The 1988 Chicago Bears season was their 69th regular season and 19th postseason completed in the National Football League. This season marked the first time since 1974 that Walter Payton was not on the Bears' opening day roster. The Bears looked to improve on an 11–4 finish that won them the NFC Central Division but ended abruptly when they were eliminated for the second consecutive year by the Washington Redskins.
The Bears won 12 games and lost 4, tying for the best record in the league with the Buffalo Bills and the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. They earned home field advantage in the NFC. The Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20–12 in the "Fog Bowl" game during the Divisional Round of the playoffs. However, the Bears failed to advance to the Super Bowl as one of the NFC's top two seeds for a third straight season, falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers 28–3 in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field. This was the second time that the 49ers and Bears had met for a trip to the Super Bowl during the decade, with the 49ers previously defeating the Bears in the 1984 NFC Championship Game on their way to Super Bowl XIX.
Coach Mike Ditka suffered a heart attack during the season, but was back on the sidelines 11 days later. Ditka was named coach of the year for the second time in his career. 1988 also marked Jim McMahon's last season as starter for the Bears, as he was traded during the following offseason to the San Diego Chargers.
Prior to the Bears' 1988 season, the playing surface at Soldier Field was changed from artificial turf to natural grass.
Offseason
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1988 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeMike BarnardTackleSan Jose StateKeith BlueGuardWestern IllinoisJeff BurgerQuarterbackAuburnRichard EhmkeKickerEastern IllinoisPhil WebbRunning backMichiganDan YoungDefensive tackleVMI
Roster 1988 Team Starters
Offense
9 Jim McMahon QB 35 Neal Anderson RB 26 Matt Suhey FB 85 Dennis McKinnon WR/PR 29 Dennis Gentry WR/KR 80 James Thornton TE 73 John Wojciechowski LT 62 Mark Bortz LG 63 Jay Hilgenberg C 57 Tom Thayer RG 78 Keith Van Horne RT
Defense
90 Al Harris LDE 76 Steve McMichael LDT 99 Dan Hampton RDT 95 Richard Dent RDE 59 Ron Rivera LB 50 Mike Singletary LB 51 Jim Morrissey LB 27 Mike Richardson LCB 24 Vestee Jackson RCB 22 Dave Duerson SS 37 Maurice Douglass FS 6 Kevin Butler K 15 Bryan Wagner P
Final roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Attendance 1 September 4 Miami Dolphins W 34–7 63,330 2 September 11 at Indianapolis Colts W 17–13 60,503 3 September 18 Minnesota Vikings L 7–31 63,990 4 September 25 at Green Bay Packers W 24–6 56,492 5 October 2 Buffalo Bills W 24–3 62,793 6 October 9 at Detroit Lions W 24–7 64,526 7 October 16 Dallas Cowboys W 17–7 64,759 8 October 24 San Francisco 49ers W 10–9 65,293 9 October 30 at New England Patriots L 7–30 60,821 10 November 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 28–10 56,892 11 November 13 at Washington Redskins W 34–14 52,418 12 November 20 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–15 67,070 13 November 27 Green Bay Packers W 16–0 62,026 14 December 5 at Los Angeles Rams L 3–23 65,579 15 December 11 Detroit Lions W 13–12 55,010 16 December 19 at Minnesota Vikings L 27–28 62,067
Game summaries
Week 1
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 4
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Oct-02.
Week 13
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Oct-02.
Standings NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 293
Playoffs In the divisional playoffs, the Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Fog Bowl, earning their first postseason victory since Super Bowl XX. A week later, Chicago was routed 28–3 by the San Francisco 49ers. This was the Bears' last appearance in the NFC Championship Game until 2006.
Divisional
Pro-Football-Reference.com
NFC Championship
Awards and records
References
Chicago Bears on Pro Football Reference Chicago Bears on jt-sw.com 1988 Bears at Bearshistory.com
External links
1988 Chicago Bears Season at www.bearshistory.com