It’s week 3, and as always, we have some hallmark games from the past to uncover!
1.) 1985, Bears @ Vikings: McMahon’s Miracle in Minny
The 1985 Bears season is filled with memorable moments, but one of the first came on a Thursday night in Minnesota.
Jim McMahon was dealing with back spasms and an infection in his right leg, leaving Steve Fuller to start with Chicago looking to improve to 3-0. The offense struggled without McMahon, and midway through the third quarter the Bears found themselves trailing 17-9.
Mike Ditka finally turned to his injured quarterback.
McMahon’s first pass went 70 yards for a touchdown to Willie Gault. His second went 25 yards to Dennis McKinnon for another score.
Seven pass attempts into his night, McMahon connected with McKinnon again for a 43-yard touchdown.
Just like that, a 17-9 deficit had become a 30-17 Bears lead.
McMahon finished 8-of-15 for 236 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while Gault recorded 146 receiving yards and McKinnon added 133 yards and two scores. Chicago held on for a 33-24 win.
The victory moved the Bears to 3-0 on their way to a 15-1 season and, eventually, a dominant run through the playoffs and a Super Bowl XX championship.
Before all of that, though, an injured Jim McMahon came off the bench and completely flipped a game in a matter of minutes.
2.) 2010, Bears vs. Packers: Devin Hester is still ridiculous
By 2010, the NFL had learned a pretty simple lesson when it came to Devin Hester.
Don’t kick him the football.
Hester entered Chicago’s Monday Night Football matchup with Green Bay without a return touchdown in nearly three years. With both teams sitting at 2-0, the Packers built a 10-0 lead before Jay Cutler found Greg Olsen late in the first half to get Chicago back into the game.
The Bears still trailed 10-7 entering the fourth quarter.
Then Hester finally broke through.
He fielded a punt and raced 62 yards for a touchdown, giving Chicago its first lead of the night and recording his first return score since 2007.
Green Bay answered and retook the lead, but Robbie Gould tied the game at 17 before the Bears defense came up with one more opportunity. Brian Urlacher stripped James Jones late in the fourth quarter, with Tim Jennings recovering the fumble in Green Bay territory.
Gould eventually drilled a 19-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give Chicago a 20-17 victory.
The Packers did plenty to hurt themselves, committing a franchise-record 18 penalties for 152 yards, but the lasting image from the night was Hester looking like the most dangerous return man in football once again.
Chicago improved to 3-0 and eventually finished the season 11-5, winning the NFC North and reaching the NFC Championship Game.
For one night at Soldier Field, the formula was pretty simple.
Give Devin Hester the football and see what happens.
3.) 2013, Bears @ Steelers: The defense takes over
For years, Chicago’s defense had built its identity around one thing.
Taking the football away.
That trend continued into Marc Trestman’s first season as head coach, and Week 3 against the Steelers was one of the best examples.
The Bears jumped out to a 17-0 lead, helped by a D.J. Williams strip-sack that set up an early touchdown. Then the defense started scoring points of its own.
Major Wright intercepted Ben Roethlisberger and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, giving Chicago a 24-3 advantage.
Pittsburgh battled all the way back, eventually cutting the lead to 27-23 in the fourth quarter behind 406 passing yards from Roethlisberger and 196 receiving yards from Antonio Brown.
Chicago finally answered with a Jay Cutler touchdown pass to Earl Bennett.
Then the defense put the game away.
Lance Briggs knocked the ball free while sacking Roethlisberger, and Julius Peppers picked it up and rumbled 42 yards for another Bears defensive touchdown.
Chicago left Pittsburgh with a 40-23 victory and a 3-0 record.
The final numbers tell the story. Pittsburgh outgained the Bears 459-258, but Chicago forced five turnovers, committed none and scored 23 points off Pittsburgh giveaways.
It may not have been the cleanest win, but it was a familiar formula for Bears fans.
Gary Baugher Jr. is a second year contributor to WCG, bringing football insight backed by over 16 years of experience in organized football and more than 30 years as a passionate fan of the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcogs.
