10 greatest Chicago Bears teams of all time

The Chicago Bears have a proud history of success in the NFL. Chicago has not had many seasons to cheer about in recent memory, but they have multiple eras of NFL history where they were a dominant team.

It helps to have dominant players and coaches. Chicago boasts some of the most legendary names in the sport, including Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, and Bronko Nagurski.

But which Bears teams are the best in franchise history?

Below we will explore the top 10 best Chicago Bears teams of all time.

For this ranking list, I will be consider a few factors to make my decisions. You’ll see the regular season record and result of each season, along with a superlative to show what makes each season special.

I have also given some seasons extra points when the Bears were particularly dominant, or when certain football innovations were used for maximum impact.

Let’s get into it.

10. 1943 Bears

Regular Season Record: 8-1-1

Result: Defeated Washington Redskins 41-21 in NFL Championship

Superlative: Bears dominate shortened season

World War II forced the NFL to have a shortened season in 1943. I ranked this season 10th on the list because of a smaller sample size.

But this season was still great for the Bears. Chicago dominated the entire season and won their third NFL Championship in four years.

9. 1932 Bears

Regular Season Record: 7-1-6

Result: Defeated Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in tiebreaker game to win NFL Championship

Superlative: Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski dominate

The 1932 season was a crazy year for the Bears.

Chicago did not score a single point during their first four games of the season. That was surprising considering the Bears had both Grange and Nagurski in their backfield.

The Bears got back on track in their final nine games, going on a 7-0-2 winning streak.

Chicago tied the Portsmouth Spartans (who would eventually become the Detroit Lions) in the NFL Championship. The rules at the time stated that a tiebreaker game needed to be played to decide a winner.

The Bears won that game 9-0.

8. 2006 Bears

Regular Season Record: 13-3

Result: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 29-17 in Super Bowl 41

Superlative: Devin Hester’s finest hour

QB Rex Grossman had a surprise season, coming out of nowhere to throw for 3,193 yards with 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

But the real stories of the 2006 season were Chicago’s incredible defense and the emergence of returner Devin Hester

Hester took the NFL by storm during his rookie season. He logged a total of 1,128 combined return yards with five touchdowns during the regular season.

The Bears made it all the way to Super Bowl 41. Hester returned the opening kickoff all the way for a 92-yard touchdown. Chicago even had a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Unfortunately, Peyton Manning would not be denied and dominated the rest of the game, earning his first Lombardi Trophy.

7. 1933 Bears

Regular Season Record: 10-2-1

Result: Defeated New York Giants 23-21 in NFL Championship

Superlative: Bears dominate new Western division

The NFL introduced the Eastern and Western divisions in 1933, splitting the league in two. It was also the first year the NFL had a league championship game.

Chicago sailed through the regular season and won a close game against New York to secure the title.

The Bears gained a slight edge because of their kicking game. New York missed a field goal in the first quarter, but Chicago answered with two of their own to keep the game close heading into halftime. The Bears added a third field goal in the third quarter, which would ultimately be the difference in a two-point victory.

6. 1946 Bears

Regular Season Record: 8-2-1

Result: Defeated New York Giants 24-14 in NFL Championship

Superlative: The return of George Halas

This was a great redemption season for the Bears.

In 1945, the Bears had a down year and went 3-7 during the regular season. But all of that changed when George Halas returned to his team.

Halas returned to coach the Bears after he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He had an immediate impact, leading the Bears back to the NFL Championship and winning another title.

This season arguably cemented the Bears as the dynasty of that decade, with their fourth NFL Championship by the middle of the 1940s.

5. 1941 Bears

Regular Season Record: 10-1

Result: Defeated New York Giants 37-9 in NFL Championship

Superlative: Back-to-back titles

The Bears claimed back-to-back NFL Championships in another dominating season.

Green Bay was a thorn in Chicago’s side, giving them their sole loss on the season. This season is one foundational pillar in what has become a fierce rivalry between the two teams.

Outside of the Packers, the Bears dominated all of their opponents and sailed to another title.

4. 1942 Bears

Regular Season Record: 11-0

Result: Lost to Washington Redskins 14-6 in NFL Championship

Superlative: Incredible point differential, almost pulled off three-peat

The Bears failed at a three-peat before the Chiefs ever did.

Chicago got all the way to the NFL Championship for a third consecutive season, but could not get the points they needed to Washington.

It is a shame that the Bears could not pull off this three-peat, especially after an undefeated regular season. Chicago was playing out of their minds during the regular season. They scored 376 points and only allowed 84 points on defense.

This 292 point differential was the best in league history for a while. Until the 2007 Patriots had a whopping 315 point differential.

3. 1940 Bears

Regular Season Record: 8-3

Result: Defeated Washington Redskins 73-0 in NFL Championship

Superlative: Biggest win in NFL history, T formation revival

I had a really hard time not putting the 1940 Bears at number two.

Chicago won their second consecutive NFL Championship in impressive fashion, delivering one of the biggest blowouts in league history. It is even more impressive because if happened in such a big spot.

The Bears are revolutionized the T formation during the 1940 season. It was not a new formation by any means. However, the Bears increased its complexity by adding a man-in-motion component that expanded it into more than just a power running formation.

What an incredible season.

2. 1963 Bears

Regular Season Record: 11-1-2

Result: Defeated New York Giants 14-10 in NFL Championship

Superlative: Birth of the zone defense

There are a few reasons why the 1963 Bears deserve this spot on the list.

First, Chicago’s defense was completely dominant throughout the season. The Bears allowed the fewest rushing yards, passing yards, and total yards in the NFL. They also only allowed a miniscule 10 points per game.

Why were the Bears so dominant in 1963?

The answer is the zone defense.

Bears assistant coach George Allen installed a zone defensive scheme during the offseason. Zone defense was technically a concept before 1963, but it was not nearly as popular as it is today. Especially because the NFL was more run-focused and passing plays were long considered to be trick plays.

Allen’s zone scheme laid the foundation for modern NFL defenses and clearly opposing teams in 1963 were not ready for it.

1. 1985 Bears

Regular Season Record: 15-1

Result: Defeated New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl 20

Superlative: Best defense in NFL history

How could it be any other team?

The Monsters of the Midway were the best defense in NFL history. Aside from one tough loss, the Bears absolutely crushed every other team they played that season.

Chicago took their domination to the next level in the postseason. They shut out their first two opponents in the playoffs and only allowed the Patriots a field goal through the first three quarters of the Super Bowl. New England scored their only touchdown in garbage time.

The 1985 Bears had a whopping 10 All-Pros and nine Pro Bowlers on the roster. That certainly showed up on the field.

If the Bears had not lost 38-24 against the Dolphins, they could be unquestionably the greatest team in NFL history.