2006 Chicago Bears–Arizona Cardinals game

Notable NFL game Monday Night Comeback similarly-nicknamed sporting events The Monday Night Miracle (disambiguation)The Monday Night Miracle August 2023 2006 Chicago Bears–Arizona Cardinals game Cardinals stadium crop.jpg University of Phoenix Stadium, the site of the game. Chicago Bears CHI Lovie Smith 5–0 Arizona Cardinals ARI Dennis Green 1–4 0 0 10 14 24 14 6 3 0 23 October 16, 2006 University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona Jerome Boger 63,977 Bears by 13Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals - October 16, 2006 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200610160crd.htm Pro-Football-Reference ESPN Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theismann (color commentators) On October 16, 2006, during Week 6 of the National Football League (NFL) regular season, the Chicago Bears defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 24–23, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The undefeated Bears staged the "comeback of the year" against the 1-win Cardinals after trailing by 20 points at halftime.Mindzak Andrew https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-7464496 Top five NFL comebacks since 2000 – NFL – Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports 2010-12-23 2012-03-04 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20101228075004/http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-7464496 2010-12-28 This game is the first game in which the Bears won after trailing by 20 or more points since 1987 (they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27–26). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first win in Bears history in which they trailed by at least 20 points in the second half,Elias Sports Bureau Inc. https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=2628917 Elias Says ... ESPN.com 2006-10-17 2013-08-26 and the Cardinals became the first team in NFL history to lose consecutive games in a season after being ahead by 14 or more points at the end of the first quarter in each of their games. The Bears also set an NFL record for the biggest comeback without scoring an offensive touchdown in league history.Rubenstein Alan http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-sports-lists/2013/05/the-ten-greatest-comebacks-in-chicago-sports-history/ The Ten Greatest Comebacks in Chicago Sports History Chicagonow.com 2013-05-30 2013-08-26 September 13, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130913010810/http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-sports-lists/2013/05/the-ten-greatest-comebacks-in-chicago-sports-history/ dead Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart became the first quarterback in history to throw at least 2 touchdown passes in each of his first 2 career starts. The last time a team won after committing 6 turnovers was on December 21, 1986, which coincidentally, also featured the Bears committing 6 turnovers in a 24-10 win against the Dallas Cowboys.http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=261016022 https://web.archive.org/web/20120922140141/http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=261016022 dead September 22, 2012 Bears do-it-all defense keys epic comeback vs. Cards ESPN 2006-10-16 2012-02-22Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys - December 21st, 1986 Pro-Football-Reference.com https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198612210dal.htm The postgame press conference was notable for Cardinals head coach Dennis Green's profanity-laced rant, highlighted by the quote "But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!". The game was ranked #6 on NFL Top 10 on NFL Network for Top Ten Greatest Comebacks of All Time under the title "Cardinals Blow It"/"Monday Night Meltdown",http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story?id=09000d5d8112f98e&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history NFL.com 2009-07-29 2012-03-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20121104120958/http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story?id=09000d5d8112f98e&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true 2012-11-04 deadhttp://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d810a93ac/Top-Ten-Comebacks-Cardinals-blow-it NFL Videos: Top Ten Comebacks: Cardinals blow it NFL.com 2009-06-04 2012-03-05http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=7913 Bears' win ranked 7th best comeback Chicago Bears 2011-06-14 2012-03-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20120110103559/http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?STORY_ID=7913 2012-01-10 dead as well as Top Ten Meltdowns at #7. Background Prelude Before the meeting, the Bears led the series 56–36, which also includes the Bears as the Decatur Staleys and Chicago Staleys, as well as the Cardinals as the Chicago Cardinals and St. Louis Cardinals (the team was also briefly known as the Phoenix Cardinals). Earlier in the year, in the preseason, the Cardinals defeated the Bears at Soldier Field 23–16 in a Friday night game.http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?STORY_ID=2336 https://archive.today/20120722040224/http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?STORY_ID=2336 dead 2012-07-22 Mistake-prone Bears struggle in loss to Cardinals Chicagobears.com 2006-08-25 2012-02-28 The Bears 2006 Chicago Bears season The Bears were having a great season, being undefeated heading into the game at 5–0, having their best start to the season since 1989, having committed only 5 turnovers all season and averaging an NFL-best 31.2 points per game, and scoring 156 points compared to allowing only 36 points. This was the Bears' first Monday Night Football appearance since 2003. The Bears' third-year head coach Lovie Smith was having the best season start of his head coaching career, going 1–4 in 2004 and 2–3 in 2005 (despite making the playoffs in 2005), and notably defeated four of their first five opponents by more than 3 touchdowns (26–0 win against the Green Bay Packers, 34–7 win over the Detroit Lions, 37–6 win over the Seattle Seahawks, and 40–7 victory against the Buffalo Bills; their other game was a 19–16 win over the Minnesota Vikings). The team was led by the talented-yet-inconsistent quarterback Rex Grossman, running back Thomas Jones, wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, linemen John Tait, Olin Kreutz, and Roberto Garza, defensive linemen Adewale Ogunleye, rookie Mark Anderson, who eventually recorded 12 sacks on the season, linebackers Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Brendon Ayanbadejo, rookie and future Hall of Famer and record holder for career returns for touchdowns and punt return touchdowns Devin Hester, a cornerbacking tandem in Charles Tillman and former record holder for the longest play in NFL history (broken by San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie) Nathan Vasher, Chris Harris, Mike Brown, and the 7th most accurate kicker in NFL history in Robbie Gould.Roy Taylor http://www.bearshistory.com/seasons/2006chicagobears.aspx 2006 Chicago Bears Bearshistory.com 2012-03-04 The Cardinals 2006 Arizona Cardinals season The Cardinals, contrary to the Bears, were not having a good season, being 1–4 heading into the game, with their lone win being a Week 1 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, and mustering only 50 points while allowing 92 points. Dennis Green was leading the team, and was hoping for a win to snap their 4-game losing streak, as well as hopefully make the playoffs after going 5–11 the year before. The team's roster featured rookie quarterback and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, as well as rookie Leonard Pope, along with serious receiving threats in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, along with J. J. Arrington, running back Edgerrin James, Obafemi Ayanbadejo, brother of Brendon Ayanbadejo (both brothers played together with the Bears in the preseason in 2007), 3x Pro Bowler Darnell Dockett, Gerald Hayes, Orlando Huff, Calvin Pace, kicker Neil Rackers, as well as former MVP and Super Bowl XLIII quarterback Kurt Warner at backup. Game summary The Bears won the toss, and elected to receive the kickoff. After the Bears went 3-and-out, the Cardinals scored on their first possession on a Matt Leinart pass to Bryant Johnson, with Leinart completing 9 of his first 10 passes. After the Cardinals threw an interception, which was eventually challenged and reversed before ultimately punting, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw an interception to Aaron Francisco. The Cardinals scored on their next possession on a Leinart pass to Anquan Boldin. At the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals led the Bears, 14–0. In the second quarter, after exchanging punts, Grossman threw another interception, this time to Gerald Hayes. Neil Rackers missed a field goal on the ensuing possession. The Cardinals recovered two Grossman fumbles in the quarter, and scored field goals on each of the ensuing possessions, making the score 20–0. In the third quarter, the Bears started their comeback with a Robbie Gould field goal. Neil Rackers responded with a field goal, which turned out to be the final score for the Cardinals. Near the end of the third quarter, Leinart was sacked by rookie Mark Anderson, and fumbled the ball. Safety Mike Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 3 yards for a touchdown with just two seconds left in the quarter, making the score 23–10. After an exchange of punts, Grossman threw an interception to Dockett, who returned it 73 yards for a touchdown. However, the Bears challenged the play, claiming Dockett was down by contact. The touchdown was nullified, though the interception stood. On the Bears' next possession, Grossman threw another interception, this time to Robert Griffith. On the second play of the ensuing possession, Edgerrin James had the ball stripped by Brian Urlacher. Charles Tillman recovered the fumble and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. With the score 23–17, rookie Devin Hester returned a punt 83-yards for a touchdown to take the lead 24–23.http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d801a8bae/Devin-Hester-Highlight-WK-06-vs-Cardinals-2006 NFL Videos: Devin Hester Highlight, WK 06 vs. Cardinals 2006 Nfl.com 2007-08-22 2012-02-22 With a few seconds left in the game, Rackers set up for the game-winning field goal with less than a minute. After the Cardinals got into field goal range, Rackers, who missed only two field goals the season before, and already having made a 41-, 28- and 29-yard field goals, missed the 40-yard field goal, with the kick going wide left, with the ball possibly deflecting off linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer's fingertips.http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=2548 Bears stun Cardinals with improbable rally Chicagobears.com October 16, 2006 2012-08-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20110916141507/http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=2548 September 16, 2011 dead The Bears took a knee to end the game, giving the Bears a 6–0 record, and dropping the Cardinals to a 1–5 record on the season.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200610160crd.htm Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals – October 16th, 2006 Pro-Football-Reference.com 2006-10-16 2012-08-19 The game also featured one of the best performances of Brian Urlacher's career, with 19 tackles and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Teammate Devin Hester commented on Urlacher's performance, stating, "We watched the film and everybody was saying that he just turned into the Incredible Hulk the last four minutes of the game, just killing people and running over and tackling whoever had the ball."http://www.chicagobears.com/team/player.asp?player_id=79 Roster Chicago Bears March 1, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20110519105111/http://www.chicagobears.com/team/player.asp?player_id=79 2011-05-19 dead Dennis Green post-game rant right 25em "My doctor was very happy. He called me the next day, said: 'You know what? After that kind of game, (me) blowing up like that was a very good stress reliever', and my wife agreed." —Dennis Green After the loss, in the postgame press conference, Cardinals head coach Dennis Green lost his temper, letting out a profane meltdown about the fact that the Cardinals defeated the Bears in the preseason, and because of that, they were confident in beating them again, and that his team blew it after attacking the Bears' weaknesses, and also yanked the podium, destabilizing the microphone before storming out of the room.https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3164854&sportCat=nfl Green's 42-second meltdown has made him a commercial icon ESPN.com 2007-12-23 2012-02-22 The rant's popularity led to it being featured in a Coors Light commercial the next season.http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0904p2main0904.html Brewing a beer ad Azcentral.com 2007-09-04 2012-03-14 The Bears are what we thought they were. They're what we thought they were. We played them in preseason—who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it's bullshit? Bullshit! We played them in the third game—everybody played three quarters—the Bears are who we thought they were! That's why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook! Cardinals head coach Dennis Green One year after the tirade, Green explained the context around the tirade by stating, "We went against this team in preseason and they're exactly what we think they are, which is a one-dimensional team." Green and his staff devised strategies to score points against the Bears defense in preparation for the game. He was frustrated when the Bears won despite the initial success of his game plan.Wojciechowski Gene https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?id=3164854&columnist=wojciechowski_gene&sportCat=nfl Green's 42-second meltdown has made him a commercial icon ESPN 2007-12-23 2016-07-22 Aftermath The Bears finished the season with a 13–3 record, losing only to the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers, and met Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI but lost, 29–17. The next season, the Bears sputtered to a 7–9 record. The game marked the beginning of the "good Rex/bad Rex" cycle, as quarterback Rex Grossman cycled between good performances vs bad performances.https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/rex-grossman-hangs-on-with-the-redskins-and-hangs-on-to-his-self-belief/2013/08/18/19745ca4-078f-11e3-9259-e2aafe5a5f84_story.html Rex Grossman hangs on with the Redskins and hangs on to his self-belief Mike Wise The Washington Post August 18, 2013 September 27, 2019 He was eventually benched in 2008 and released in 2009 and signed with the Houston Texans. (Coincidentally, Leinart was signed by them a season later.)Allen Kevin http://blogs.suntimes.com/sportsprose/2009/06/its_official_rex_grossman_sign.html It's official: Rex Grossman signs with Houston Texans – Sports Pros(e) Chicago Sun-Times 2009-06-12 2012-03-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20120420200123/http://blogs.suntimes.com/sportsprose/2009/06/its_official_rex_grossman_sign.html 2012-04-20 dead Grossman eventually became the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins.Maese Rick http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/redskins-sign-rex-grossman.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121110140346/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/redskins-sign-rex-grossman.html dead November 10, 2012 Redskins sign Rex Grossman The Washington Post March 17, 2010 2012-03-08http://blog.redskins.com/2010/03/17/redskins-sign-rex-grossman/ Redskins Sign Rex Grossman Redskins.com 2010-03-17 2012-03-08 His last NFL start was in 2011 for the Redskins, after which he was a backup quarterback for the Redskins, Cleveland Browns, and Atlanta Falcons."https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/12/22/cleveland-browns-rex-grossman-interest Report: Browns called Rex Grossman, couldn't work out logistics Sports Illustrated Molly Geary December 22, 2014 September 27, 2019 Head coach Lovie Smith was fired after the Bears narrowly missed the playoffs at 10–6 following the 2012 season, and subsequently coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014 to 2015 and the Houston Texans in 2022. The Cardinals ultimately dropped to 5–11 at the end of the season, and Dennis Green was fired and was replaced by Ken Whisenhunt. Two seasons later, the Cardinals met the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, but lost, 27–23, with Leinart having been benched at the start of the season in favor of veteran Kurt Warner. In 2010, despite Warner's retirement, Leinart was released by the Cardinals and was signed by the Texans,https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=5538812 Matt Leinart agrees to join Texans ESPN.com September 6, 2010 September 27, 2019 starting Leinart's change to being considered a journeyman quarterback and (given his draft position and expectations coming out of college) a draft bust. By 2013, Leinart was out of football altogether.http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/arizona-cardinals/roster/2006 2006 Arizona Cardinals Roster Footballdb.com 2012-07-14http://www.azcardinals.com/team/roster.html Player Roster azcardinals.com 2012-07-14 Starting lineups Chicago Position Position Arizona Offense Muhsin Muhammad WR Anquan Boldin John Tait LT Leonard Davis Ruben Brown LG Reggie Wells Olin Kreutz C Nick Leckey Roberto Garza RG Milford Brown Fred Miller RT Oliver Ross Desmond Clark TE Eric Edwards Bernard Berrian WR Bryant Johnson Rex Grossman QB Matt Leinart Jason McKie FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo Thomas Jones HB Edgerrin James Defense Adewale Ogunleye LE Chike Okeafor Tommie Harris DT Darnell Dockett Tank Johnson DT Kendrick Clancy Alex Brown RE Bertrand Berry Brian Urlacher MLB Gerald Hayes Lance Briggs WLB Orlando Huff Hunter Hillenmeyer SLB Karlos Dansby Charles Tillman LCB David Macklin Nathan Vasher RCB Antrel Rolle Danieal Manning FS Adrian Wilson Chris Harris SS Robert Griffith Special teams Robbie Gould K Neil Rackers Brad Maynard P Scott Player Rashied Davis KR J. J. Arrington Devin Hester PR Troy Walters Patrick Mannelly LS Nathan Hodel Statistics Source:http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=261016022 https://web.archive.org/web/20120922140141/http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=261016022 dead September 22, 2012 Bears do-it-all defense keys epic comeback vs. Cards ESPN.com 2006-10-16 2012-03-05Chicago BearsArizona CardinalsFirst downs917Third down efficiency4/146/20Fourth down efficiency0/10/0Total yards168286Passing yards130220Passing – completions/attempts14/3724/42Rushing yards3866Rushing attempts1638Yards per rush2.41.7Penalties–yards6–509–65Sacks against–yards2–141–12Fumbles–lost2–22–2Interceptions thrown40Time of possession20:1739:43 Individual stats 48% Bears PassingPlayerC/ATT*YdsTDINT Rex Grossman 14/37 144 0 4 Bears RushingPlayerCaraYdsTDLGb Thomas Jones 11 43 0 11 Cedric Benson 1 4 0 4 Jason McKie 1 −2 0 −2 Rex Grossman 3 −7 0 −1 Bears ReceivingPlayerReccYdsTDLGb Desmond Clark 4 61 0 26 Bernard Berrian 2 31 0 17 Rashied Davis 2 27 0 17 Thomas Jones 3 14 0 16 Cedric Benson 1 8 0 8 Muhsin Muhammad 1 2 0 2 Jason McKie 1 1 0 1 Bears DefensePlayerTak/Ast/TottIntFfeSck Lance Briggs 13/2/15 0 0 0.0 Brian Urlacher 11/8/19 0 1 0.0 Nathan Vasher 6/3/9 0 0 0.0 Mike Brown 4/1/5 0 0 0.0 Charles Tillman 4/2/6 0 0 0.0 Alfonso Boone 3/1/4 0 0 0.0 Alex Brown 3/0/3 0 0 0.0 Hunter Hillenmeyer 3/1/4 0 0 0.0 Israel Idonije 3/0/3 0 0 0.0 Todd Johnson 2/0/2 0 0 0.0 Tank Johnson 2/0/2 0 0 0.0 Mark Anderson 2/0/2 0 1 1.0 Ricky Manning 2/2/4 0 0 0.0 Tommie Harris 1/2/3 0 0 0.0 Danieal Manning 1/1/2 0 0 0.0 Cameron Worrell 1/0/1 0 0 0.0 Bears KickingPlayerFGAFGMXPLGf Robbie Gould 1 1 3/3 23 48% Cardinals PassingC/ATT*YdsTDINT Matt Leinart 24/42 232 2 0 Cardinals RushingPlayerCaraYdsTDLGb Edgerrin James 36 55 0 12 J. J. Arrington 2 11 0 6 Cardinals ReceivingPlayerReccYdsTDLGb Anquan Boldin 12 136 1 26 (TD) Troy Walters 4 25 0 8 J. J. Arrington 2 22 0 12 Bryant Johnson 2 17 1 11 (TD) Obafemi Ayanbadejo 2 16 0 13 Leonard Pope 1 9 0 9 Edgerrin James 1 7 0 7 Cardinals DefensePlayerTak/Ast/TotdIntFfeSck Gerald Hayes 6/1/7 1 0 0.0 Adrian Wilson 6/0/6 0 1 1.0 Karlos Dansby 4/0/4 0 0 0.0 Darnell Dockett 3/0/3 1 0 0.0 Eric Green 3/0/3 0 0 0.0 Bertrand Berry 3/0/3 0 01 1.0 Antrel Rolle 2/1/3 0 0 0.0 Orlando Huff 1/0/1 0 0 0.0 David Macklin 1/0/1 0 0 1.0 Gabe Watson 1/0/1 0 0 0.0 Aaron Francisco 1/0/1 1 0 0.0 Robert Griffith 1/1/2 1 0 0.0 Antonio Smith 0/1/1 0 0 0.0 Cardinals KickingPlayerFGAFGMXPLGf Neil Rackers 5 3 2/2 41 *Completions/Attempts aCarries bLongest play cReceptions dTackles eForced Fumbles fLongest field goal Scoring summary #eee Bears 0 0 10 14 Cardinals 14 6 3 0 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 8:30 p.m. EST 73 °F °C, clear 1ST QUARTER ARI TD: Bryant Johnson 11-yard pass from Matt Leinart ARI 7–0 ARI TD: Anquan Boldin 26-yard pass from Leinart ARI 14–0 2ND QUARTER ARI FG: Neil Rackers 41-yard field goal ARI 17–0 ARI FG: Rackers 28-yard field goal ARI 20–0 3RD QUARTER CHI FG: Robbie Gould 23-yard field goal ARI 20–3 ARI FG: Rackers 29-yard field goal ARI 23–3 CHI TD: Mike Brown 3-yard fumble return ARI 23–10 4TH QUARTER CHI TD: Charles Tillman 40-yard fumble return ARI 23–17 CHI TD: Devin Hester 83-yard punt return CHI 24–23 Officials Referee: Jerome Boger (#23) Umpire: Carl Madsen (#92) Head linesman: Ed Camp (#134) Line judge: Jeff Bergman (#32) Field judge: Scott Steenson (#88) Side judge: Joe Larrew (#73) Back judge: Perry Paganelli (#46)Elway, Broncos Chill the 49ers Ira Miller San Francisco Chronicle November 12, 1985 61, 63 See also American football Bears–Cardinals rivalry 2006 Chicago Bears season 2006 Arizona Cardinals season The Comeback (American football) The Monday Night Miracle (American football) References 30em External links WA6jT-QKoeY 2006 MNF Comeback: Bears vs. Cardinals: NFL Full Game NFL.com Recap ESPN.com Recap https://archive.today/20130118084656/http://articles.boston.com/2006-10-17/sports/29249319_1_arizona-coach-dennis-green-cardinals-devin-hester/ Boston.com Recap el Chicago Bears Recap Yahoo! Sports Recap USA Today RecapElias Sports Bureau Game Facts Category:NFL games Chicago Bears Category:History of the Chicago Bears Category:History of the Arizona Cardinals Category:Monday Night Football Category:October 2006 sports events in the United States Category:2006 in sports in Arizona Category:Nicknamed sporting events Category:American football competitions in Glendale, Arizona