Throwback Thursday: Chicago Bears top Bucs 38-28
By Andrew Poole
Greetings, Bears fans. With this year being the 30th anniversary of the Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears of 1985, here at Bear Goggles On we’ll be revisiting the regular season and playoff games — including re-watching them when possible — and posting about a game each Throwback Thursday as we move closer to the 2015 regular season.
(Note: All game statistics and links from Pro Football Reference).
In a way, the 1985 season didn’t start as expected. The Bears were coming off a 1984 campaign that saw them capture the division crown and the team’s first playoff win in the Super Bowl era. The 1984 season featured an inconsistent offense paired with a fearsome defense that notched 72 sacks in the regular season.
The first game against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985, though, showed little continuity from the prior season, as fans were faced with a suspect showing out of the defense and inspiring play from the offense.
The Bears defense, playing without two key contributors from the 1984 season in safety Todd Bell and defensive end/linebacker Al Harris, both of whom sat out the entire season because of contract disputes, looked lost as James Wilder rampaged through the 46 for more than 100 rushing yards in the first half.
Dec 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears former player Otis Wilson signs an autograph prior to a game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Bucs quarterback Steve DeBerg tossed three touchdowns against one interception as the Bears’ pass rush and coverage floundered.
Just 30 minutes into the 1985 season, the Bears’ vaunted defense had surrendered more points in a half than it had in 15 of 18 games the prior year.
It wasn’t much better on special teams. Coverage teams allowed lengthy punt and kickoff returns, including a 50-plus yard kickoff return that set up a 44-yard bomb from DeBerg to Kevin House on the next play.
More embarrassing, rookie Bears return man Ken Taylor also helped set up a Bucs score in the first half when a punt bounced into his chest and deflected away. The fumble was eventually recovered at the Bears’ 11-yard-line by the Tampa Bay coverage unit. DeBerg hit Jerry Bell for a score on the next play.
Oct 3, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars and NFL former quarterback Jim McMahon speaks during a ceremony in his honor during halftime of the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah State Aggies at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Utah State won 35-20. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
The offense, though, caught fire and kept the Bears in the game. Jim McMahon snuck in for one score in the first quarter, and hit Dennis McKinnon on a beautiful, across-the-body throw over the middle to cut the Bucs’ lead to 21-14 in the second quarter.
Trailing 28-17 as the second half started, the Bears’ defense finally showed up. Richard Dent tipped a DeBerg pass on the second snap of the third quarter, and cornerback Leslie Frazier grabbed the wobbler and took it 29 yards for the score.
Sep 7, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears former player Richard Dent at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Once the Bears’ pass rush picked up — Dent notched two sacks in the second half, the Bears’ only sacks in the game — the Bucs kept the ball on the ground, running Wilder a total of 27 times in the game while throwing only 21 times.
The defense clamped down on the Bucs the rest of the game, allowing only one drive late in the fourth quarter that ended when Bucs kicker Donald Igwebuike doinked a field goal try off the upright, sealing the Bears’ win.
While the defense dominated in the third and fourth, the offense slowed a bit, lodging less than 200 yards of offense in the second half after gaining more than 240 yards in the first half.
McMahon hit fullback Matt Suhey for a nine-yard score in the third quarter, with Suhey showing some nifty footwork to get his feet down in the corner of the end zone. The extra point put the Bears ahead 31-28.
McMahon waltzed in for a one-yard score for the final points of the game after Shaun Gayle blocked a punt deep in Bucs’ territory in the fourth quarter.
Missing out on the scoring was Walter Payton, who ran for 120 yards on only 17 attempts while also catching six passes for 37 yards.
The first win of the season marked one of the few times in 1985 that the offense bailed out the defense. The defense, perhaps missing Bell and Harris but also facing a unit that finished 10th in yardage in 1984, would return to form the following week.
You can check out a few highlights from that game in this YouTube clip from Play It Again Bears, which recapped the 1985 season:
What do you think Bears fans? Did this first game of 1985 inspire confidence because of the offense’s strong showing, or was it a cause for concern due to the poor first half performance of the defense and special teams?