Flashback #71: Bears Beat Saints In NFC Championship (2007)

As of 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary on January 3rd, the station has begun to reveal (in chronological order) the Top 100 Chicago Sports Stories that have occurred since they first went on the air 20 years ago. Once all 100 of these "flashbacks" have been revealed, fans will be able to vote for which stories they believe are the most significant in the 20 year history of The Score. To see all of the Flashbacks that The Score has posted so far, please visit 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary page.

January 21, 2007 - The Bears beat the Saints in the NFC Championship game

After a thrilling overtime victory over the Seahawks, the Saints were all that stood between the 2006 Chicago Bears and Super Bowl XLI.

With home-field advantage on their side, the Bears hosted the Saints at Soldier Field with a ticket to Miami on the line.

Chicago got off to a hot start, scoring the game's first 16 points behind three field goals from Robbie Gould and 2-yard touchdown run from Thomas Jones. Late in the second quarter, however, Saints rookie Marques Colston caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Brees to bring the Saints within striking distance.

Early in the third quarter, with the Bears leading, 16-7, Reggie Bush caught a pass out of the backfield and took it 88 yards for the touchdown. As he scored his touchdown, Bush began to excessively dance in the end zone. The celebration was met by an unhappy Brian Urlacher, who exchanged words with Bush.

That's as close as the Saints would get, though, as the Bears scored the game's next 23 points en route to a 39-16 victory.

The Bears defense started the scoring attack by sacking Brees in the end zone for a safety, Jones and Cedric Benson each ran for another touchdown and Bernard Berian caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rex Grossman.

As the game began to win down, the sold-out crowd at Soldier Field was met with a heavy snow storm.

"This is why we play the game, to get to the Super Bowl and win," Urlacher said. "This overshadows everything."

The Score will continue to release a new Flashback each weekday until they reach 100. Check back tomorrow for a new one, or check out all of the previous Flashbacks: 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary »