Bears 20, Giants 17: September 15, 1991

By 1991, Mike Ditka's Bears were growing old and looked to be wearing out on the field. The offensive line was fading, offensive specialists were becoming injury prone and/or possessed limited skills, and the defense was in decline as well. But those 1991 Bears were certainly scrappy. This would be seen for the first of many times in the game against the Giants.

On opening day the Bears pulled out a gutty 10-6 win over the Vikings, then trounced the typically weak Buccaneers in Tampa. In the season's third week they hosted the world champion New York Giants, the team that forcibly kicked the Bears out of the playoffs the year before.

The Bears led the Giants 13-0 at halftime on two Kevin Butler field goals and a 75-yard touchdown on a long fade pattern from Jim Harbaugh to Wendell Davis. But the Giants roared back in the second half, pulling ahead 17-13 after a Matt Bahr field goal and two rushing touchdowns from Rodney Hampton. While the defense was hurting after halftime, they did pull off an amazing goal-line stand, stopping Hampton on successive plays inside the Bear one-yard line. With time ticking down, the Bears had to score a touchdown, and did just that when Neal Anderson turned on his speed for a 42-yard touchdown rush, punctuated with a dive to hit the pylon for the last yard.

But the Giants weren't done. They drove into field goal range to attempt the game-tying kick on the game's final play. None other than William "Refrigerator" rose to block the kick and save the game.

This would be the first of many thrilling comeback wins for the 1991 Bears.

Bears 16, Saints 6: NFC Wildcard Playoff, January 6, 1991

It wasn't so much a memorable football game for what happened on the field. But it would turn out to be the Bears' final playoff win at Soldier Field for 16 years.

With an 11-5 record in 1990, the Bears won their sixth NFC Central division crown in seven years. But as they were the third-seeded division winner, they had to play in the first week of the playoffs, hosting the 8-8 Wildcard New Orleans Saints. Ironically, the Saints were led by several offensive players that would wind up with the Bears 3-4 years later in quarterback Steve Walsh and running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward.

Despite the fact that veteran Bears quarterback Mike Tomczak had lost his starting job to Jim Harbaugh at the start of the season, Tomczak would be the starter in the Bears' playoff return following Harbaugh's season-ending shoulder injury.

The Saints didn't put up much of a defense to the Bears in this game. Chicago led 10-3 at halftime, and the closest the Saints could get was 13-6 on a pair of Morten Andersen field goals. The real story here was Tomczak's effecient day. The sometimes-erratic quarterback threw for a touchdown and no interceptions, while Walsh and John Fourcade teamed to throw three interceptions. Bear running back Neal Anderson also was a big part in the Bear win, rushing for 102 yards and catching four passes.

I remember the festive atmosphere in the stands at this game, with Bear fans pelting Saints fans with snowballs in the northeast end zone section of the stands. Bears fans were happy that their team won another playoff game at home after failing to make the postseason the year before. Little did we know we wouldn't see another victory at home for 16 long years. How much longer will it be this time?

Redskins 21, Bears 17: NFC Divisional Playoff, January 10, 1988

The Redskins had knocked the Bears from the playoffs in shocking fashion the previous season, but that was with the Bears led by an erratic 5' 8" quarterback in Doug Flutie. In 1987, Jim McMahon was back, and money was on the Bears to make easy work of the Redskins. Also thought to be in Chicago's favor was "Bear Weather", with the temperature hovering around 0 degrees for most of the Sunday afternoon game.

The Bears went to work quickly, jumping to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on a Calvin Thomas rush and Ron Morris touchdown reception. But the defense gave the lead back, and Washington tied the game at 14 by halftime. The play that broke the Bears' back came in the third quarter, when Redskin cornerback Darrell Green leapfrogged a sure tackle by Cap Boso on a punt return and raced 52 yards for what turned out to be the clinching touchdown.

The Bears did have the ball, able to drive, trailing 21-17 in the final moments of the game. On fourth down, Walter Payton caught a swing pass but was knocked out of bounds several yards short of the first down marker. In his final professional football game, Payton remained on the bench with his head in his hands for some time after the game ended. That enduring image of Payton lasts to this day.

Redskins 27, Bears 13: NFC Divisional Playoff, January 3, 1987

During the month of December 1986, new Bears quarterback Doug Flutie had been auditioning for the starting role. Despite being only 5' 8", Flutie possessed a rocket arm and plenty of moxie. Problem was, in order to see to be able to throw, he had to be rolled out of the pocket most of the time. Flutie's entrance via trade had caused tension among his teammates, led by incumbent quarterback Jim McMahon. It still isn't known how many of Flutie's 1986 teammates were fully playing for their quarterback.

While the quarterback position for the 1986 Bears was tenuous, Chicago's ongoing defensive dominance was unquestioned. Despite fears of a defensive dropoff following the loss of coordinator Buddy Ryan, the Bears actually played statistically better ball the year after he left. During the regular season, the Bears set an NFL record by allowing just 187 total points. (The record would be surpassed by the 2000 Baltimore Ravens).

Redskins-Bears was a compelling matchup through the mid-1980's in the NFL. Chicago had shocked Washington in the 1984 Divisional Playoffs at RFK Stadium, then in 1985 the Redskins missed the playoffs despite posting a 10-6 record. In 1986, Washington rebounded with a 12-4 record, but still had to travel to visit the 14-2 Bears, who were favored to win the game.

Washington jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a Jay Schroeder touchdown pass to Art Monk, then the Bears answered with a 50-yard strike from Flutie to Willie Gault. By halftime, the Bears led 13-7 after tacking on two Kevin Butler field goals. In the third quarter, though, any hope of a Bears victory drained away with the emotion of the Soldier Field crowd. Washington scored four times without answer from the Bears, leading to an eventual 27-13 upset victory for the Redskins.

The Bears won 14 games during the 1986 regular season by dominating time of posession via Walter Payton running plays, and playing dominant defense. Neither of those took place in this game, and after figuring in Flutie's 11/31 performance with 134 yards and two interceptions, that tells the story of the loss.

Bears 61, Packers 7: December 7, 1980

Pearl Harbor day in Chicago broke as warm and balmy, with a gametime temperature of 56 degrees. As a pregame ceremony commemorated the 1941 attack that led to America's entry into the Second World War, no one knew of the perfect storm brewing on the field.

Ironically in a game that would feature 68 points scored, neither team registered a point in the opening period. The Bear onslaught started in the second, when they scored three rushing touchdowns. Green Bay tightened the score on a touchdown pass from Lynn Dickey to James Lofton, but it was all Bears after that. The next three Chicago touchdowns, notched in the third quarter, would be passes from quarterback Vince Evans, who would finish the day with 316 yards through the air. Walter Payton would score three touchdowns and rush for 130 yards on 22 carries.

If not for kicker Bob Thomas missing two extra points, the Bears would have set their record for most points scored in a regular season game with 63. Instead they tied their record with 61.

Much controversey swirled around the game both on that day and well into the future. According to Mudbaths and Bloodbaths by D'Amato and Christl, Packer coach Bart Starr refused to shake Bear coach Neill Armstrong's hand after the game. According to the book, Starr wasn't angry that Mike Phipps kept throwing the ball or that Walter Payton re-entered the game after it was out of hand, but because Buddy Ryan and his defense continued to blitz young Packer quarterback David Whitehurst. "That was the way we played," Ryan said.

Also covered in the book was that the Bears were stealing Green Bay's offensive signals. According to Bear personnel man Bill Tobin, the Bears had figured the signals out, and the information was relayed to Ryan on the sidelines, then to the players. Ryan and safety Gary Fencik downplayed the significance of the stolen signals, while Tobin insisted that it helped.

In the end, Chicago defensive lineman Dan Hampton summed up the day and his feeling for the Packers when he said "We wanted to score 100 points. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of pr*cks."

Bears 28, 49ers 27: October 28, 1979

The Bears trailed the 49ers by the score of 27-21 with just moments left in the game. They faced fourth down, ten yards to go from the San Francisco 48-yard line. Chicago quarterback Mike Phipps dropped back and heaved a pass to receiver James Scott, who was streaking open down the right sideline. Scott galloped in for the touchdown, and after Bob Thomas kicked the ensuing extra point, the Bears had sneaked away with a victory over the 1-7 49ers in Bill Walsh's rookie year coaching his team.

Bear running back Walter Payton rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Steve DeBerg, quarterbacking Walsh's west coast offense while rookie third round pick Joe Montana watched, threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns on the Bear defense.

Most memorable about this game was that it turned the Bears' season and launched a four-game winning streak. Chicago finished the first half of the 1979 season with a record on 3-5, and would need a strong finish to have any hope of making the playoffs. The season would be capped with an even more memorable game two months later.

Packers 12, Bears 6: September 7, 1980

The 1980 editions of the Bears and Packers were pretty bad. The Bears would finish the season 7-9, the Packers 5-10-1. But it was opening day, and a fresh new season was upon both franchises at Lambeau Field. Through four quarters each team could only muster two field goals apiece, and the game went to overtime tied 6-6.

In overtime, the Packers got things going in the passing game, which had been stymied by the Bears for most of the day. A long pass from Packer quarterback Lynn Dickey to receiver James Lofton set up a 34-yard field goal try with nine minutes remaining. According to D'Amato and Christl's Mudbaths and Bloodbaths, Bear defensive lineman Alan Page thought he would block the kick, and he was right. As the ball was kicked, Bear players on the field heard a thud and were relieved. But they were confused when they heard the Lambeau crowd cheering. Once they were able to turn around and see, the first sight was of Packer kicker Chester Marcol crossing the goal line for the winning touchdown.

The kick Page blocked had bounced right back into the bespectacled Marcol's hands, and with no other choice, he scrambled 25 yards in for the touchdown. On the event, Bear Hall of Famer Dan Hampton said "We bat the ball back, and that little weasel runs it in. It was like bursting a balloon."

Bears 20, Saints 7: October 7, 1984

Not so much excitement as far as the football action went in this game, other than the Bears ending a two-game losing streak when they beat New Orleans. But this was the game in which everyone knew Walter Payton would break Jim Brown's all-time rushing record.

Payton had entered the Saints game needing 66 yards to break Brown's record. Everyone assumed he would, but Payton cautioned them that "rushing for 66 yards isn't exactly as easy as falling off a log." But early in the third quarter, Payton finally eclipsed the record on a sweep left behind guard Mark Bortz. The game stopped momentarily while Payton high-fived teammate Todd Bell, but before we knew it, the running back himself was urging everyone else off the field so play could continue.

Following Chicago's 20-7 win, Payton deflected the glory given to him for reaching his goal to several athletes that weren't able to accomplish theirs: Joe Delaney (Chiefs running back who died in 1983 attempting to rescue three children from drowning), David Overstreet, a Dolphins running back that had died in a car accident four months earlier, and Brian Piccolo, the late running back of the Bears.

Emmitt Smith surpassed Payton as the NFL's all-time leading rusher in 2003. While I couldn't possibly take anything away from Smith, I can never fail to note that Payton gained his yards behind some pretty bad offensive lines in Chicago from 1975-1982, at least. And without a quarterback or highly talented receivers for most of his career. Smith was a part of one of the most talented and prolific offenses in history, with an offensive line to rival the best ever.

To me, Payton will live on as the best running back I ever had a chance to see play, and I tried to enjoy this performance as a 13-year old in the stands in 1984.

Bears 17, Raiders 6: November 4, 1984

For what is pointed to as the first game in which the mid-80's Bears juggernaught reared its head, it's odd that although I attended this game, I don't remember anything specific about it. To me as a 13-year old, I hoped and thought the Bears would win every game, and perhaps for this reason I didn't even notice that they were doing so on a more regular basis and with more and more dominance.

This is the game that many of the '85 Bears themselves point to as when they began to be taken seriously. The Raiders had won the Super Bowl in 1983 and were still a dominant, 11-5 team in 1984.

But they did absolutely nothing at Soldier Field on this day. The Bears jumped to a 14-0 lead on two Walter Payton touchdowns, and would only muster two field goals in this game which the Bears won 17-6.

The real story to this game are the defensive statistics. Defensive end Richard Dent, who would lead the NFL in sacks, registered a whopping total of 4.5 in this game. The unit as a whole registered 9 total, plus 3 interceptions. Raider starting quarterback Marc Wilson was knocked from the game and replaced by David Humm, but both only totalled 126 yards passing.

The Raiders did do one thing that may have sealed Chicago's playoff fates. They did give a grotesque injury to Bear quarterback Jim McMahon, when we went down with a lacerated kidney. The injury would end McMahon's season in November. While the Bears won the NFC Central and advanced to the NFC Championship game at San Francisco, their lack of offense behind Steve Fuller there was apparent.

But on this day, Chicago roared back to NFL prominence for the first time since the 1960's, and they would stay at the forefront of America's minds for most of the next 10 years.

Bears 35, Vikings 18: January 1, 1995

What a New Years' Day gift for Chicago Bears fans. The Bears were back in the playoffs for the first time in three years, and despite the hated Vikings being prohibitive favorites at home, the Bears shellacked their hosts.

The Bears had already been beaten twice by the Vikings in 1994. First they were pounded 42-14 at Soldier Field while Erik Kramer was the quarterback, then they lost a 33-27 overtime squeaker at the Metrodome. In fact, the Bears at this point had lost six in a row to the Vikings after dominating their rivals for the most part in the mid-1980's through 1991.

So most didn't give the Bears a chance this New Year's Day. But by halftime, the Bears held a 14-9 lead, augmented to 21-9 when rookie running back Raymont Harris broke a 29-yard touchdown run. Minnesota would add just one more score on the day, a touchdown pass from Warren Moon to Amp Lee. At the same time, the Bears would score two more touchdowns, a 21-yard pass from Steve Walsh to Jeff Graham, and a 48-yard fumble return by Kevin Miniefield.

The Bears' resounding victory was a shock to most, and may have led to overconfidence on their part that they would have a chance the following week against San Francisco. They didn't, as we would see when they were annihilated 44-15 against the 49ers.

But the Bears were again on the upswing, or so we thought, after the playoff upset. Dave Wannstedt's team would start the following season 6-2, and the coach was rewarded with a handsome four-year contract extension. But this Viking victory was to be Wannstedt's last in the playoffs.

Bears 14, Saints 10: October 3, 1999

I mentioned in the beginning of this series that I started with a top 20, then top 25, finally top 55 games since 1979, because there are just so many. Turns out that even 55 wasn't enough. At this point it's 57, with a #18B and 16B added since I just couldn't resist adding these additional two.

When they faced the New Orleans Saints in October 1999, the Bears were 1-2. Chicago had started the season with a rousing win, but faltered in successive weeks against Seattle and Oakland. October 3rd that year broke cool and rainy as the Bears welcomed back Saints coach Mike Ditka for his second visit to his old home.

Nothing much went right for the Bears through the first 55 or so minutes of the game. Ditka's offense controlled the Bears defense for the most part behind the running of rookie Rickey Williams, who rushed for 84 yards on the day. Saints quarterback Billy Joe Hobert was knocked out before halftime and replaced, by, Billy Joe Tolliver. You heard me right. The pair of Billy Joe's were efficient but unspectacular, throwing for 178 yards to augment William's running.

The Bears couldn't even get on the board until late in the fourth, when Curtis Conway caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Shane Matthews. It seemed like that would be too little too late, until Matthews came back and hit Conway on another touchdown, this one a six yarder, for the winning score with just seconds remaining.

The surprising win ended Chicago's two-game losing streak, while it sent Ditka's Saints into a death spiral. New Orleans would lose five more in a row and ten of their next 11 to seal Ditka's fate in his final coaching job.

Bears 27, Lions 24: September 6, 1992

One of my favorite Chicago Bears memories.

The Bears had finished the 1991 regular season on a decidedly sour note. While Chicago was being blown out 52-14 by the San Francisco 49ers on national television, Lions coach Wayne Fontes was being shown live, chomping on a cigar, celebrating the Bears defeat. The defeat gave the Lions the NFC Central crown, and they would advance to the NFC Championship Game where they lost to the Redskins. So the schedule-makers had compelling drama on their hands at Soldier Field on opening day.

The game was even through most of the first three quarters. The Bears first led 10-0, then the Lions came back to even the score at 10-10 by halftime. In the fourth, legendary running back Barry Sanders, then in only his third season, made perhaps his best broken-tackle touchdown run to give Detroit a 17-10 lead. On the play Sanders rushed right, running into a wall of Bears defenders. But somehow he spun out of the arms of at least three Bears defenders and slashed down the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown. The Bears roared back, however, on a Kevin Butler field goal, then an 18-yard touchdown run by Neal Anderson, which he ended with another of his patented pylon dives.

The Bears led 20-17 at that point, until with less than a minute to go, Lion QB Rodney Peete hit Willie Green on a 27-yard score. The touchdown gave Detroit a 24-20 lead, which looked insurmountable with so little time remaining. The Bears would have to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown to pull out the win.

Chicago quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who would earn the moniker "Captain Comeback" in 1995 with the Indianapolis Colts, brought the Bears down the field steadily, and with mere seconds on the clock and no timeouts, had the Bears at the Detroit six. Harbaugh took the snap in shotgun, and on the famous Ditka play "13 Wing Jet", threw a low fastball to Tom Waddle in the end zone with just one second remaining on the clock. The crowd erupted, and the Bears beat the odds, and the defending division champs, in the season's first week.

Perhaps I love this game so much because it was one for which I was too immature to stay in the Soldier Field crowd until the glorious end. I heard the winning touchdown on the radio while on a shuttle bus taking me back to the loop to drink more beer. I will always regret missing that finish, but perhaps this memory is what tempered me to vow to never miss the end of a game again. Thankfully in 2001, I did not do so.

Bears 23, Lions 17: November 27, 1980

The 1980 Bears were erratic. Not just at the individual level, but also when their game scores were analyzed. In their four wins they had outscored opponents by at least 14 points, sometimes more. In their losses, they were absymal, either mustering no offense (like in a 10-6 loss to Earl Campbell's Oilers) or getting embarrassed (such as their 38-3 loss to the NFL Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Terry Bradshaw). The team reached a new low the previous week when in a loss at Atlanta, all-around good guy Walter Payton was ejected on a very questionable claim of him pushing a referee.

Chicago trailed at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day 17-3 into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Vince Evans slowly brought the Bears back in the final period, throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Bob Fisher and rushing for another himself. Thus at the end of regulation the game was tied.

In overtime, the Bears received the kickoff, and running back David Williams was deep to receive. Williams made one cut move to the left, found the sideline, and was gone for a 95-yard touchdown. Williams' teammates mobbed him in the end zone after the score.

This was the shortest overtime period in NFL history, a record which stood until 2001 when the Bears broke the mark again.

Bears 44, Cowboys 0: November 17, 1985

The Bears were 10-0 entering this game. Many "experts," still not buying into the 1985 Bears, wanted to see Chicago beat a "tough" team before they would believe the Bears were for real. So when they visited "America's Team," 7-3 Dallas, the chance was there.

The Bears didn't just beat the Cowboys. They didn't just crush them. They seemingly pounded them into a powder on the Texas Stadium turf. When the game was over and the scoreboard read 44-0 Bears, there remained few doubters of the Bears' legitimacy.

The only time this looked like an actual contest was in the first quarter, which closed with a 7-0 Bears lead following Richard Dent's rebound of a tipped pass for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Kevin Butler added a field goal and Mike Richardson returned an interception for a 36-yard score. With a 17-0 lead, the offense finally got into the act on a sneak by quarterback Steve Fuller, and the Bears led 24-0 at the half.

Strange for a game with so much scoring, in the third quarter the Bears could only manage a field goal. But in the fourth the floodgates opened, and reserve running backs Dennis Gentry and Calvin Thomas both rushed for touchdowns, ending the scoring at 44 points for the good guys.

The carnage on the Cowboy's side of the field was nearly unprecedented. The Bears amassed five sacks and four interceptions on beleagured Cowboy quarterbacks Danny White and Gary Hogeboom. White was actually knocked from the game and laid motionless for some time after ferocious hits by Otis Wilson and Mike Singletary.

After this game, average fans, along with the experts, would be referring to a new team from the north as "America's Team."

Packers 14, Bears 13: November 5, 1989

This was the infamous "Instant Replay Game." For at least 10 years afterward, the Bears placed an asterisk next to the game in their media guide, calling it just that (THE instant replay game), and for this reason Bears management voted against the use of instant replay in games for many years after.

The Bears and Packers entered the game both tied with 5-4 records. Green Bay hadn't won a game against the Bears since 1984. The Packers scored a touchdown first, and led the Bears 7-3 into the third quarter. But the Bears chipped away at the lead, scoring two field goals and finally a touchdown on a Brad Muster rush to lead 13-7.

But as had, and would, happen so many times to the 1989 Bears, they let the Packers back into the game on a late drive. With the final seconds ticking off the clock, on fourth down and fourteen yards to go, Packer quarterback Don Majkowski rolled to his right, taking all the time in the world, until he finally hit Sterling Sharpe with a 14-yard touchdown pass. The Lambeau crowd went nuts, until the line judge threw a flag, indicating that the quarterback threw the pass from beyond the line of scrimmage. But as happened in the early days of the instant replay system (1986-1991), the call was sent upstairs to the booth for review, and after almost seven minutes of deliberation, referees ruled that Majkowski was not over the line of scrimmage. Green Bay kicked the extra point and won the game.

According to the Bears, they did not dispute where Majkowski's foot was when he threw the pass, but where his arm and hand were when he released the ball. The play continues to be debated by Bears and Packers fans to this day.

After the game, Bears kicker Kevin Butler recounted the scene in D'Amato and Christl's Mudbaths and Bloodbaths: "[Packers fans] were literally rocking our bus, just beating on it. They were letting out many, many years of frustration. I thought they were going to tip our bus over."

Unfortunately for Bears fans, Green Bay would embark on its own reign of terror over Chicago, a streak which would also prove to be broken on a bizarre play at Lambeau.

Bears 14, Packers 13: November 7, 1999

As alluded to in just the previous post, almost exactly 10 years after the "instant replay game," the Bears found themseleves at Lambeau Field again. This time it was the Bears that had endured a five-year losing streak to the Packers, and oddly enough, the game would end with the same final score, only with Chicago on the right side this time.

On this November 7th, the Bears would be playing with heavy hearts six days after the untimely passing of NFL legend Walter Payton from a rare liver disease. The entire NFL was mourning the loss, except, it seems for the moronic Packer fan that screamed "Go Packers" loud enough to be picked up by television cameras during a pregame moment of silence for #34. At Payton's public funeral service just the day before in Soldier Field, the crowd sent the 1999 team off with a rousing "Beat Green Bay," and everyone in attendance knew that the players knew what was at stake.

The Bears started the '99 season with a 3-2 record but entered the Packer game at 3-5 following three consecutive losses. The final game was a 48-22 humiliation at Washington, during which starting quarterback Shane Matthews was injured. Thus the Bears opened the Packer game with rookie Cade McNown at quarterback.

Thanks to some imaginative playcalling, the Bears scored their first touchdown on an inside handoff scamper for 49 yards by all-purpose Bears back Glyn Milburn. By halftime, Green Bay had a 10-7 lead, and early in the third quarter McNown gave way to Jim Miller at quarterback due to an injury. Miller would complete a touchdown pass to Bobby Engram in the third, giving the Bears a 13-7 lead, and Green Bay kicked a field goal in the fourth to come within a point at 14-13.

The Bears played inspired defense for the most part, but in a usual refrain to Bears fans, Packer quarterback Brett Favre drove the Packers within field goal range with just seconds remaining. Ultra-reliable Packer kicker Ryan Longwell lined up for a chip shot kick to give the Packers the win, when from out of nowhere, Bear defensive end Bryan Robinson blocked the attempt. The Bears went mad after beating their arch-rival for the first time since 1993.

Robinson would state after the game that he had no idea how he reached so high to block the kick, as he knows he can't jump that high.

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