2006 AFC Championship Game
Three Super Bowls in, one Soldier Field night out—Colts' dynasty met its wall.
The 2006 AFC Championship Game stands as one of the most painful losses in Indianapolis Colts franchise history. Played at Soldier Field in Chicago in January 2007, the contest pitted the perennially dominant Colts, led by quarterback Peyton Manning, against a hungry Chicago Bears squad that had endured years of playoff frustration. The Bears dismantled the Colts' offense and defense, winning 39-14 in a performance that ended Indianapolis's remarkable three-year run of consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
For Colts fans, the game remains a defining 'what if' moment—a night when the team that had carried the franchise from the Super Bowl XLI triumph through two more Super Bowl berths finally met a wall it could not break. The Bears' victory was a statement of resilience, while for Indianapolis it marked the end of an era of sustained postseason dominance.
- Opponent
- Chicago Bears
- Result
- Loss, 39-14
- Venue
- Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Season
- 2006 NFL Season (playoffs in January 2007)
- Colts Quarterback
- Peyton Manning
- Significance
- Ended the Colts' three-consecutive-Super-Bowl streak (2003, 2004, 2005 seasons)
Lore & Background
By the time the 2006 season rolled around, the Indianapolis Colts were the team to beat in the AFC. Under head coach Tony Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning, the franchise had transformed from a struggling expansion-era club into a perennial contender. The 2003 season had delivered Super Bowl XLI, and the two seasons that followed had carried the team to the Super Bowl twice more. The expectation in Indianapolis was not merely to make the playoffs but to reach the big game yet again.
The Bears, meanwhile, carried the weight of a long postseason drought. A team with a storied history in the 1940s and 1980s, Chicago had struggled to convert regular-season success into deep playoff runs. When they met the Colts in the AFC Championship, the Bears played with a ferocity that seemed to channel every year of frustration. Their defense swarmed Manning, their offense moved the ball with a patience and precision that the Colts' secondary could not answer, and by the final whistle the 39-14 margin told the story of a team that simply outplayed its opponent on every level.
For Colts fans, the memory of that night is layered. There is the pride of the dynasty that got them there, the sting of the loss itself, and the quiet recognition that even the best teams in the league are mortal. The game became a touchstone in Colts lore—the night the streak broke, the night the Bears reminded everyone that the NFL rewards execution over pedigree.
In Their Own Story
The wind off Lake Michigan cut through the Soldier Field stands, carrying the smell of cold air and hot pretzels into the night. In the Colts' huddle, Manning's voice was calm, almost bored, the way it always was before a drive. He'd done this before. Three Super Bowls. He'd seen the big stage. But the Bears' defense was different—tighter, meaner, playing with a kind of desperate hunger that made the pocket feel smaller than it was. The first snap, the second, the third: the pocket collapsed. By the time the Colts' offense found a rhythm, if it ever did, the scoreboard was already a number they'd never learned to answer. In the stands, the red-and-blue sea of Bears fans roared like a wave breaking on a shore, and somewhere in the Colts' sideline, the silence was louder than any cheer.
Reader's Guide
The occasion: the 2006 NFL season's AFC Championship Game, the final barrier between the Indianapolis Colts and a fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance. The Colts, riding three straight trips to the big game, faced the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
What happened: the Bears controlled the game from the opening whistle. Their defense pressured Peyton Manning relentlessly, forcing hurried throws and turnovers, while their own offense moved the ball methodically. The Colts' usually explosive attack was held to a fraction of its normal output, and the 39-14 final score reflected a comprehensive Bears victory.
Why it's remembered: for Colts fans, it is the night the dynasty's postseason streak snapped. Three Super Bowls had defined a generation of fans in Indianapolis, and this loss—decisive, unflattering, and played on the road—became the defining counterpoint to that success. For Bears fans, it is a night of redemption after years of playoff heartbreak. The game endures in both cities as a reminder that the NFL's regular season and its postseason are different animals, and that even the most decorated team can be stopped by one opponent, one night, one field.
Did You Know?
- The Colts had reached the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons (2003, 2004, and 2005) before this game, making the 2006 AFC Championship loss the first time in that stretch they failed to advance.
- The Bears' 39-14 victory was one of the most lopsided AFC Championship Games in the modern era, a stark contrast to the closer contests the Colts had navigated in prior postseasons.
- Peyton Manning, who would go on to win multiple MVP awards and a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos, was at the peak of his prime during this game, making the loss all the more jarring for his supporters.
- The game was played at Soldier Field, the historic home of the Chicago Bears, giving the game a 'road' atmosphere for the Colts and a home-field advantage that the Bears exploited fully.