10 key Brian Urlacher moments

Special teams coordinator Mike Sweatman had Urlacher sneak onto the field as a wing in field-goal formation and holder Brad Maynard hit him for a 27-yard touchdown reception, the difference in a 20-15 victory over the Redskins. What’s funny? Urlacher dropped the final two passes Maynard threw during a walk-through two days before the game. He caught the one that counted.

The Bears always played well versus Michael Vick and Urlacher was a primary reason why. He helped negate the quarterback’s great athleticism. In this 14-13 win, he hurdled running back Warrick Dunn and hit Vick as he was throwing on a play, a highlight move that stunned even teammates. “I was right behind him and it happened so fast I didn’t realize what he had done,” safety Mike Brown said.

Urlacher won the honor after leading the league’s No. 1 scoring defense. Urlacher led the team with 171 tackles and had 10 tackles for a loss and six sacks. He garnered 34 of 50 first-place votes to become team’s first player since Mike Singletary to win the award.

With snow falling at Soldier Field, Urlacher lifted the NFC championship trophy above his head following the Bears’ 39-14 whipping of the Saints. He had a career-high four pass deflections in the game, interfering with Drew Brees’ intermediate passing game and leading the club to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1985.

The Bears didn’t win on this trip to the Metrodome, but Urlacher showed his knack for making game-changing plays, recording two sacks and one interception in a season in which he finished with five of each. It was the first time in his career he had one of each in the same game.

The last time the Bears swept the Packers was 2007, and punctuating a 35-7 blowout at Soldier Field was an 85-yard interception return of a Brett Favre pass. It was the final time the Bears played Favre in a Packers uniform. Urlacher and Favre had great mutual respect for one another and their battles on the field symbolized the rivalry for nearly a decade.

The highly touted Falcons came to Soldier Field for the season opener, but the defense was nearly always on top of its game to start a season. This was no different and Urlacher remained nimble at the start of his 12th season, making a diving interception of a Matt Ryan pass. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 30-12 victory.