1.) 1977, Bears Vs. Vikings: The original flu game; Walter Payton breaks single game rushing record in win
Yes, before Michael Jordan dropped 38 points against the Utah Jazz in game 5 of the 1997 NBA finals, Walter Payton had his own flu game. In week 10 of the 1977 NFL season, the 4-5 Chicago Bears were set
to host the 6-3 Minnesota Vikings. The Bears ground game took charge, fueled by Sweetness himself. While battling the flu and a 101-degree fever, Payton carried 40 times for 275 yards of rushing, while scoring the games lone offensive touchdown, a 1-yard rush in the second quarter. The Vikings would get a touchdown off a blocked punt in the third quarter, but the Bears would hold on to win 10-7.
Running back Robin Earl would chip in 60 yards rushing of his own, as the Bears would rush for 343 yards total on the afternoon against the vaunted Vikings “Purple People Eater” defensive line. The Bears would attempt just 7 passes all afternoon, relying on their ground game with 63 rushing attempts, a strategy that paid off in victory.
The 275 yards would set the NFL single game rushing record, a mark previously held by O.J. Simpson at 273 yards. The record would stand until 2000, when Bengals running back Corey Dillon would rush for 278 against the Denver Broncos.
2.) 2005, Bears Vs. 49ers: The Windy City lives up to it’s name
In a game that saw winds averaging 26 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40, the windy city would play a large part in this week 10 matchup. The 2-6 San Francisco 49ers came to town to visit Lovie Smith’s 5-3 Bears, in a game that saw just 95 total passing yards, with 49ers starting quarterback Cody Pickett completing just 1 of his 13 attempts. He would complete as many passes to his team as he would to the Bears, as Mike Brown would pick off a pass in the 3rd quarter.
But the highlight of the day came from 4th round rookie cornerback Nathan Vasher. In a drive that was kept alive by a Bobby Wade fumble after a punt, the 49ers would march to the Bears 34 yard line, and with 3 second left, attempt a 52 yard Joe Nedney field goal. The kick was short, and drifted off to the right.
Expecting the kick to be short due to the conditions, Nathan Vasher dropped back to the endzone with hopes to field a short kick.
He does just that, making a nice fingertips catch on the ball. He hesitates a moment, then takes the ball up field. And after a spin move at the Bears 15 that made five 49ers defenders miss him, he sprints up the right sideline, picking up a convoy of Chicago Bears blockers, and finds the opposing endzone, returning the missed kick for 108-yards, a then NFL record. Antonio Cromartie would break that record a few short years later with a 109 yard return, a mark that can now only ever be matched.
3.)1985, Bears Vs. Lions: A Big Day for the Bears RB Duo
In what is essentially the franchises’ theme, a big day from the ground game is showcased in our third trip down memory lane. The 9-0 Chicago Bears played host to the upstart 5-4 Detroit Lions. In what was a cold, wet, blustery day, the Bears ground game was to be featured once more. Bears quarterback Steve Fuller would attempt just 13 passes on the day, while the tandem of Walter Payton and Matt Suhey would do the majority of the work.
Lions quarterback Eric Hipple had a dreadful day, completing just 8 of 17 throws for 73 yards, 2 interceptions, all for a passer rating of 19.6. In addition to that he was sacked 4 times.
Payton would carry 26 times for 107 yards, and Suhey would carry 16 times for 102. Ironically enough, it was Fuller who would rush for 2 touchdowns, and wide receiver Willie Gault would rush for a third. The two backs running for 100+ yards on the day has yet to be replicated by the Bears. Maybe a little milestone for our Swift and Monangai duo?
4.) 1963, Bears Vs. Packers: Bears pummel Lombardi’s Packers, forcing 7 turnovers
In a matchup up of 8-1 teams, the winner of this week 10 match-up between Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers and George Hallas’ Chicago Bears held huge indications for the NFL Championship game, as the winner of the match up would become the favorites to represent the NFL West division in the 1963 NFL Championship.
The Bears defense was up to the task.
While the Bears ground game racked up 248 yards and 2 scores, the Bears defense made sure that ground game was more than enough to bring home the win.
Packers quarterbacks John Roach and Zeke Bratkowski proved to be ineffective all afternoon as the Bears defense would intercept them 5 times, holding both quarterbacks to passer ratings of 15.0 and 23.3, respectively.
The bears defense would also recover 3 fumbles, forcing 8 total turnovers while playing clean throughout the contest, committing none. The Packers would not get on the board until a late touchdown to set the final score at 26-7. The victory catapulted the Bears into first, which they would use for momentum to secure a 11-1-2 final record, the win over the Packers being the deciding game, as the Packers finish 11-2-1. They would go on to win their 8th and final NFL Championship with a 14-10 win over the New York Giants.
That 1963 defense would allow just 10.3 points per game.
5.) 2024 Bears Vs. Patriots: An ugly end to a very short tenure
The 2024 season for the Chicago Bears may go down as one of the most dysfunctional, unorganized, deflating, and forgettable seasons in team history. It’s really hard to say when and where exactly it all came crumbling down (in fact it might be fair to say their are many points you can say that about in 2024), but the 19-3 home loss to the Patriots sticks out as one of those moments.
Coming off of back-to-back deflating losses on the road to the Cardinals and the Commanders, the Bears returned home to host the 2-7 New England Patriots, a game many saw as a “get right” game for a Bears team who looked like they had it together just 3 weeks prior sitting at 4-2, handling the Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-16.
It was a showdown between fellow 2024 rookies, and Drake Maye got the better of his counterpart. The Bears offense was highly ineffective, converting just 1 of 14 third downs, gaining just 142 total net yards, all the while Caleb Williams was sacked 9 times by a team who recorded just 28 sacks all of 2024. The offense would put up just 3 points in the 19-3 loss.
Famously, a shot of then offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was caught on the TV broadcast of him smiling in the middle of the nightmarish game, while Caleb Williams shakes his head in disappointment.
The Bears home winning streak of 8 games would come to an end, and Shane Waldron was fired 2 days later, as the Bears looked for answers in the 2024 season. He was the first offensive coordinator fired mid-season in team history.
Of course, the silver lining in all of this is that it lead us to hiring Ben Johnson.
Thanks, Shane Waldron!
Gary Baugher Jr. is a rookie 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.
