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The last time Chicago played on the
NFL’s national stage was Oct. 27, 1997, a 36-33 win at Miami. The
three Monday night games mark the eighth time in franchise history
the Bears will play at least three times on Monday night (1978,
1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992 and 1995) and Chicago’s 44 all-time
Monday night appearances rank eighth in the League.
The Bears will play seven of 16 games
against teams that recorded double-digit wins last season (Green
Bay, New England, New York Jets, Philadelphia, Miami and St. Louis)
and will play eight games versus 2001 playoff qualifiers, including
both Super Bowl participants. Seven of the Bears’ eight home games
played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign will be against teams that
have qualified for the playoffs at least once in the past two
seasons.
Preseason
schedule
(Date,
opponent, Chicago time, network)
Saturday, Aug. 10 — Denver Broncos,
7:05 p.m., WBBM
Friday, Aug. 16 — at St. Louis Rams,
7:05 p.m., FOX
Friday, Aug. 23 — Jacksonville Jaguars,
7:05 p.m., WBBM
Thursday, Aug. 29 — at Miami Dolphins,
6 p.m., WBBM
Regular
season
Sunday, Sept. 8 — Minnesota Vikings,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Sept. 15 — at Atlanta Falcons,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Sept. 22 — New Orleans Saints,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Sept. 29 — at Buffalo Bills,
noon, FOX
Monday, Oct. 7 — Green Bay Packers, 8
p.m., ABC
Sunday, Oct. 13 — Bye
Sunday, Oct. 20 — at Detroit Lions,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Oct. 27 — at Minnesota Vikings,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Nov. 3 — Philadelphia Eagles,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Nov. 10 — New England Patriots,
3:15 p.m., CBS
Monday, Nov. 18 — at St. Louis Rams, 8
p.m., ABC
Sunday, Nov. 24 — Detroit Lions, noon,
FOX
Sunday, Dec. 1 — at Green Bay Packers,
noon, FOX
Monday, Dec. 9 — at Miami Dolphins, 8
p.m., ABC
Sunday, Dec. 15 — New York Jets, noon,
CBS
Sunday, Dec. 22 — at Carolina Panthers,
noon, FOX
Sunday, Dec. 29 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
7:30 p.m., EPSN
* Home games will be played at Memorial
Stadium at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Postseason schedule
Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 4-5, 2003 —
AFC-NFC wild card playoffs; ABC, CBS and FOX
Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 11-12, 2003 —
AFC-NFC divisional playoffs; CBS and FOX
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003 — AFC-NFC
championship games; CBS and FOX
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003 — Super Bowl
XXXVII, San Diego, Calif.; ABC
Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003 — AFC-NFC Pro
Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii; ABC
 [to top of second column in this
article] |
Head
coach Dick Jauron’s comments on the 2002 schedule:
"I love when the schedule is released
because it means we are another step closer to beginning our season.
Any NFL schedule is difficult, and ours is no different. We remain
in a competitive division, but unlike last year, our division
opponents are spread out over the entire season. We will point to
our opener versus Minnesota on Sept. 8 and will work from there.
"I think we have a great schedule for
our fans. We play in three Monday night games and a Sunday night
game, giving our fans across the country an opportunity to watch us.
We also have an excellent home schedule for the many new fans who
will have the chance to join us in Champaign."
Schedule quick facts
Let’s play two:
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the Chicago Bears are
scheduled to share the same field in 2002, Memorial Stadium in
Champaign, but are scheduled for only one "doubleheader." The Illini
host San Jose State on Saturday, Sept. 21 and the Bears will
entertain the New Orleans Saints the next day, Sunday, Sept. 21.
Home opener:
After opening on the road each of the past two seasons, the Bears
will open at home for the first time since 1999, hosting Minnesota
in the season-opener on Sept. 8. The Bears have opened its season at
home in 26 of its last 31 seasons, posting a 19-7 record. The Bears’
47 opening-day victories are the most of any NFL franchise.
Super opponents:
The Bears will face last year’s Super Bowl opponents in back-to-back
weeks, hosting New England on Nov. 10, and traveling to St. Louis
for a Monday night contest against the Rams on Nov. 18. The last
time the Bears faced the previous season’s Super Bowl participants
was in 1997 following the Packers 35-21 Super Bowl XXXI win over the
Patriots. The Bears dropped a 38-24 decision to the Packers in the
1997 season-opener at Green Bay then lost at New England 31-3 in
Week Four. The games also mark the eighth time in team history
Chicago has faced both the previous season’s Super Bowl teams, with
the Bears holding a 6-10 mark in those games.
We meet again:
With the realignment of the divisions and Tampa Bay moving out of
what used to be the NFC Central division, the Buccaneers won’t
escape a cold-weather date with the Bears, traveling to Champaign
for the regular season finale on Dec. 29. The Bears are now in the
NFC North with traditional rivals Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota,
while Tampa Bay moves into the NFC South with Atlanta, Carolina and
New Orleans. Only two opponents, down from the usual four, will be
based on 2001 standings. Those clubs are the NFC East champion
Eagles and the NFC West champion Rams.
Parade of champions:
The Bears will face divisional champions in consecutive weeks,
hosting NFC East champion Philadelphia on Nov. 3 and AFC East
champion New England on Nov. 10 before traveling to St. Louis to
take on the NFC West champion Rams on Nov. 18.
Ticket info:
The Bears are currently accepting $100-per-seat non-refundable
deposits for 10-game ticket packages for the 2002 season in Memorial
Stadium. Fans interested in purchasing available 10-game ticket
package locations should contact the Bears Champaign sales office at
(888) 79-BEARS (23277) or via e-mail at
stadiumsales@bears.nfl.com. Individual game tickets will go on
sale in July. For more information about 2002 ticket sales and
Memorial Stadium, visit the Bears’ Internet site at
chicagobears.com.
[Jim Christman -- Chicago
Bears]
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