As an experiment, the Bears hosted their first home game of the season at Northwestern University 's Dyche Stadium in Evanston . The Bears' Wrigley Field landlord, the Chicago Cubs , were in a pennant race and might play in the National League Championship Series and World Series , and that Wrigley Field would be unavailable (at least for installation of temporary seating in right and center field) until well into October.[ 5] (The Cubs were in contention in the National League East until the final week of the 1970 season, thus rendering the anticipation moot.)[ 6] [ 7]
In addition, the NFL was pressuring the Bears to move out of Wrigley Field, because it had no lights and its seating capacity was under 50,000 (even with additional seating in right field for football games), stipulations of the AFL–NFL merger agreement. The Bears planned to move to Evanston for the 1971 season, but Evanston residents petitioned city officials to block the move, and the Big Ten Conference ultimately barred the Bears from using Dyche Stadium;[ 8] the Bears moved to Chicago's Soldier Field .[ 9]
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Venue
Attendance
1
at New York Giants
W 24–16
1–0
Yankee Stadium
62,936
2
September 27
Philadelphia Eagles
W 20–16
2–0
Dyche Stadium
53,463
3
at Detroit Lions
L 14–28
2–1
Tiger Stadium
58,210
4
October 11
Minnesota Vikings
L 0–24
2–2
Wrigley Field
45,485
5
October 18
San Diego Chargers
L 7–20
2–3
Wrigley Field
45,278
6
October 25
Detroit Lions
L 10–16
2–4
Wrigley Field
45,632
7
November 1
at Atlanta Falcons
W 23–14
3–4
Atlanta Stadium
58,850
8
November 8
San Francisco 49ers
L 16–37
3–5
Wrigley Field
45,607
9
November 15
at Green Bay Packers
L 19–20
3–6
Lambeau Field
56,263
10
November 22
Buffalo Bills
W 31–13
4–6
Wrigley Field
41,015
11
November 29
at Baltimore Colts
L 20–21
4–7
Memorial Stadium
60,240
12
at Minnesota Vikings
L 13–16
4–8
Metropolitan Stadium
47,900
13
December 13
Green Bay Packers
W 35–17
5–8
Wrigley Field
44,957
14
December 20
at New Orleans Saints
W 24–3
6–8
Tulane Stadium
63,518
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
NYG – Pete Gogolak 20-yard field goal. Giants 13–7.
CHI – Mac Percival 28-yard field goal. Giants 13–10.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
NYG – Pete Gogolak 45-yard field goal. Bears 17–16.
CHI – Dick Gordon 19-yard pass from Jack Concannon (Mac Percival kick). Bears 24–16.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
CHI – Bob Wallace – 6 receptions, 82 yards
NYG – Ron Johnson – 8 receptions, 85 yards, TD
1
2 3 4 Total
Eagles
6
3 0 7
16
• Bears
7
10 0 3
20
[ 10]
1
2 3 4 Total
• Bears
10
3 7 3
23
Falcons
0
7 7 0
14
Date: November 1Location: Atlanta Stadium , Atlanta Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C); wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
Scoring summary Q1 CHI Shy 1 yard run (Percival kick)CHI 7–0
Q1 CHI Percival 30 yard field goal CHI 10–0
Q2 ATL Gipson 20 yard pass from Berry (Vinyard kick)CHI 10–7
Q2 CHI Percival 47 yard field goal CHI 13–7
Q3 ATL Mitchell 17 yard pass from Berry (Vinyard kick)ATL 14–13
Q3 CHI Turner 94 yard kickoff return (Percival kick)CHI 20–14
Q4 CHI Percival 31 yard field goal CHI 23–14
[ 11]
1
2 3 4 Total
Bills
6
0 0 7
13
• Bears
0
14 7 10
31
Date: November 22Location: Wrigley Field • Chicago Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C) • Wind 22 mph (35 km/h)Referee: John McDonough
Scoring summary 1 BUF Butch Byrd 23-yard interception return (kick failed)Bills 6–0
2 CHI Dick Gordon 36-yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Mac Percival kick)Bears 7–6
2 CHI Jim Seymour 36-yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Mac Percival kick)Bears 14–6
3 CHI Jim Seymour 53-yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Mac Percival kick) Bears 21–6
4 BUF Marlin Briscoe 17-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (Grant Guthrie kick)Bears 21–13
4 CHI Mac Percival 37-yard field goal Bears 24–13
4 CHI Dick Gordon 28-yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Mac Percival kick) Bears 31–13
[ 12]
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
1
2 3 4 Total
Packers
3
0 0 14
17
• Bears
14
7 7 7
35
Date: Sunday, December 13Location: Wrigley Field , Chicago Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), wind 11 mph (18 km/h)Referee: Fred Silva
Scoring summary 1 Bears Dick Gordon 15-yard pass from Jack Concannon (Mac Percival kick)Bears 7–0
1 Bears George Farmer 42-yard pass from Jack Concannon (Mac Percival kick)Bears 14–0
1 Packers Dale Livingston 32-yard field goalBears 14–3
2 Bears Jack Concannon 15-yard run (Mac Percival kick) Bears 21–3
3 Bears Dick Gordon 25-yard pass from Jack Concannon (Mac Percival kick) Bears 28–3
4 Packers Donny Anderson 7-yard run (Dale Livingston kick)Bears 28–10
4 Bears Ray Ogden 6-yard pass from Jack Concannon (Mac Percival kick)Bears 35–10
4 Packers John Hilton 29-yard pass from Rick Norton (Dale Livingston kick)Bears 35–17
1
2 3 4 Total
• Bears
0
7 3 14
24
Saints
0
3 0 0
3
Scoring summary Q2 NO Dempsey 47 yard field goalNO 3–0
Q2 CHI Seymour 22 yard pass from Concannon (Percival kick)CHI 7–3
Q3 CHI Percival 50 yard field goal CHI 10–3
Q4 CHI Seymour 2 yard pass from Concannon (Percival kick) CHI 17–3
Q4 CHI Gordon 14 yard pass from Concannon (Percival kick)CHI 24–3
[ 13]
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
^ "These deals didn't work" . Chicago Tribune . August 25, 2004.
^ "Cancer fatal to Piccolo of Bears at 26" . Milwaukee Journal . press dispatches. June 16, 1970. p. 13, part 2.[permanent dead link ]
^ "Brian Piccolo is dead at 26" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 17, 1970. p. 19.
^ "Sayers, Halas praise Piccolo's courage" . Milwaukee Sentinel . Associated Press. June 17, 1970. p. 1-part 2.
^ "Historical Newspapers from 1700s–2000s" . August 4, 2023.
^ "Pennant race at a glance" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). September 16, 1970. p. 16.
^ "1970 Chicago Cubs Schedule" .
^ Historical Newspapers from 1700s–2000s – Newspapers.com
^ Historical Newspapers from 1700s–2000s – Newspapers.com
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Sep-14.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Sep-14.