| Team: | Chicago Bears |
| Year: | 1928 |
| Record: | 7–5–1 |
| League Place: | 5th NFL |
| Coach: | George Halas |
| Stadium: | Wrigley Field |
| Shortnavlink: | Bears seasons |
The 1928 season was the Chicago Bears' 9th in the National Football League. The team was unable to improve on their 9–3–2 record from 1927 and finished with a 7–5–1 record under head coach George Halas, earning them a fifth-place finish in the team standings. Despite playing ten of their thirteen games at home, this marked the team's worst record to date.
The season had its high points, including two shutout wins over the crosstown rival Chicago Cardinals, a shutout win over the defending champion New York Giants, and convincing victories over Frankford, Dayton, and Pottsville. However, two losses each to Detroit and the Green Bay Packers made in 1928 a disappointment to the normally contending Bears. Chicago's problem was that the old guard was aging with Joey Sternaman, Paddy Driscoll, and George Halas, who also played, were now in their early 30s.
The pace of playing 3 games in 8 days around Thanksgiving was at the time a standard practice. The Thanksgiving game was not a substitute for the Sunday game but just an extra game which also hurt the veteran Bears down the stretch as in previous years.
Joe Sternaman and William Senn starred on offense with 4 and 5 touchdowns each. Sternaman also shared kicking duties with Driscoll. The passing game became more important and the Bears scored 11 touchdowns on the air, versus 13 on the ground. This was a league-wide trend, foreshadowing the ascendancy of Don Hutson and Sammy Baugh of the 1930s.[1]
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance | Venue | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 23 | Chicago Cardinals | W 15–0 | 1–0 | 4,000 | Normal Park | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 30 | at Green Bay Packers | T 12–12 | 1–0–1 | 8,500 | Green Bay City Stadium | Recap | ||
| — | October 7 | at Minneapolis Marines | W 12–6 | — | "capacity" | DePaul Field | [2] | ||
| 3 | October 14 | New York Giants | W 13–0 | 2–0–1 | 15,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 21 | Green Bay Packers | L 6–16 | 2–1–1 | 15,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 28 | Detroit Wolverines | L 0–6 | 2–2–1 | 20,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | [3] [4] | |
| 6 | November 4 | New York Yankees | W 27–0 | 3–2–1 | 10,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 11 | Dayton Triangles | W 27–0 | 4–2–1 | 5,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 18 | Pottsville Maroons | W 13–6 | 5–2–1 | 5,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 25 | Detroit Wolverines | L 7–14 | 5–3–1 | 15,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | [5] [6] [7] | |
| 10 | November 29 | Chicago Cardinals | W 34–0 | 6–3–1 | 10,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 11 | December 2 | Frankford Yellow Jackets | W 28–6 | 7–3–1 | 12,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 12 | December 9 | Green Bay Packers | L 0–6 | 7–4–1 | 14,000 | Wrigley Field | Recap | ||
| 13 | December 15 | at Frankford Yellow Jackets | L 0-19 | 7–5–1 | 7,000 | Frankford Stadium | Recap |