1986 Chicago Bears Season
From Sports Library
| 1986 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Head Coach | Mike Ditka |
| Home Field | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 14-2 |
| Place | 1st NFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | L NFC Divisional Playoff |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1985 | 1987 |
The 1986 Chicago Bears season was their 67th regular season and 17th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 14-2 record, earning them the second seed in the NFC for the playoffs behind the New York Giants, who had also racked up a 14-2 record, but had a better record against intra-conference opponents. Coming off the historic 1985 campaign, the Bears were favored by many to make the trip to the Rose Bowl is Pasadena, Calif., to defend their Super Bowl title. Instead, the Washington Redskins denied the Bears a chance to play the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants, as the Redskins stunned the Bears 27-13 at Soldier Field.
Contents |
Off season
1986 NFL Draft
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 3, 1986 | Dallas Cowboys | W 17-6 | Wembley Stadium | 1-0 |
| 2 | August 9, 1986 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 33-13 | Three Rivers Stadium | 2-0 |
| 3 | August 16, 1986 | Indianapolis Colts | W 38-21 | Soldier Field | 3-0 |
| 4 | August 23, 1986 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 14-7 | Soldier Field | 3-1 |
| 5 | August 30, 1986 | Buffalo Bills | W 31-17 | Notre Dame Stadium | 4-1 |
1985 roster
Regular season schedule
Uniform combinations
Image:CHI 3517.gif Image:CHI 3518.gif
Season review
The Bears defense was just as, if not more, dominant than the previous season's defense. Despite the departure of defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who had taken a head coaching position with the Philadelphia Eagles a day after Super Bowl XX, the Bears allowed 31 fewer points and five fewer yards than the 1985 team. This might have been in spite of new defensive coordinator Vince Tobin, who was not a student of the 46 Defense, which Buddy Ryan had developed for the Bears. Tobin's defense ran the 46 as players like Mike Singletary and Gary Fencik would call defensive plays from the field.
Offensively, the Bears slipped to seventh in the league in total offense and 20th in passing yardage. Walter Payton rushed for more than 1,300 yards, his last season of more than 1,000 yards rushing, and the Bears had the number one rushing offense in the NFL. Starting quarterback Jim McMahon struggled with injuries. After having minor shoulder surgery during the offseason, McMahon showed up at training camp in Platteville, Wis. overweight and angry by coach Mike Ditka's suggestion that McMahon would not be ready to start the season. McMahon did start the season, but struggled with injuries midway through the season. During a late November game with Green Bay, McMahon had thrown an interception and was walking off of the field after the play had ended when Packers defensive end Charles Martin picked McMahon up and slammed him and his right shoulder into the hard Soldier Field Astroturf. The injury separated McMahon's shoulder and finished him for the season.
The Bears backup quarterbacks, meanwhile, had struggled to find any consistency. Steve Fuller had lost his job as backup quarterback after a disastrous game at Minnesota, a 23-7 Bears loss. Fuller's demotion made second-year undrafted free agent Mike Tomczak the backup. Tomczak had a quarterback rating of 50.2 as he threw 10 interceptions and two touchdowns in 151 attempts. To address the concern at quarterback, the Bears traded a late-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams to acquire former Boston College star Doug Flutie, who had spent two seasons with Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals of the newly-defunct United States Football League (USFL.
Ditka had apparently pushed for the trade of Flutie and went to great lengths to be sure that he felt welcome in Chicago, even inviting Flutie to his home for Thanksgiving dinner. This treatment angered many Bears players, especially McMahon, who dubbed Flutie "America's Midget." Still, Flutie played well in the limited action he saw, including his start in a 21-10 win over Dallas at Texas Stadium in the regular season finale. With that performance fresh in Ditka's mind, Flutie was named the starter for the divisional playoff game with the Redskins at Soldier Field.
Post season
- For more details on this topic, see NFL playoffs, 1986-87.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional Round | January 3, 1987 | Washington Redskins | L 27-13 | Soldier Field | CBS |
NFC Divisional Playoff: Washington Redskins 27, Chicago Bears 13
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| Bears | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Dierdorf
The Redskins converted two turnovers into two touchdowns in the second half to overcome the Bears' 13-7 halftime lead. Washington scored first after quarterback Jay Schroeder threw a 28-yard touchdown to wide receiver Art Monk. Chicago countered in the second quarter with wide receiver Willie Gault's 50-yard touchdown reception from Flutie. Bears kicker Kevin Butler then made two field goals before halftime. However, the Redskins took the lead in the third period after a Darrell Green interception of a Flutie pass set up Monk's 23-yard touchdown reception. The Bears then advanced to the Washington 17-yard line, but Payton lost a fumble and the Redskins then marched 83 yards to score on running back George Rogers' 1-yard rushing touchdown. Washington kicker Jess Atkinson later made two field goals in the final period to close out the scoring.
- Scoring
- WAS - Art Monk 28 pass from Jay Schroeder (Jess Atkinson kick) (WAS 7-0)
- CHI - Willie Gault 50 pass from Doug Flutie (Kevin Butler kick) (7-7)
- CHI - Kevin Butler 23 field goal (CHI 10-7)
- CHI - Kevin Butler 41 field goal (CHI 13-7)
- WAS - Art Monk 23 pass from Jay Schroeder (Jess Atkinson kick) (WAS 14-13)
- WAS - George Rogers 1 run (Jess Atkinson kick) (WAS 21-13)
- WAS - Jess Atkinson 35 field goal (WAS 24-13)
- WAS - Jess Atkinson 25 field goal (WAS 27-13)
Awards
- NFC Central Division Champions (2)
References
- Chicago Bears Media Guide
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