Franchise Moments: 
Bears' Defining Moment of the Past Decade
It's not an exaggeration to say the Chicago Bears haven't had many exciting moments over the last decade. Even though they enter the 2026 NFL season as a team on the rise led by Caleb Williams under center, that hasn't always been the case, and they've been stuck between mediocrity and failed rebuilding processes for the better part of the last decade.
Things could have changed in 2019, but an unfortunate kick produced one of the saddest moments in recent NFL betting history with the infamous "Double Doink." In a way, this being the Bears' highlight moment over the last 10 years tells you all you need to know about the franchise's fortunes in the last decade.
The moment: Cody Parkey's double doink (2019)
The History Behind the Double Doink
It was a cold playoff night in Chicago on January 6, 2019. After posting a 12-4 record in the 2018 NFL regular season and earning the third seed in the NFC, the Bears played the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the NFC Wild Card round. The Bears had a golden chance to show the league their regular-season numbers weren't a fluke, but they couldn't get the job done and lost 16-15 in dramatic fashion after Cody Parkey missed the would-be game-winning field goal with five seconds left in the game.
In other words, the "Double Doink". Philadelphia took a 16-15 lead with just 56 seconds remaining after Nick Foles connected with Golden Tate for a go-ahead touchdown, leaving Chicago one final chance to steal the game. Mitchell Trubisky, who was coming off an impressive 2018 season, led the Bears down the field and into the Eagles' territory, giving Chicago the chance to win on a relatively manageable 43-yard field goal.
What happened later was chaos, madness, and misfortune. The kick initially looked on its way to go in before slightly touching the fingertips of Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester. That slight deflection sent the ball into the left upright, where it ricocheted off the crossbar before bouncing harmlessly into the end zone. The sequence instantly became known as the "Double Doink," but it also ended the Bears' season in dramatic fashion.
The Unfortunate Turning Point Following The "Double Doink"
It's wrong to say the Bears lost this game because of Parkey's missed field goal. The Bears entered the game as a 6.5-point favorite after their impressive regular season and a 10-2 record against NFC opponents. However, their offense struggled at the worst possible time. Chicago went scoreless in the first quarter and didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run from Jordan Howard. Their inefficiency in the red zone doomed their chances, even if the fanbase remembers this game for Parkey's miss.
The reality is that the Bears never regained the momentum after this game.
They missed the playoffs in 2019 despite posting elite defensive numbers, and the optimism surrounding Trubisky's development quickly faded after the offense stagnated. Less than 12 months after the "Double Doink," the Bears were out of the playoffs again and with more questions than answers both on and off the field.
What happened to Parkey after the "Double Doink"?
Understandably, and expectedly, no player suffered more consequences after this game than Parkey. The "Double Doink" was his 11th miss of the season and his sixth kick of the campaign that hit the post. Chicago released him before the start of the 2019 season despite owing him guaranteed money.
Parkey would go on to continue his NFL career, playing for the Titans, Browns and Saints between 2019 and 2021, but he was never the same. His last appearance at the NFL level came in 2021 with New Orleans, and he finished his career having completed 84.6 percent of his field goals (121-for-143) and 93.4 percent of his extra-point tries (200-for-214).
More than seven years later, the "Double Doink" remains one of the most unforgettable moments in recent NFL Playoffs history, serving as a cruel reminder of how razor-thin the margins can be in the postseason. A single bounce can alter the trajectory of an entire franchise, and it can define a player's career. For the Bears, it marked the end of a season filled with hope and the start of another rebuilding process that's just beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel ahead of the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, for Parkey, it became the kick that forever defined his career, regardless of everything he accomplished before or after that cold January night in Chicago.
More About The Campaign
The RotoWire expert panel voted to select the single most franchise-defining moment from the last 10 years for all 32 NFL teams. Voting has now closed. The results power a 33-article editorial series published across RotoWire ahead of the NFL season -- one dedicated article per franchise, plus one overarching piece covering the broader trends and standout moments across the league.
