Picking the best duos in franchise history

1. Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher
2. Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan
3. Mitchell Trubisky and Allen Robinson

Despite only one Super Bowl between the three duos I picked, all three of them found success in Chicago, and gave the city something to cheer about, even if it was short-lived. Let’s start with Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher. Two career Chicago Bears, holding down the defense together from 2003-2012. Urlacher and Briggs helped lead the Bears to the playoffs three times together, including a Super Bowl berth in 2006. In their 10 seasons together, Chicago’s defense gave up 19.4 points per game, which was 2.2 points below the league’s average of 21.6. In Briggs’ career, he was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro linebacker. In Urlacher’s Hall of Fame career, he made the Pro Bowl eight times, was an All-Pro linebacker four times, and won multiple defensive player awards.

Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan coached potentially the greatest team in NFL history, the 1985 Chicago Bears. In 1985, the Bears went 15-1, en route to a blowout Super Bowl win against the Patriots. Their team averaged 28.5 points per game, while only giving up 12.4 points per game. If Jim McMahon didn’t get hurt, there’s a good chance the Bears go 16-0 in 1985 and are undoubtedly the greatest football team of all time. Ditka would coach the Bears for 11 total seasons, with a 106-62 record, before departing in 1993. Buddy Ryan, after 1985, would leave the Bears to coach the Eagles. In 1988, Ditka and Ryan would face off in the playoffs, in a 20-12 Bears’ victory. 

In 2018, the duo of Mitchell Trubisky and Allen Robinson helped lead the Bears to a 12-4 record and their first playoff berth since 2010. Trubisky, with Robinson as his top target, had the third-highest QBR in the NFL and was a Pro Bowl alternate. During the following two seasons, Robinson was ranked as the 12th best wide receiver in the NFL, despite failing to make a Pro Bowl. In their 36 games together, the duo racked up 202 catches for 2,500 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. When the two met up again in Pittsburgh, Trubisky was Kenny Pickett’s backup and Robinson was the third wide receiver in Pittsburgh’s depth chart. The two did play together in relief for Pickett, but couldn’t capture the same success they did in Chicago.