Yes, the Chicago Bears have won a Super Bowl—exactly one, nearly four decades ago. But reducing the Bears to a single championship misses the point entirely. This is a franchise that helped invent professional football, dominated the sport for decades before the Super Bowl existed, and now finds itself chasing past glory with a new generation of talent.
Super Bowl XX: The 1985 Bears Claim Their Place in History
The 1985 Chicago Bears didn’t just win a championship. They announced themselves as one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
Under head coach Mike Ditka, Chicago went 15-1 in the regular season, outscoring opponents 456-198 behind a defense that terrorized every quarterback it faced. The 46 defense, designed by coordinator Buddy Ryan, allowed the fewest points, fewest total yards, and fewest rushing yards in the league. The Bears led the NFL in interceptions with 34 and ranked third in sacks with 64.
Chicago’s playoff run was equally dominant. The Bears shut out the Giants 21-0, then blanked the Rams 24-0—becoming the first team in NFL history to record back-to-back postseason shutouts. In three playoff games, they allowed a total of 10 points.
Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots was a coronation. The Bears scored 44 unanswered points after New England took an early 3-0 lead, winning 46-10 in the most lopsided Super Bowl to that point. Chicago set records for sacks in a Super Bowl (seven) and fewest rushing yards allowed (seven). Defensive end Richard Dent, an eighth-round pick who led the league with 17 sacks that season, was named Super Bowl MVP after recording 1.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles.
MORE: Greatest NFL Teams of All-Time
The cast of characters became legends: Walter Payton, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher at the time; linebacker Mike Singletary, the defensive heartbeat; Jim McMahon, the punk-rock quarterback; and William “The Refrigerator” Perry, the 335-pound rookie who scored a touchdown. They recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” before the playoffs even started—a move that would have been arrogant if they hadn’t backed it up.
It remains the only Super Bowl championship in Bears history.
Super Bowl XLI: A Return Trip Ends in Disappointment
Twenty-one years later, the Bears returned to the Super Bowl. The 2006 team, led by coach Lovie Smith and linebacker Brian Urlacher, won 13 games and captured the NFC with a defense that forced the most turnovers in the league.
Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts opened with a historic moment: Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, the first time that had ever happened in Super Bowl history. Chicago led 14-6 after the first quarter.
Then the game slipped away.
Quarterback Rex Grossman, who had struggled with turnovers all season, lost a fumble and threw two interceptions. The second, picked off by Kelvin Hayden and returned 56 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, sealed Chicago’s fate. Peyton Manning, finally winning the championship that had eluded him, was named MVP as Indianapolis won 29-17.
The Colts outgained Chicago 430-265 and controlled the game with their running backs, Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, who combined for 190 rushing yards. It was a reminder that reaching the Super Bowl and winning it requires different levels of execution.
Before the Super Bowl: The Original Dynasty
The Bears’ championship history stretches far beyond the Super Bowl era. Founded in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, the franchise is one of two charter members of the NFL still in existence. Under owner and coach George “Papa Bear” Halas, Chicago won eight NFL championships before the leagues merged in 1970.
The 1940 Bears delivered perhaps the most dominant performance in league history, crushing the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the NFL Championship Game. Halas and consultant Clark Shaughnessy had perfected the T-formation offense, and every team in the league scrambled to copy it. Chicago won titles again in 1941, 1943, and 1946, earning the nickname “Monsters of the Midway.”
The Bears added another championship in 1963, their last before the Super Bowl era began. Combined with Super Bowl XX, Chicago claims nine total NFL championships—second only to the Green Bay Packers in league history.
The Current Era: Caleb Williams and a New Beginning
The Bears haven’t won a playoff game since 2011. They’ve cycled through coaches and quarterbacks, searching for the combination that could return them to championship contention.
That search may have ended with Caleb Williams.
To be a sports legend in a city like Chicago means something. Caleb Williams still has a long way to go to be that. But a moment like tonight? That goes a long, long way. pic.twitter.com/ksEhEAx7YE
— Justin Tinsley (@JustinTinsley) January 10, 2026
The former Heisman Trophy winner, selected first overall in the 2024 draft, led Chicago to the NFC North title in 2025—the franchise’s first division championship since 2018. Williams set a Bears single-season passing record with 3,942 yards and threw 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. He led six comeback victories, the most in franchise history, including a 46-yard overtime touchdown pass to DJ Moore to beat the Packers and clinch a playoff berth.
Under first-year coach Ben Johnson, the Bears finished 11-6 and will host a wild card playoff game. Williams enters the postseason as the kind of franchise quarterback Chicago has lacked for most of its existence—a player capable of matching the game’s best when everything is on the line.
The 1985 Bears set an impossibly high standard. Nearly 40 years later, Chicago is still chasing it. But for the first time in years, the pursuit feels like more than nostalgia.
