The 2007 Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 88th season in the National Football League. The season officially began on September 9, 2007, against the San Diego Chargers, and concluded on December 30 against the New Orleans Saints. The Bears entered the 2007 season as the National Football Conference Champions and had hopes of returning to the Super Bowl, but instead finished the season with a disappointing 7–9 record, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.