2006 Week 6: Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Kickoff time: 8:42pm.
2006 Week 6: Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. This is a regular-season game that earned its place on a curated list, which means the matchup itself carried some weight beyond a generic Sunday. Some regular-season games stick in the memory more than the playoff games of the same era. The names attached to Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals in 2006, the implications for division standing, or just the moment one play crystallized the season, made this one of those. Watch the early possessions for the read. Coaches treat curated-list games as their best stretches of preparation; the answers come quickly when the stakes are tangible.
2006 Week 6: Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals meet at a midpoint in the season, with the rest of the 2006 field watching to see how the result reshapes the conference standings. Around the league, the scouting departments take careful notes on regular-season games featuring contenders. The film here will be reviewed long after the final whistle by staffs who plan to face one or both of these teams later in the year.
2006 Week 6: Chicago Bears versus Arizona Cardinals. Midseason analytics shift around what matters most on any given Sunday: takeaway differential and red-zone conversion lead the indicator list for both contenders and the teams hunting them. The on-screen scoreboard tells one story; the underlying drive efficiency tells the more durable one. Both staffs know which numbers travel through December and which evaporate after a hot start.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 12-4 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 13-3 | W4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-8 | L3 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 6-10 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 14-2 | W10 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 8-8 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 13-3 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8-8 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-12 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 00102424 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1420232323 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Bryant Johnson 11 yard pass from Matt Leinart ( Neil Rackers kick) | 0-7 |
| Cardinals | Anquan Boldin 26 yard pass from Matt Leinart ( Neil Rackers kick) | 0-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 41 yard field goal | 0-17 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 28 yard field goal | 0-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bears | Robbie Gould 23 yard field goal | 3-20 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 29 yard field goal | 3-23 |
| Bears | Mike Brown 3 yard defensive fumble return ( Robbie Gould kick) | 10-23 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bears | Charles Tillman 40 yard defensive fumble return ( Robbie Gould kick) | 17-23 |
| Bears | Devin Hester 83 yard punt return ( Robbie Gould kick) | 24-23 |
| Bears | Cardinals | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 9 | 17 |
| Total Yards | 168 | 286 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 14/37 | 24/42 |
| Pass yards | 144 | 232 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 4 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 14 | 12 |
| Net pass yards | 130 | 220 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 16 | 38 |
| Rush yards | 38 | 66 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 2 |
| Penalties | 6 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 50 | 65 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | |||||
| Rex Grossman | 14/37 | 144 | 0 | 4 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Matt Leinart | 24/42 | 232 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | ||||
| Thomas Jones | 11 | 43 | 0 | 11 |
| Cedric Benson | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Jason McKie | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Rex Grossman | 3 | -7 | 0 | -1 |
| ARI | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 36 | 55 | 0 | 12 |
| J.J. Arrington | 2 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | ||||
| Desmond Clark | 4 | 61 | 0 | 26 |
| Bernard Berrian | 2 | 31 | 0 | 17 |
| Rashied Davis | 2 | 27 | 0 | 16 |
| Thomas Jones | 3 | 14 | 0 | 6 |
| Cedric Benson | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Muhsin Muhammad | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Jason McKie | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| ARI | ||||
| Anquan Boldin | 12 | 136 | 1 | 26 |
| Troy Walters | 4 | 25 | 0 | 8 |
| J.J. Arrington | 2 | 22 | 0 | 12 |
| Bryant Johnson | 2 | 17 | 1 | 11 |
| Obafemi Ayanbadejo | 2 | 16 | 0 | 13 |
| Leonard Pope | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Edgerrin James | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Chicago Bears defeated Arizona Cardinals 24-23 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Week 6. The final scoring play was Bears: Devin Hester 83 yard punt return ( Robbie Gould kick). The result came down to the final possession; Chicago Bears won by 1. Top line of the day: Matt Leinart: 232 pass yards on 24-of-42, 2 TD, 0 INT.
Chicago Bears walked out of University of Phoenix Stadium with a 24-23 Week 6 result Arizona Cardinals will replay all the way to the offseason. The game stayed within 1 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Bears: Devin Hester 83 yard punt return ( Robbie Gould kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier.
Chicago Bears 24, Arizona Cardinals 23. Game: 2006 Week 6. Attendance: 63977. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Matt Leinart: 232 pass yards on 24-of-42, 2 TD, 0 INT - Edgerrin James: 55 rush yards on 36 carries - Anquan Boldin: 12 catches for 136 yards
Week 6, played at University of Phoenix Stadium. Final: Chicago Bears 24, Arizona Cardinals 23, with Chicago Bears taking the result by 1. **First quarter**
- Cardinals: Bryant Johnson 11 yard pass from Matt Leinart ( Neil Rackers kick) - Cardinals: Anquan Boldin 26 yard pass from Matt Leinart ( Neil Rackers kick)
**Second quarter**
- Cardinals: Neil Rackers 41 yard field goal - Cardinals: Neil Rackers 28 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Bears: Robbie Gould 23 yard field goal - Cardinals: Neil Rackers 29 yard field goal - Bears: Mike Brown 3 yard defensive fumble return ( Robbie Gould kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Bears: Charles Tillman 40 yard defensive fumble return ( Robbie Gould kick) - Bears: Devin Hester 83 yard punt return ( Robbie Gould kick)
**Top performers**
- Matt Leinart: 232 pass yards on 24-of-42, 2 TD, 0 INT - Edgerrin James: 55 rush yards on 36 carries - Anquan Boldin: 12 catches for 136 yards
A 1-point margin in Week 6 is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.