The Chicago Bears have been part of so many great moments throughout their history. One of the absolute best for more modern fans has to be their epic comeback in 2006 against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only was it famous for how they managed to pull it off but also the unforgettable post-game rant by Cardinals head coach Dennis Green. Arguably the greatest meltdown in NFL history.
What nobody has known up until now is what actually happened behind the scenes. With Arizona set to face the Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, their YouTube channel obliged with a terrific episode of Cardinals Folktales. This one covers that entire fiasco on Monday Night Football headlined by Green’s incredible reaction in the locker room prior to going in front of the media. According to defensive lineman Antonio Smith, Green’s actions before it might somehow be even better.
That is amazing.
The visual of Dennis Green kicking a Gatorade cup over and over pretty much sums up the moment. Bafflement mixed with utter rage. One can understand. He and the Cardinals staff had the perfect game plan for that primetime matchup against the Bears. They smothered Thomas Jones and the ground attack, forcing Rex Grossman to throw. It went about as poorly as you’d expect. Arizona intercepted him four times and also forced and recovered two fumbles.
With under two minutes left in the 3rd quarter, they held a commanding 23-3 lead. The Bears offense could do nothing. The game was over. Then things got crazy. In a span of 13 minutes, the defense forced and recovered two fumbles, returning both for touchdowns to make it 23-17. Then Arizona had to punt with 2:58 left. Devin Hester returned that 83 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
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Insanity. Still, the Cardinals had enough time to rescue the game. They drove down the field to the Bears’ 23-yard line, giving kicker Neil Rackers a shot at a 40-yard field goal. A kick he would push wide. Chicago escaped with the win and would ride the momentum to a Super Bowl berth. Green was fired after the season ended.
