1984 Chicago Bears season
Encyclopedia
The 1984 Chicago Bears
season was their 65th regular season
and 15th post-season
completed in the National Football League
. The club posted a 10-6 record, earning them a spot in the NFL playoffs. The Bears went on to lose in the NFC Championship Game 23-0 to the eventual Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers
.
. Coach Mike Ditka needed his team to get away from any distractions they might face at home, and they spent August 1984 in the cornfields getting ready for the campaign ahead. The team was on the verge of discovering a group of young leaders for the first time, began to show the most dominating defense the league would ever see, and pushed much farther than anyone expected them to go.
34-14. Then they blanked the Denver Broncos
27-0 behind a huge day from Walter Payton. This game featured a famous image from Payton's career - a 50+ yard run down the sideline, led by 2nd-year guard Mark Bortz
, an 8th round pickup that was converted from defensive tackle. The next week, with Jim McMahon
out as the Bears visited Green Bay
, reserve quarterback Bob Avellini
took the reins. Chicago's offense performed poorly, but managed a 9-7 victory. This contest marked the first meeting of Mike Ditka and Forrest Gregg
- a rivalry that would go down in history as arguably the dirtiest era in Chicago-Green Bay football. The next week, the Bears' lack of offensive power was evident as they lost to the Seattle Seahawks
38-9. After this loss, Ditka cut Avellini. The move didn't seem to matter because the following week the Bears lost to the Dallas Cowboys
23-14. A season that started at 3-0 was becoming dimmer, as the team was suddenly 3-2.
reached a major milestone as he surpassed Jim Brown
as the game's all-time leading rusher in yards, he did it in the third quarter of an October 7 game at home against the New Orleans Saints
. The Bears beat the Saints 20-7. Then they lost 38-21 to the St. Louis Cardinals
in St. Louis. Following this loss, they beat Tampa Bay 44-9, and the Minnesota Vikings
at home, 16-7. Following the Minnesota win came the biggest challenge for the Bears - a showdown with the world champion Los Angeles Raiders.The Bears beat the Raiders 17-6, a game that showcased the NFL's leading sacker, Richard Dent
, who collected three against Raiders QB Marc Wilson. The Bears victory was marred by a kidney laceration received by their QB Jim McMahon, sending him to the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
's new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
on November 25, the team clinched its first NFC Central Division title. After the Minnesota game, Fuller was injured, and Chicago was faced with another quarterback problem. Ineffective Rusty Lisch
replaced the injured Fuller and lost the December 3 game at San Diego, then started the following week against Green Bay at home. Lisch was again ineffective, so Ditka inserted none other than Walter Payton behind center in the shotgun
formation. Payton was unsurprisingly ineffective as well, and the Bears lost to the Packers 20-14.
to start his last NFL game against the Detroit Lions
(his old team), which he helped the Bears win 30-13. Chicago was poised to enter the postseason for the first time since 1979.
, a team that had lost to the Los Angeles Radiers in Super Bowl XVIII
. Washington was heavily favored, but Chicago came away with a 23-19 victory that featured TD passes from Fuller as well as Payton on a halfback option pass. The momentum was clearly in the Bears' favor as they travelled to San Francisco for their first appearance in a championship game of any sort since their championship year in 1963. The line for the game came down steadily as the week wore on, but the Bears were shut out 23-0. Fuller had performed poorly in games against tough opponents, and the offense sputtered as the 49ers were able to stop Walter Payton all day long. The team had gone farther than many had expected them to go in 1984, and the season set the stage for their Super Bowl winning 1985 season.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was their 65th regular season
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
and 15th post-season
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
completed in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The club posted a 10-6 record, earning them a spot in the NFL playoffs. The Bears went on to lose in the NFC Championship Game 23-0 to the eventual Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
Great expectations
The Bears opened 1984 in a new place- Platteville, WisconsinPlatteville, Wisconsin
Platteville is the largest city in Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin. The population was 11,224 at the 2010 census, growing 12% since the 2000 Census. Much of this growth is likely due to the enrollment increase of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville...
. Coach Mike Ditka needed his team to get away from any distractions they might face at home, and they spent August 1984 in the cornfields getting ready for the campaign ahead. The team was on the verge of discovering a group of young leaders for the first time, began to show the most dominating defense the league would ever see, and pushed much farther than anyone expected them to go.
The first 5 games of 1984
There would be no opening day letdown in 1984. Chicago started the season by throttling the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
34-14. Then they blanked the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
27-0 behind a huge day from Walter Payton. This game featured a famous image from Payton's career - a 50+ yard run down the sideline, led by 2nd-year guard Mark Bortz
Mark Bortz
Mark Steven Bortz was a guard in the National Football League. He attended the University of Iowa and was drafted by the Bears in 1983 for the Chicago Bears and played there until 1994.-Professional career:...
, an 8th round pickup that was converted from defensive tackle. The next week, with Jim McMahon
Jim McMahon
James Robert "Jim" McMahon, Jr. is a former American football player. He played college football at Brigham Young University, where he was a two-time All-American and later in the professional ranks with the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona...
out as the Bears visited Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, reserve quarterback Bob Avellini
Bob Avellini
Robert Hayden Avellini was a quarterback in the NFL. For most of his career, he played for the Chicago Bears before finishing with the New York Jets. His nickname was "Slow-Mo".-Pro career:...
took the reins. Chicago's offense performed poorly, but managed a 9-7 victory. This contest marked the first meeting of Mike Ditka and Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
- a rivalry that would go down in history as arguably the dirtiest era in Chicago-Green Bay football. The next week, the Bears' lack of offensive power was evident as they lost to the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
38-9. After this loss, Ditka cut Avellini. The move didn't seem to matter because the following week the Bears lost to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
23-14. A season that started at 3-0 was becoming dimmer, as the team was suddenly 3-2.
Record breaker and quarterback problems
Walter PaytonWalter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
reached a major milestone as he surpassed Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
as the game's all-time leading rusher in yards, he did it in the third quarter of an October 7 game at home against the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. The Bears beat the Saints 20-7. Then they lost 38-21 to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in St. Louis. Following this loss, they beat Tampa Bay 44-9, and the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
at home, 16-7. Following the Minnesota win came the biggest challenge for the Bears - a showdown with the world champion Los Angeles Raiders.The Bears beat the Raiders 17-6, a game that showcased the NFL's leading sacker, Richard Dent
Richard Dent
Richard Lamar Dent is a former American football defensive end, who played primarily for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XX...
, who collected three against Raiders QB Marc Wilson. The Bears victory was marred by a kidney laceration received by their QB Jim McMahon, sending him to the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
Who's really playing quarterback
Six-year veteran QB Steve Fuller had been acquired from the Los Angeles Rams prior to the '84 season for insurance in case McMahon was injured. The investment paid off. Fuller guided the Bears to a 2-1 record over the next 3 games. In the third game at MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
's new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
on November 25, the team clinched its first NFC Central Division title. After the Minnesota game, Fuller was injured, and Chicago was faced with another quarterback problem. Ineffective Rusty Lisch
Rusty Lisch
Russell John Lisch is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. He played five seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Bears ....
replaced the injured Fuller and lost the December 3 game at San Diego, then started the following week against Green Bay at home. Lisch was again ineffective, so Ditka inserted none other than Walter Payton behind center in the shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
formation. Payton was unsurprisingly ineffective as well, and the Bears lost to the Packers 20-14.
"Plan Z" to the playoffs
Fuller was expected to return by the playoffs, but Ditka didn't want to enter the postseason with another loss. Ditka went to "Plan Z", and signed 14-year journeyman Greg LandryGreg Landry
Gregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984...
to start his last NFL game against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(his old team), which he helped the Bears win 30-13. Chicago was poised to enter the postseason for the first time since 1979.
The postseason
The first-round matchup sent the 10-6 Bears to WashingtonWashington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, a team that had lost to the Los Angeles Radiers in Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
. Washington was heavily favored, but Chicago came away with a 23-19 victory that featured TD passes from Fuller as well as Payton on a halfback option pass. The momentum was clearly in the Bears' favor as they travelled to San Francisco for their first appearance in a championship game of any sort since their championship year in 1963. The line for the game came down steadily as the week wore on, but the Bears were shut out 23-0. Fuller had performed poorly in games against tough opponents, and the offense sputtered as the 49ers were able to stop Walter Payton all day long. The team had gone farther than many had expected them to go in 1984, and the season set the stage for their Super Bowl winning 1985 season.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2, 1984 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
W 34-14 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
1-0 | 58,789 |
| 2 | September 9, 1984 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 27–0 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
2-0 | 54,335 |
| 3 | September 16, 1984 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 9-7 | Lambeau Field Lambeau Field Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field... |
3-0 | 55,942 |
| 4 | September 23, 1984 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
L 38-9 | Kingdome Kingdome The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the... |
3-1 | 61,520 |
| 5 | September 30, 1984 | Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
L 23-14 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
3-2 | 63,623 |
| 6 | October 7, 1984 | New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
W 20-7 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
4-2 | 53,752 |
| 7 | October 14, 1984 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 38-21 | Busch Stadium Busch Memorial Stadium Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005.... |
4-3 | 49,554 |
| 8 | October 21, 1984 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
W 44-9 | Tampa Stadium | 5-3 | 60,003 |
| 9 | October 28, 1984 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 16-7 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
6-3 | 57,517 |
| 10 | November 4, 1984 | Los Angeles Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 17-6 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
7-3 | 59,858 |
| 11 | November 11, 1984 | at Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
L 29-13 | Anaheim Stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams... |
7-4 | 62,021 |
| 12 | November 18, 1984 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 16-14 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
8-4 | 54,911 |
| 13 | November 25, 1984 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 34-3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University... |
9-4 | 56,881 |
| 14 | December 3, 1984 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20-7 | Jack Murphy Stadium Qualcomm Stadium Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area.... |
9-5 | 45,470 |
| 15 | December 9, 1984 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L 20-14 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
9-6 | 59,374 |
| 16 | December 16, 1984 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 30-13 | Pontiac Silverdome Silverdome The Silverdome is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue located in Launceston, Tasmania built in 1984. The Silverdome was built at an estimated cost of A$4 million, as the Tasmanian Government "proposed a world class facility" to replace the run down velodrome in the Launceston suburb of St... |
10-6 | 53,252 |
Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | TV | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional Round | December 30, 1984 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 23-19 | R.F.K. Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of MLS's D.C. United.... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
55,431 |
| NFC Championship | January 6, 1985 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 23-0 | Candlestick Park | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
61,040 |