Moments in NFL history: Colts overcome ferocious start by Bears after game-plan audible
NFL
Published on : 2/4/2026
A misty drizzle fell from the evening Miami sky as Super Bowl XLI kicked off. 18 seconds after the opening kick left Adam Vinatieri’s foot, Hall of Famer DEVIN HESTER was in the opposing end zone with a 6-0 lead.
As a flash of blue and orange striped socks raced down the sideline past Indianapolis Colts’ Hall of Fame coach TONY DUNGY, he felt the gaze of his staff fall upon him.
"We had decided all week that we were not going to kick the ball to Devin Hester," Dungy told the Dan Patrick Show the Monday following the Super Bowl. "[The night before the game] after the meeting, I thought, 'That's really playing scared. We're not going to do that.'
"So, the next morning, I told the team when we were going to the game, 'I hope we lose the toss, because if we do, we're going to kick it right down the middle to Hester and we're going to pound him. And when they know we've taken their best threat, they're going to be finished."
Instead, the opposite happened.
On this day, Feb. 4, 2007, Hester maneuvered through the Colts special teamers to return the opening kickoff 92 yards, marking the first Super Bowl opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown in NFL history.
Despite an early deficit, the Colts fought back to beat the Chicago Bears 29-17, led by Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING, who earned his first Super Bowl victory and Super Bowl MVP. The strong-armed quarterback completed 25 of his 38 passes for 247 yards, a touchdown and an interception, including five passes for 59 yards to Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON.
With the win, Dungy became just the third person ever to win the Super Bowl as a head coach as well as a player, following Hall of Famers TOM FLORES and MIKE DITKA. Vinatieri, whose appearance made him the first kicker to ever play in five Super Bowls, scored an NFL-record 49 points in the Colts 2006 playoff run.
The Bears, led by Hall of Famer BRIAN URLACHER, earned the NFC’s one seed and a first-round playoff bye after a stellar 13-3 season. Urlacher tallied 10 tackles and a pass deflection in the first Super Bowl on record to be played in rainy conditions.
As a flash of blue and orange striped socks raced down the sideline past Indianapolis Colts’ Hall of Fame coach TONY DUNGY, he felt the gaze of his staff fall upon him.
"We had decided all week that we were not going to kick the ball to Devin Hester," Dungy told the Dan Patrick Show the Monday following the Super Bowl. "[The night before the game] after the meeting, I thought, 'That's really playing scared. We're not going to do that.'
"So, the next morning, I told the team when we were going to the game, 'I hope we lose the toss, because if we do, we're going to kick it right down the middle to Hester and we're going to pound him. And when they know we've taken their best threat, they're going to be finished."
Instead, the opposite happened.
On this day, Feb. 4, 2007, Hester maneuvered through the Colts special teamers to return the opening kickoff 92 yards, marking the first Super Bowl opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown in NFL history.
Despite an early deficit, the Colts fought back to beat the Chicago Bears 29-17, led by Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING, who earned his first Super Bowl victory and Super Bowl MVP. The strong-armed quarterback completed 25 of his 38 passes for 247 yards, a touchdown and an interception, including five passes for 59 yards to Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON.
With the win, Dungy became just the third person ever to win the Super Bowl as a head coach as well as a player, following Hall of Famers TOM FLORES and MIKE DITKA. Vinatieri, whose appearance made him the first kicker to ever play in five Super Bowls, scored an NFL-record 49 points in the Colts 2006 playoff run.
The Bears, led by Hall of Famer BRIAN URLACHER, earned the NFC’s one seed and a first-round playoff bye after a stellar 13-3 season. Urlacher tallied 10 tackles and a pass deflection in the first Super Bowl on record to be played in rainy conditions.
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