CHICAGO – After 21 years, the George Halas Trophy has fittingly returned home.

It was presented to Halas’ daughter, Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, at midfield during an emotional post-game celebration Sunday at Soldier Field after the franchise advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time since the magical 1985 season. 

The Bears hoisted the George Halas Trophy Sunday after defeating the New Orleans Saints 39-14 to advance to Super Bowl XLI.

“You could see it in her face how excited she was,” coach Lovie Smith said after leading the Bears to a 39-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game.

“This was a dream for her for a long time. We told her we would do that. The team told her that they would bring it to her. She’s happy right now, but the next game she’ll be even happier.”

Fantasy and reality merged into one on a blissful afternoon along Chicago’s lakefront as the Bears overcame a lull early in the second half to register their most lopsided playoff victory since hammering the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.

Embattled quarterback Rex Grossman, who led an offense that produced four touchdowns without committing a turnover, heaved the ball into the stands after taking a knee on the final play. Snow, confetti and thunderous cheers from jubilant fans filled the air as Bears players shared hugs and high-fives in the post-game bedlam.

“It doesn’t get any better than this right now,” Grossman said. “I’m excited about the position we’re in right now. We’ve got one more win before we can call ourselves world champions.”

The Bears will face the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI Feb. 4 in Miami. The Colts rallied from a 21-3 deficit to beat the New England Patriots 38-34 Sunday in Indianapolis.

The Bears generated four takeaways after producing just six in their last five games and outrushed the Saints 196-56. Thomas Jones set a franchise playoff record by rushing for 123 yards on 19 carries and scored two TDs just as he did in last Sunday’s divisional playoff win over the Seahawks. Cedric Benson added 60 yards and 1 TD on 24 attempts.

The Chicago defense registered three sacks, forced three turnovers and limited the Saints rushing attack to 56 yards on 12 carries. After gaining a season-high 143 yards on 21 attempts in last weekend’s playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles, running back Deuce McAllister was limited to 18 yards on six carries.

The Bears seemingly were in control of Sunday’s game when Jones’ 2-yard TD run extended their lead to 16-0 with 1:56 left in the second quarter. But the Saints stormed back as Brees tossed touchdown passes of 13 yards to Marques Colston with :46 remaining in the half and 88 yards to Reggie Bush early in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 16-14.

New Orleans actually had an opportunity to take the lead on its next possession, but Billy Cundiff’s 47-yard field goal attempt was well short. The Bears then responded by scoring the game’s final 23 points to win going away.

With the offense struggling, Chicago’s defense delivered the play of the game. After Brad Maynard’s 51-yard punt bounced out of bounds at the New Orleans 5, Brees was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety that increased the Bears' lead to 18-14. Lance Briggs and Mark Anderson provided the pressure on the play.

“They had a little bit of momentum,” said defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, “We were looking to create something to get the momentum back and the safety came at a great time for us.”

Brian Urlacher and the Bears held the NFL's No. 1-ranked offense to just 14 points.

After three straight three-and-outs, the Bears scored touchdowns on three of their next four possessions. Grossman engineered a pivotal 5-play, 85-yard TD drive by completing 4 of 4 passes for 78 yards capped by a 33-yard scoring pass to Bernard Berrian.

The speedy receiver caught the ball while tumbling backwards into the end zone after shaking cornerback Fred Thomas. Berrian’s touchdown provided some breathing room, extending the Bears’ lead to 25-14 with 14:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Two plays later, Adewale Ogunleye forced and recovered a Brees fumble while sacking the All-Pro quarterback. The ball was initially awarded to the Saints, but the Bears challenged the call and the ruling was reversed after a replay review.

Taking over at the New Orleans 26, the Bears converted the turnover as Benson bolted up the middle for a 12-yard TD run, extending the lead to 32-14 with 11:37 remaining in the game.

Jones later clinched the victory with a 15-yard TD run with 4:19 to play, igniting a wild celebration that included the customary Gatorade shower for the Bears head coach.

“It doesn’t get any better than that,” Smith said later. “You start off early in the year—minicamps, training camp; all those things. You see how hard the team works, you lay out a plan and they buy into it. You want it to end this way.”

The Bears dominated early, halting the Saints’ first three drives with third-down sacks by Israel Idonije and Anderson and a turnover when Nathan Vasher recovered a Colston fumble that Chris Harris forced after a 12-yard reception.

But Chicago’s offense struggled in the red zone, failing to score a touchdown after reaching the 1 on one possession and the 6 on another. Robbie Gould field goals of 19, 43 and 24 yards on consecutive drives gave the Bears a 9-0 lead.

Gould’s first two kicks came in a 2:01 span and were sandwiched by a takeaway on special teams. Adrian Peterson forced a Michael Lewis fumble on a kickoff return and Danieal Manning recovered at the New Orleans 30.

Jones scored the game’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run, rushing for 69 yards while carrying on all eight plays on the drive as the Bears extended their lead to 16-0 with 1:56 left in the half.

“Our running game was unbelievable,” Grossman said. “We ran it right down their throat in the second quarter. Our offensive line cleared the way and our running backs really saw the holes well and made great cuts.”

Even as they celebrated in their locker room, some Bears players were still trying to grasp what they had just accomplished.

“This is big,” said Desmond Clark. “When Lovie first came in he said, ‘We want to be Super Bowl champions,’ and now it’s right here in front of us. It’s not a dream anymore. It’s reality. Once we took over that game, that’s what I kept thinking: a dream is coming true right now. Athletically, this is the biggest thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”