Remembering the 1985 Chicago Bears: Super Bowl XX
The 1985 Chicago Bears have been called one of the greatest teams in NFL history.
It’s almost certain that the Chicago Bears were the greatest team ever. They had a stout, virtually unbreakable defense, a power passing and running game to go along with great coaching.
There were personalities galore on the Bears. You had “Sweetness”, running back Walter Payton, and of course “The Refrigerator” William Perry. Throw in quarterback Jim McMahon, the speedy wide receiver Willie Gault and you had a team that people were attracted to.
They loved the players, loved the story, and loved the dominance.
The Set-Up
While we will look at some of the biggest games that took place during the Bears 1985 to 1986 season, the first game we will look at is the one that mattered the most that year, the Bears first Super Bowl victory.
Just like this year’s Super Bowl, the Bears first Super Bowl was played at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Bears would face off against the New England Patriots who were coming into the game with a record of 11 – 5 having been second in the AFC East behind the Miami Dolphins (who incidentally were the only team to beat the Bears that year).
The Patriots didn’t look like much of a match for the Bears, but the start of the game would leave Bears fans a little shaken.
The fanfare leading up to the big game was a show itself. From McMahon mooning reporters to a bomb threat at the Bears’ hotel, a little bit of everything was happening with this team before the big game.
All the shenanigans aside, the Bears and the Patriots were primed and ready to play the biggest game for both teams in quite some time.
The Scoring
The game didn’t start the way that the Bears would have liked it to. The Patriots recovered a Payton fumble on the game’s second play and went up 3 – 0 on a Tony Franklin kick. The Bears would tie it up three all and then go up 6 to 3 soon after.
The Bears would start to pour it on after that.
Fullback Matt Suhey would run for 11 yards and make it 13 – 3. That’s how the first quarter would conclude.
McMahon rushed for a two-yard touchdown to help get the Bears to 20 -3. With the offense and defense running on all cylinders, the Bears appeared to be unstoppable. A 24-yard Kevin Butler field goal would put the Bears up 23 – 3. The teams would go into the half at that score and the Bears were looking great after a bumpy start.
Chicago would take a 30 – 3 lead after a second run, a one-yarder by McMahon. The rout was on, and the Bears were unstoppable.
A pick-six by cornerback Reggie Phillips helped the Bears go up 37 – 3. He returned the Steve Grogan pass, which was tipped, 28 yards for the score.
It became 44 – 3 when the loveable Perry rushed from one yard out into the end zone. Now some controversy ensued with this as the fan base felt that Payton should have earned the right to score that touchdown. In the end, Payton didn’t score a touchdown in the Super Bowl leaving a lot of regrets and sore feelings.
The Patriots would manage to score a touchdown, much to the chagrin of the Bears defense making it 44 – 10. The score came when Grogan tossed an 8-yard pass to wide receiver Irving Fryar. The hopes of holding the Patriots without a touchdown were dashed but the Bears wouldn’t allow New England to score any additional points.
The final score of the game came when defensive lineman Henry Waechter brought down Grogan in the end zone for a safety. Tack on those two points and that made it 46 – 10.
The MVP
Defensive end Richard Dent would end up the game’s most valuable player. He recorded a total of a sack and a half and had two forced fumbles. That defense was fierce and got after the quarterbacks registering a total of seven sacks.
No Return Trip
The Bears, despite having one of the most complete teams in the history of the league, were not able to repeat their success and get to another Super Bowl. Players got hurt, coaches left, and things just didn’t work out. Maybe call them a “flash in the pan.”
One thing is for sure. They were the greatest team ever and one that will never be forgotten. They carved a big place for themselves in professional football history.
Hopefully, we will see the Bears become just as good as the 1985 Bears were soon.
