Revisiting the Bears vs Saints 2006 NFC Championship Game

Rex Grossman (8) and Ruben Brown (74) celebrate during the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints on January 21, 2007. (MANDATORY CREDIT: Nick Laham/Getty Images )

Given that the Bears will be facing the Saints in a matter of hours, I thought it would be a good time to remember the game that earned the Bears a trip to Super Bowl XLI. I was only 10 years old at the time, and this game was the third happiest day of my elementary school years. The Bears played ferocious defense against a freezing Saints team, forcing 4 turnovers and holding them to 56 rushing yards. The offense showed up late in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points. The MVP of the game might have been mother nature, for producing snow at the most opportune times. The Beloved obviously lost in rainy Miami two weeks later. I cried my eyes out that night, but I still don’t see winning this NFC Championship game as any form of disappointment. Here are some highlights

Here is a crowd view of the safety that put the Bears up 18-14. Momentum was almost on the Saint’s side at this point in the game, but pressure from Lance Briggs caused Brees to throw a pass to Mark Sanchez’s favorite target, the ground. After much discussion, the flag for intentional grounding came out and the Bears gained the momentum back.

How did the Saints get the momentum from the mighty Bears in the first place? Here’s a hint; he gave bears fans and players fits last week. Reggie Bush caught a Brees swing pass, made a juke on Danieal Manning, taunted Brian Urlacher, and flipped into the end zone for an 88 yard touchdown. Here is the worst play of the game.