2016), Chicago's baseball team, Cubs, won the World Series. They had their best season in history.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics
The Bears struggled with injuries in 2016, with a league-high 19 players on injured reserve by the end of the season; since John Fox and Ryan Pace joined the team in 2015, the Bears had 32 players on IR, more than twice the number during the two-year tenure of previous GM Phil Emery and HC Marc Trestman. Of the 19, 13 players started at least one game for the Bears in 2016. On 1,010 total offensive plays, left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was the only Bear (and one of just 27 NFL players) to participate in all of his team's plays, while end Akiem Hicks was the only defensive player to start all sixteen games.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics
Offensively, Chicago excelled on first down as the unit averaged 7.58 yards, second-most in the NFL behind the Falcons' 8.1 yards; the Bears also averaged 6.97 yards per run and 8.16 yards per pass, among the highest in the league. While the team averaged 365.5 yards per game (15th), they also averaged just 17.4 points per game (28th).


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics
On defense, the Bears were unable to record turnovers as they set the NFL record for the fewest in a season with 11, including just three forced fumbles. The pass defense allowed 6.79 yards per play, ranking among the worst in the league, but allowed just 93 yards after the catch per game, second-fewest in the NFL behind the Patriots.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics
In terms of averages, the Bears' special teams ranked 19th in the NFL in punt return, 18th in kickoff return, 25th in gross punting and 29th in net punting. In coverage, Chicago allowed a league-worst 12.8 yards per punt return and a league-most 94.3 percent of field goals to be converted.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
At quarterback, the Bears alternated between three players due to injuries; Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer started five games each, while Matt Barkley started six. After injuring his thumb in week two and missing the next five games,  Cutler made his return in Minnesota with a touchdown pass. He struggled in the next two games against the Buccaneers and Giants before his season ended with a shoulder injury. In 2016, Cutler threw for 1,059 yards with four touchdowns, five interceptions and a 78.1 passer rating.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Second-stringer Hoyer threw for 300 yards in four straight games, the first Bear to do so in team history, with a season total of 1,445 yards with six touchdowns, no interceptions and a 98.0 passer rating. However, the Bears went 1–3 during his stint before he suffered a season-ending arm injury in Green Bay. Third-string quarterback Connor Shaw's leg injury in the preseason resulted in Barkley becoming the new signal-caller for the Bears.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
he threw for three touchdown passes in the six-point loss against the Titans, followed by leading the Bears to a win over the 49ers and recorded another touchdown pass in a close loss to the Lions. Of his 216 pass attempts, 89 went for a first down (41.2 percent), trailing only Atlanta's Matt Ryan (44.6) for the highest percentage in the league. His success dropped in the final three games when he allowed a combined ten turnovers. Barkley ended the year having thrown for eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The quarterbacks threw a combined 13 interceptions in the second half during the 2016 season, second-most in the league behind the Jets (19).


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Entering the 2016 season, rookie Jordan Howard was the third-string running back behind Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey. After injuries sidelined both of them in week five, Howard became the starter and ended the year with 1,313 rushing yards, breaking the Bears rookie rushing record of 1,296 set by Matt Forte in 2008. The 1,313 yards were the second-most in the NFL behind Dallas rookie Ezekiel Elliott.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
He joined Walter Payton in 1977 as the only Bears players to have at least 1,300 rushing yards; Howard also averaged at least five yards per carry in a season and set a Bears rookie record with seven games where he had at least 100 yards rushing, two more than the previous record of five by Beattie Feathers in 1934 and Rashaan Salaam in 1995. In his three starts, Langford ran for 116 yards and ended the year with 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while Carey had 32 carries for 126 yards.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
The Bears' primary receivers suffered from various issues during the season: Alshon Jeffery, who caught 52 passes for 821 yards and two touchdowns, was suspended for four games after week ten; Kevin White, who set the team record for the most receptions in the first four games of a season with 19, broke his fibula in week four; Eddie Royal, who caught 33 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns in addition to a 65-yard punt return touchdown in week two, played only nine games due to a broken toe; Marquess Wilson was on the physically-unable-to-perform list for the first six games for a foot injury and played only three games.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
The absences forced Cameron Meredith, Josh Bellamy and Deonte Thompson into action; Meredith led the Bears with 66 catches, 888 yards and four touchdowns; Bellamy, who struggled with drops during the season, had 19 receptions for 282 yards and one touchdown; Thompson scored two touchdowns on 22 catches for 249 yards. The tight end position was also affected by injuries; starter Zach Miller was placed on injured reserve for a foot injury in week eleven; prior to his injury, he led the Bears in receptions (47) and touchdowns (four) in addition to a career-high 486 receiving yards. Backup Daniel Brown caught 16 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Logan Paulsen had three receptions for 15 yards and Ben Braunecker recorded four catches for 41 yards.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Rookie Cody Whitehair anchored the offensive line at center, a position he had never played in college; he was a left guard during the offseason before he was moved to center when the Bears signed Josh Sitton. At center, Whitehair started all sixteen games and allowed just one sack. Although he joined the Bears a week before the regular season began, Sitton flourished at left guard and made the Pro Bowl.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
However, right guard Kyle Long suffered an ankle injury in week ten and was placed on injured reserve, while center Hroniss Grasu tore his ACL during the offseason and did not play in 2016. Backup guards Ted Larsen and Eric Kush excelled as depth when Sitton and Long were injured, allowing just one sack against the Vikings in week eight.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
On the defensive line, newcomer Akiem Hicks led all defensive linemen in tackles (71), sacks (seven), pass breakups (three) and forced fumbles (two). Tackle Eddie Goldman also showed signs of success, but struggled with injuries and was placed on injured reserve after week fourteen. Mitch Unrein and Cornelius Washington recorded career-bests in tackles with 33 and 27, respectively, while Unrein also had a sack. Goldman's replacement C. J. Wilson had eleven tackles and a sack.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Chicago's new linebacker trio of Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman and Leonard Floyd performed well but missed a combined fifteen games. Trevathan missed two games early in the season with a thumb injury before he ruptured his patellar tendon in week twelve, ruling him out for the remainder of the year. Freeman led the team in tackles and tackles-for-loss with 127 and seven, respectively, but was suspended for four games after week eleven.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Floyd, who suffered a calf injury and two concussions during the year and did not play in four games, recorded 33 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and six tackles-for-loss. The seven sacks ranked third-highest by a Bears rookie behind Mark Anderson's twelve in 2006 and Brian Urlacher's eight in 2000. Outside linebackers Pernell McPhee, Willie Young and Sam Acho recorded 28 tackles and four sacks, 59 tackles and a team-best 7.5 sacks, and 40 tackles and a sack, respectively. In six starts as a substitute for Trevathan, rookie Nick Kwiatkoski had 43 tackles, a sack and five tackles-for-loss.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Cornerback Tracy Porter was the top player in the Bears' secondary, recording 48 tackles, two interceptions and 13 pass breakups despite a knee injury. Rookie Cre'Von LeBlanc played opposite Porter and recorded similar stats with 46 tackles, two picks and 13 pass breakups. While safety Adrian Amos recorded 60 tackles, his fellow safety Harold Jones-Quartey (who led the team with 82 tackles) was replaced by Deon Bush during the year. With the secondary struggling to force turnovers, general manager Ryan Pace commented, "I honestly think we need to add more playmakers to our secondary. We need to add more ball skills to our secondary. That's on me and we'll do that."


2016 Chicago Bears season, Statistics, Position reviews
Kicker Connor Barth had trouble converting his field goals early in the season, making just four of his first seven attempts, before he improved to making fourteen of sixteen. With 18 of 23 kicks converted, he ranked 27th in field goal percentage. Punter Pat O'Donnell averaged 44 yards on 68 punts with 24 punts going inside the opponents' red zone and five touchbacks. On kickoff returns, Deonte Thompson led the NFL with 35, while ranking second with 810 yards and an average of 23 yards. In addition to a touchdown in week two, punt returner Eddie Royal had an average of 8.7 yards on 19 returns. Sherrick McManis led all Bears gunners in tackles with 13.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Awards and records
For the second straight year, no Bears were named to the Pro Bowl. On January 11, 2017, Jordan Howard was named as a replacement for injured Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson. Howard joined Gale Sayers as the only Bears rookie running backs to make the Pro Bowl. Josh Sitton was later named to the Pro Bowl, replacing Green Bay's T. J. Lang.


2016 Chicago Bears season, Awards and records
In January 2017, the Pro Football Writers Association named Jordan Howard, Cody Whitehair and Leonard Floyd to the All-Rookie Team. The three were also named to NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt's All-Rookie Team.


2016 Chicago Blitz season
The 2016 Chicago Blitz season was the third season for the American Indoor Football franchise, and their second season in the AIF. On May 25, the Blitz cancelled its last scheduled road game and announced that the team was for sale.


2016 Chicago Blitz season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated May 12, 201630 Active, 2 Inactive


2016 Chicago Cubs season
The 2016 Chicago Cubs season was the 145th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 141st in the National League and the Cubs' 101st season at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by Joe Maddon in his second year as Cubs manager, and played their home games at Wrigley Field as members of the National League Central Division.


2016 Chicago Cubs season
To celebrate their 100 years at Wrigley, the Cubs wore a patch on their home uniforms and wore 1916 throwback uniforms on July 6.


2016 Chicago Cubs season
They began the season on April 4, 2016 at the Los Angeles Angels and finished the regular season on October 2, 2016 at the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs finished with the best record in Major League Baseball, 103–58, and won their first National League Central title since the 2008 season, winning by 17½ games. The team also reached the 100-win mark for the first time since 1935 and won 103 total games, the most wins for the franchise since 1910.


2016 Chicago Cubs season
The Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series and returned to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row, where they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.


2016 Chicago Cubs season
The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the 2016 World Series, their first appearance since the 1945 World Series and first win since the 1908 World Series. In the World Series, the Cubs came back from a three-games-to-one deficit, winning the final three games. The last time a team came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to win the World Series was the Kansas City Royals in 1985.


2016 Chicago Cubs season
The Cubs were also the first team to win Games 6 and 7 on the road in a World Series since the Pittsburgh Pirates did it against the Baltimore Orioles in 1979. The World Series victory put an end to the so-called Curse of the Billy Goat and the longest World Series championship drought in history. The 2016 Cubs are regarded as one of the best teams in MLB history.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Previous season
The Cubs finished the 2015 season 97–65, in third place in the Central Division, but qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2008 as the second wild card. The defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game to advance the National League Division Series to face the St. Louis Cardinals. Facing their rival for the first time in playoff history, the Cubs defeated the Cardinals three games to one to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2003. Facing the New York Mets in the NLCS, the Cubs were swept four games to none.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Offseason, Broadcast changes
After just one year broadcasting on WBBM (780), the Cubs announced the move of their play-by-play to CBS Radio sister station WSCR (670) for the 2016 season, taking advantage of a contract clause allowing the move to WSCR after CBS let their rights to White Sox play-by-play lapse.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, April
The Cubs won their first three games and eight of their first nine to begin the season 8–1, their best start since 1969.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, April
The Cubs finished the month of April with an MLB-best record of 17–5. Jake Arrieta was selected National League Player of the Month.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, May
The Cubs finished May with a 35–15 record, the best in the majors, and led the NL Central by 6.5 games over the Pirates.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, June
The Cubs began June with the best run differential in the majors, plus 129, and a record of 35–15, also the best. Cubs starting pitchers began the month with a combined earned run average of 2.38.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, June
The Cubs finished June with a 51–27 record and an 11-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, July
The Cubs began July with the best record in baseball, 51–27, the best run differential, plus 169, and had a run of 10 consecutive months of at least .500 play. The pitching staff had the lowest ERA, the fewest hits allowed, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, and the lowest batting average by opponents in MLB. The Cubs offense, when compared to all teams, was second in on base percentage, second in base runners who eventually score, second in the number of RBIs, and first in walks.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, July
Kris Bryant was tied with Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox and Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles for the Major League Home Run lead with 23 and was fourth with 61 RBIs. Anthony Rizzo had 60. It was announced that the July 12th All-Star game in San Diego would begin with the entire Cubs infield (Bryant, Rizzo, Russell, and Zobrist) as starters. Rizzo led all National League players in votes. Zobrist beat out Daniel Murphy by 88 votes. Fowler, though injured, was the top vote getter for National League outfielders. Lester and Arrieta were also named to the team.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, July
The Cubs finished July with a record of 12–14 for the month marking the first time in manager Joe Maddon's tenure that the Cubs had a record under .500 in a single month.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, August
The Cubs began August with the best MLB record of 63–41. The pitching staff once again had the lowest ERA, the fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed, fewest earned runs allowed, the lowest batting average by opponents in MLB, and were among the leaders in fewest home runs allowed and in striking out opponent batters. The Cubs offense was among the leaders in on-base percentage, base runners who eventually score, RBI's, and walks. Bryant and Rizzo were among the major league leaders in home runs and RBI's.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, August
Through August 22, Kyle Hendricks led the Majors in ERA for pitchers with over 140 innings at 2.16. Jake Arrieta was fourth at 2.75 and Jon Lester was fifth at 2.81. Addison Russell's 84 RBIs were the most in one season by a Cubs shortstop since Ernie Banks in 1960.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, August
The Cubs record for the month of August was 22–6 and their overall record of 85–47 was the best in baseball. Their home record of 48–19 was also the best in baseball. The pitching staff once again led the league with the lowest earned run average of 3.13, fewest hits allowed at 926, fewest runs allowed at 450, fewest earned runs allowed at 415, the lowest batting average by opponents at .213, and were among the leaders in fewest home runs allowed and in striking out opponent batters.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, August
The Cubs offense was among the leaders in on-base percentage, base runners who eventually score, runs batted in, and drawing walks. Kyle Hendricks entered September with an earned run average of 2.09 in 159 innings pitched which led all major league starting pitchers. Kris Bryant hit eight home runs and drove in 18 runs with a batting average of .456 and an on base percentage of .549 in the last 15 games. He had a post All-Star break batting average of .346.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, September
With only two games left in the regular season, the Cubs finished September with a record of 102–57, the best record in baseball. The pitching staff approached the playoffs with three Cy Young Award candidates in Arrieta, Lester, and Hendricks. The entire staff led the league with the fewest hits, runs, and earned runs allowed. They also had the lowest opponent batting average and the lowest WHIP.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, Season summary, October
At the conclusion of the regular season, the pitching staff had a major league-low team ERA of 3.15, the fewest runs allowed at 556, the fewest earned runs allowed at 511, the lowest batting average by opponents at .212 and were among the leaders in fewest home runs allowed and in striking out opponent batters. The Cubs offense, when compared to all major league teams, was among the leaders in on-base percentage (.343), base runners who eventually score (808),  RBI's and drawing walks (656). Their run differential was +252. The Cubs had two serious MVP candidates in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo and three possible Gold Glove winners.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 1
The Cubs began postseason play with starter Jon Lester on the mound facing Johnny Cueto for the Wild Card Game-winning Giants. In the pitching duel, Lester scattered five hits in eight innings of work, shutting out the Giants. Cueto also blanked the Cubs allowing only two hits prior to the eighth inning. In the eighth, Javier Báez hit a solo home run into the left field basket to put the Cubs up 1–0. Aroldis Chapman appeared for the save in the ninth and gave up a double to Buster Posey, but shut the Giants down as the Cubs took a 1–0 series lead.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 2
In game two of the series, the Cubs scored a run in the first inning on a Ben Zobrist single off former Cub Jeff Samardzija. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had the key hit in the second inning, driving in two runs on a single up the middle. Kris Bryant drove in the Cubs' fourth run of the game two batters later and the Cubs led 4–0, forcing Samardzija from the game. In the top of the third, the Giants answered, scoring two runs on back-to-back doubles by Joe Panik and pinch-hitter Gregor Blanco and a sacrifice fly by Brandon Belt.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 2
Hendricks was then hit in the arm by an Ángel Pagán line drive, forcing him to leave the game. Reliever Travis Wood ended the Giants' rally and, in the bottom half of the inning, hit a solo home run to put the Cubs up 5–2. The home run was the first by a relief pitcher in a postseason game since 1924. The Cub bullpen of Carl Edwards Jr., Mike Montgomery, and Héctor Rondón shut down the Giants for the remainder of the game with Aroldis Chapman getting the save.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 3
The Cubs looked to finish the series sweep with Jake Arrieta facing the Giants' Madison Bumgarner in game three. The Giants looked to extend their winning streak to 10–0 in their last 10 elimination games. Arrieta hit a three-run homer in the top of the second, putting the Cubs up 3–0. The Cubs threatened to chase Bumgarner from the game in the third inning putting runners on first and second with only one out following singles by Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 3
However, the Cubs failed to score and the Giants scored a run in the third following a Denard Span double and added a second run in the fifth following Span's triple. In the eighth inning, Travis Wood gave up a single and Héctor Rondón walked a batter. Closer Aroldis Chapman came in early to get a six-out save, but Chapman gave up a two-run triple to Conor Gillaspie to give the Giants' their first lead of the series. Chapman was lifted shortly thereafter, getting only one out. The Giants added another run on a single by Brandon Crawford.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 3
In the ninth, trailing 5–3, Dexter Fowler led off with a walk and Kris Bryant hit a two-run home run off Giants' closer Sergio Romo to tie the game. Mike Montgomery took over in the ninth for the Cubs and held the Giants scoreless for four innings. In the 13th inning, the Giants' Brandon Crawford doubled to lead off the inning and Joe Panik doubled him home to send the series to a game four.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 4
The Giants looked to continue their streak of wins in elimination games to 11 as the Cubs sent John Lackey to the mound against the Giants' Matt Moore. Lackey started off slow, allowing a leadoff double to Denard Span and a sacrifice fly by Buster Posey to give the Giants an early 1–0 lead. David Ross answered for the Cubs in the third with a solo home run to tie the game. The home run made Ross the oldest catcher ever to homer in a postseason game.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 4
However, Lackey got in trouble again in the fourth, giving up a run-scoring to single to Moore with the bases loaded and a force-out grounder by Span to put the Giants up 3–1. The Cubs bounced back with a run in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Ross. Justin Grimm relieved Lackey in the bottom of the fifth and surrendered a single to Posey and a double that just missed being a home run by Brandon Crawford.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 4
Travis Wood entered and gave up a single to Conor Gillaspie and sacrifice fly to Joe Panik as the Giants surged to a 5–2 lead. Moore cruised through the next three innings, retiring the Cubs in order in the eighth before being lifted for the Giants' bullpen to start the ninth as it appeared a Game 5 was inevitable. However, the Giants ended up using five pitchers in the inning as Kris Bryant singled, Anthony Rizzo walked, and Ben Zobrist doubled to score Bryant and tighten the game at 5–3.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 4
Cubs manager Joe Maddon then decided to pinch hit for Addison Russell and his 95 RBIs with little-used Chris Coghlan. This caused Giants manager Bruce Bochy to counter with lefty reliever Will Smith and Maddon went to rookie catcher Willson Contreras instead. Contreras promptly singled up the middle to tie the game at five. Jason Heyward's attempted sacrifice bunt was too hard and Contreras was forced out at second, but gold-glove winner Crawford's throw to first ended up in the dugout allowing Heyward to reach second with one out.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Division Series, Game 4
Javier Báez then singled up the middle to complete the comeback and give the Cubs the 6–5 lead. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth as the Cubs eliminated the Giants and moved on to the NLCS. The Cubs' comeback marked the biggest comeback in postseason-clinching history.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 1
The NLCS opened at Wrigley Field with the Cubs' Jon Lester facing Kenta Maeda for the Dodgers. The Cubs moved on top early, scoring in the first on a lead-off single by Dexter Fowler and a Kris Bryant double. The Cubs added to their lead in the second when Jason Heyward tripled to start the inning and Javier Báez doubled him home, putting the lead at 2–0. Báez advanced to third on a wild pitch by Maeda and stole home on a late throw by Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 1
Lester cruised until the fifth inning when he allowed a pinch-hit home run by Andre Ethier, batting for Maeda, pulling the Dodgers within two at 3–1. Lester was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth with a runner on second and two out, but the Cubs could not cash in on the scoring opportunity. In the top of the eighth, the Dodgers loaded the bases off Cubs relievers Mike Montgomery and Pedro Strop, bringing Aroldis Chapman into the game with no outs.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 1
Chapman struck out the first two batters he faced and appeared to be on the verge of escaping the inning, but Adrián González singled up the middle scoring two runs and tying the game at three. The Dodgers brought in reliever Joe Blanton in the bottom of the eighth to try to keep the game tied. However, Ben Zobrist doubled to lead off the inning. Blanton struck out Addison Russell and the Dodgers chose to walk the left hand-hitting Heyward to face Báez. Báez could not come through, flying out softly to right field.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 1
Left hander Chris Coghlan pinch hit for David Ross and was also intentionally walked to load the bases. Batting for the pitcher, Miguel Montero, also a left hander, forced the Dodgers to choose to bring in a lefty reliever to face him and possibly see Willson Contreras instead or face Montero. The Dodgers chose to face Montero and on an 0–2 pitch, Montero hit a grand slam, putting the Cubs up 7–3. Fowler followed with a solo home run and Héctor Rondón gave up a run in the ninth as the Cubs won 8–4 and took the series lead 1–0.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 2
Game 2 of the series featured the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw off of his Division Series heroics and the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks. Kershaw was dominant from the start, pitching a perfect four innings before giving up a single to Javier Báez. However, the Cubs could get nothing further. Hendricks also pitched well, allowing only a solo home run to Adrián González in the top of the second inning. That would be all Kershaw needed as he pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering two hits. Dodgers' closer Kenley Jansen came in the eighth to attempt a six-out save.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 2
Jansen shut down the Cubs and the Dodgers tied the series at one game apiece heading to Los Angeles. Cubs batters Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo continued their struggles, each going 0–3 in the game. Combined, Ben Zobrist, Rizzo, and Russell were 6–60 in the playoffs. The game also marked the Cubs first 1–0 loss in the postseason since Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox blanked them in the 1918 World Series opener at Comiskey Park (borrowed by the Cubs because of its larger seating capacity).


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 3
As the series shifted to Los Angeles, the Cubs looked to break out of their hitting slump and sent Jake Arrieta to the mound, the Dodgers countered with Rich Hill. However, the Cubs' hitting problems continued as Hill shut them down, allowing only two hits in six innings of work. The Dodgers scored first in the third with a run-scoring single by Corey Seager. The Dodger offense also homered twice off of Arrieta: a two-run homer by Yasmani Grandal in the fourth and a solo homer by Justin Turner in the sixth.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 3
The Dodger bullpen continued where Hill left off and the Dodger offense added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6–0 lead. Kenley Jansen pitched the final four outs give the Dodgers a two games to one lead in the series. The back-to-back shutouts were the Dodgers first ever consecutive shutouts in postseason history. The back-to-back shutouts also marked the first time the Cubs had been shutout in back-to-back games since May 27–28, 2014. The Cubs hitting slump continued as the 2-3-4-5 hitters went 3–27 in the two shutouts.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 4
As the Cubs entered Game 4, they looked to break their two-game scoring drought. Playoff veteran John Lackey took the mound for the Cubs as the Dodgers sent Julio Urías, the youngest pitcher to start a game in postseason history. The Cubs struggles continued as Urías held the Cubs without a hit through three innings. In the bottom of the second, the Dodgers had a scoring chance denied as Adrián González was thrown out at the plate by Jason Heyward after an Andrew Toles single. In the fourth, the Cubs bats began to awaken.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 4
Ben Zobrist notched the first Cub hit of the game as he bunted to lead off. Javier Báez and Willson Contreras followed with singles to score Zobrist. The run marked the first scored by the Cubs in 21 innings. A Heyward groundout pushed home another run and left Contreras at third for Addison Russell. On an 0–2 pitch, Russell broke out of his slump with a two-run homer to put the Cubs up 4–0. Urías was lifted one batter later.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 4
In the top of the fifth, the Cubs breakout continued with Anthony Rizzo hitting a home run on a full count and pushing the lead to 5–0. Back-to-back walks to lead off the bottom of the fourth forced Lackey from the game. Reliever Mike Montgomery gave up a single to load the bases before striking out Corey Seager. A single off of Montgomery's glove by Justin Turner brought in two runs and the Dodgers closed the lead to 5–2. Montgomery retired the next two batters to end the threat.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 4
In the top of the sixth, the Cubs blew the game open. Russell singled and reached second on a throwing error. Montgomery singled, moving Russell to third. Dexter Fowler singled to score Russell. Following a Kris Bryant walk, Rizzo notched his second hit of the game as he singled to score two runs and up the lead to 8–2. Following a single by Zobrist to load the bases, Báez hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Joc Pedersen. Pedersen's throw to home got by the catcher as Bryant scored and Rizzo came home on the wild throw as well ballooning the lead to 10–2. The Cub bullpen shut down the Dodgers for the remainder of the game as the series was tied at two games apiece.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 5
With the series tied at two games apiece, the Cubs looked to Jon Lester to keep up his strong playoff performance. The Dodgers also went with their Game 1 starter, Kenta Maeda. The Cubs started the scoring in the first inning on a single by Dexter Fowler and an RBI double by Anthony Rizzo, but could muster nothing further in the first. The Cubs left runners on base in the first, second, fourth, and fifth innings, but could not get another run in.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 5
The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the fourth following a Howie Kendrick double and steal of third. Adrián González hit the ball to Rizzo who could not field it cleanly and the run scored as a result. The Dodgers lifted Maeda from the game in the fourth and turned it over to the bullpen. In the sixth, Javier Báez continued his strong postseason play by singling to start the inning. Following a strikeout of Jason Heyward, Addison Russell homered to center field to break the deadlock and put the Cubs up 3–1.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 5
After stranding two more runners in the seventh, the Cubs offense broke the game open in the eighth. Russell reached on error and pinch hitter Willson Contreras singled to put runners at first and second. Pinch hitter Albert Almora, Jr. bunted the runners over and Dexter Fowler followed with an infield singled to score the Cubs' fourth run of the game. An infield single by Kris Bryant scored Contreras and a walk by Ben Zobrist loaded the bases for Báez.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 5
Báez, as he seemed to have done all postseason, came through with a bases-clearing double to put the Cubs up 8–1. The Dodgers added a run in the bottom of the eighth off of Pedro Strop on a double by Carlos Ruiz. Cub closer Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth and allowed a run-scoring single by Josh Reddick and a sacrifice fly by Andrew Toles to make the score 8–4. Chapman induced Justin Turner to ground out to end the game.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 5
The win put the Cubs on the brink of the World Series with a three games to two lead as the series moved back to Wrigley Field. The Cubs took advantage of the Dodgers bullpen in the series, scoring 26 runs in 26.2 innings pitched by Maeda and the Dodger bullpen.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 6
As the series returned to Wrigley Field, the Cubs looked to earn a trip to the World Series for the first time since 1945. The Cubs sent ERA-leader Kyle Hendricks to the mound while the Dodgers countered with Clayton Kershaw. On the first pitch of the game, Andrew Toles singled for the Dodgers and the game appeared to be off to a good start for the Dodgers. However, Corey Seager swung at the next pitch and grounded to Javier Báez who tagged Toles and threw to first to complete the double play.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 6
In the bottom of the first, the Cubs jumped out quickly on Kershaw who had blanked them in Game 2. Dexter Fowler doubled and Kris Bryant singled him home to give the Cubs a 1–0 lead. Anthony Rizzo reached on an error by Toles and, with runners at second and third, Ben Zobrist hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 2–0. In the top of the second, Josh Reddick reached on an error by Báez, but Hendricks picked him off of first to end the inning.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 6
The Cubs added another run in the bottom of the second when Addison Russell doubled to left and scored on Fowler's single. In the bottom of the fourth, Willson Contreras led off the inning by homering on a line drive to left field to extend the lead to 4–0. In the fifth, Rizzo continued his hot hitting by homering to right-center field and to put the Cubs up 5–0. Kershaw was lifted after that inning, but Hendricks continued his gem on the mound, retiring the side and facing the minimum batters through seven innings.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, Championship Series, Game 6
In the eighth, after a flyout by Adrián González, Reddick singled, only the second hit allowed by Hendricks. That ended the night for Hendricks as Cub manager Joe Maddon went to the bullpen and brought in closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman induced Howie Kendrick into an inning-ending double play. In the top of the ninth, Chapman walked the second batter, but Yasiel Puig grounded into a game-ending double play as Wrigley Field erupted in celebration. The Cubs advanced to their first World Series since 1945 with the 5–0 win and the four games to two series win. In the game, the Cubs faced the minimum number of batters, 27, in a game. The only other time that had occurred in a postseason game was Don Larsen's 1956 perfect game for the Yankees. Jon Lester and Javier Báez were named co-MVPs of the NLCS.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 1
To begin the historic World Series, the teams sent their number one starters to the mound in Cleveland: Corey Kluber for the Indians and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The Cubs altered their lineup a bit, batting Kyle Schwarber, making his first appearance in six months, as their DH. Things started well for Lester as he retired the first two batters he faced. However, Francisco Lindor singled and stole second with two outs. Lester then walked Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 1
With the bases loaded, José Ramírez hit an infield single to drive in a run and Lester hit the next batter, Brandon Guyer, to give the Indians a 2–0 lead. Kluber started hot as well, striking out eight of the first nine batters he faced, a World Series record. In the bottom of the fourth, Roberto Pérez homered to left off of Lester increasing the lead. Kluber continued his excellent performance, striking out nine before giving up a double to Ben Zobrist in the top of the seventh which ended Kluber's night and brought Andrew Miller to the mound.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 1
Schwarber walked and Javier Baéz singled to load the bases. However, Miller induced a shallow fly ball by pinch hitter Willson Contreras and struck out Addison Russell and David Ross to end the Cub threat. With Justin Grimm pitching for the Cubs in the bottom of the eighth, the Indians put runners on first and second and Héctor Rondón gave up another home run to Pérez to put the game out of reach 6–0. The win gave the Indians a one-game lead in the series and extended Indians' manager Terry Francona's World Series winning streak to nine games.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 1
Dexter Fowler, Addison Russell, Jason Heyward, and Carl Edwards Jr. became the first African-Americans on a Cubs roster in a World Series. Additionally, Fowler (batting as the lead-off hitter) was the first African-American to appear and to bat for the Cubs in a World Series game. Both Fowler and Russell were the first African-Americans to start for the Cubs in a World Series.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 2
Looking to tie the series at one game apiece, the Cubs sent Jake Arrieta to the mound against the Indians' Trevor Bauer. The Cubs also featured six players age 24 or younger in the starting lineup, a postseason record. The Cubs started things off early as Kris Bryant singled in the first inning and Anthony Rizzo doubled to score Bryant and give the Cubs an early 1–0 lead. Arrieta started well too, retiring the first two batters before walking back-to-back batters in the bottom of the first. However, Arrieta got a strikeout to end the inning.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 2
The Cubs struck again in the third following a two-out walk by Rizzo and a single by Ben Zobrist. A single by Kyle Schwarber scored Rizzo from second and pushed the Cub lead to 2–0. Bauer was forced from the game in the fourth and the Cubs struck again in the fifth. Rizzo walked again and Zobrist tripled to plate Rizzo. Another run-scoring single by Schwarber and a bases loaded walk by Addison Russell pushed the lead to 5–0. Arrieta continued to cruise, walking three batters but holding the Indians without a hit into the sixth inning.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 2
In the sixth, a double by Jason Kipnis ended the no-hitter and a wild pitch by Arrieta two batters later scored the first Indians run. Arrieta allowed another single and was lifted for reliever Mike Montgomery. Both teams threatened in the seventh but could not score and, following a single by Mike Napoli in the bottom of the eighth, Aroldis Chapman entered to finish the game for the Cubs. The win marked the Cubs first World Series win since 1945 as they evened up the series at one game apiece.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 3
The series shifted to Wrigley Field for the first World Series game at Wrigley since 1945 and the first World Series night game at Wrigley. Josh Tomlin went to the mound for Cleveland and Kyle Hendricks for Chicago. Both pitchers pitched well, but Hendricks was in and out of trouble frequently giving up six hits, and walking two in just 4 1/3 innings. Following a single by Tyler Naquin, a bunt by Tomlin, a walk to Carlos Santana, Hendricks hit Jason Kipnis with a pitch to load the bases in the fifth.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 3
Justin Grimm relieved Hendricks and got Francsico Lindor to hit into an inning-ending double play escaping with the score still 0–0. The Cubs chased Tomlin from the game in the bottom of the fifth, but Andrew Miller replaced him and retired pinch-hitter Miguel Montero. Leading off the seventh, Roberto Pérez singled to right off reliever Carl Edwards Jr. Pinch runner Michael Martinez replaced him at first. Naquin advanced Martinez to second with a bunt and Martinez moved to third on a wild pitch by Edwards.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 3
After Rajai Davis walked, pinch-hitter Coco Crisp hit a broken bat single to right to score Martinez. Mike Montgomery replaced Edwards and escaped the inning without any further damage. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs threatened to tie it with a two-out triple by Jorge Soler, but Javier Báez grounded out to end the inning. In the ninth, the Cubs again threatened to tie it, putting runners on second and third following singles by Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward. However, with two outs, Báez struck out swinging to end the game. The win gave the Indians a 2–1 lead in the series. Cody Allen earned his sixth save of the postseason.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 4
With the series lead, the Indians sent Corey Kluber to the mound on short rest against John Lackey to try to extend the series lead to three games to one. The Cubs opened the scoring in the first inning with a double by lead-off man Dexter Fowler and a run-scoring single by Anthony Rizzo. However, the Indians quickly answered in the top of the second as Carlos Santanta homered to tie it. Following an error by Kris Bryant and an intentional walk of Tyler Naquin, Kluber singled home the go-ahead run giving the Indians the 2–1 lead.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 4
The Indians added another run in the third when Francisco Lindor singled home Jason Kipnis to increase the lead to 3–1. Kluber continued to shut down the Cubs as he did in Game 1. Lackey was lifted after five innings, but reliever Mike Montgomery gave up another run in the sixth as the Indians lead moved to 4–1. Cleveland put the game away in the seventh on a three-run homer by Kipnis off of Travis Wood, pushing the lead to 7–1. Fowler hit a consolation eighth inning solo home run off of reliever Andrew Miller, but that was it as the Cubs lost 7–2 and fell behind in the series three games to one.


2016 Chicago Cubs season, Postseason, World Series, Game 5
Facing elimination and the last game at Wrigley Field for the season, the Cubs sent ace Jon Lester to the mound while the Indians countered with Trevor Bauer. Lester surrendered a second inning homer to José Ramírez as the Cubs fell behind 1–0. However, Kris Bryant answered in the fourth, homering to left to lead off the inning. Anthony Rizzo doubled following Bryant's homer and Ben Zobrist singled. Addison Russell followed with an infield single to score Rizzo and put the Cubs up 2–1.