1987 Chicago Bears season
From Sports Library
| 1987 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Head Coach | Mike Ditka |
| Home Field | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 11-4 |
| Place | 1st NFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | L NFC Divisional Playoff |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1986 | 1988 |
The 1987 Chicago Bears season was their 68th regular season and 18th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 11-4 record, earning them the second seed in the NFC for the playoffs behind the San Francisco 49ers. The Bears were looked upon as one of the favorites to win Super Bowl XXII in San Diego that year, as they returned with a dominant defense and had addressed some problems with their offense during the offseason.
The NFLPA went on strike following week two, and after a week's slate of games were canceled, the NFL schedule resumed with all 28 teams sporting rosters of replacement players, or in the jargon of the union, "scabs." The "Spare Bears", as the media called them, went 2-1 filling in for the regular team.
Contents |
Off season
1987 NFL Draft
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 16, 1987 | Miami Dolphins | W 10-3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 1-0 |
| 2 | August 22, 1987 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 50-14 | Soldier Field | 2-0 |
| 3 | August 31, 1987 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 20-16 | Soldier Field | 2-1 |
| 4 | September 5, 1987 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 20-17 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 3-1 |
1985 roster
Regular season schedule
* - Games played during strike with rosters made up of replacement players.
Uniform combinations
Image:CHI 3517.gif Image:CHI 3518.gif
Season review
The Bears opened the season ready to reassert their dominance over the NFL after the 1986 season ended with a disappointing playoff loss at home to the Washington Redskins. The season opener generated national attention as the defending Super Bowl XXI champion New York Giants came to town to meet the Bears, who were winners of the previous Super Bowl. Playfully dubbed "Super Bowl XXI 1/2" by the Bears media corps, the game was televised on ABC Monday Night Football. With Jim McMahon still out with an injury, backup Mike Tomczak threw for more than 200 yards, and the Bears defense hounded Phil Simms all night en route to a 34-19 win. The game film made such an impression that Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal caller Steve DeBerg remarked that the Bears defense "scared the hell out of me." DeBerg saw that defense up close in a week two 20-3 Bears' win.
Days later, the NFLPA went on strike, canceling the slate of Week 3 games, including the Bears' scheduled trip to Detroit. During this time, all 28 NFL teams were busy stocking their rosters with replacement players so that the season could continue, even if the owners and union would fail to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement. The Bears' replacement team traveled to Philadelphia for its October 4 game with Buddy Ryan's Eagles. The animus between Ryan and Mike Ditka was still strong, and Ditka brought his "Spare Bears" into Philadelphia ready so he could settle a personal score. Without the players who helped both Ryan and Ditka to a Super Bowl title, Ditka's Bears trounced the Eagles 35-3. After the game, Ryan admitted he was outcoached, but Ryan made not secret of his contempt for the replacement Eagles players. Ditka embraced the "Spare Bears," and even went so far as to say on the Mike Ditka Show that should the replacement starting running back run for more than 275 yards in a game, he should hold the NFL and franchise record, and not Walter Payton, a striking Bear who held the record.
The strike ended in time for a week 7 game at Tampa Bay. McMahon made his first start of the season, and helped lead the Bears back in the fourth quarter. The Bears won the next two games back from the strike, but it was evident that they were not the same team. Payton, who had announced that 1987 was his last season, had lost a step from the previous season. The defense struggled to hold leads, and the offense sputtered at times. The Bears lost to Denver 31-29, but that didn't sound alarm bells as much as a 41-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night in Week 14. The Bears appeared to be in disarray, and nothing illustrated this more than Ditka's angry toss of a wad of chewing gum at a 49ers fan. The Bears closed out the home slate the next week. Both Payton and the retiring [{Gary Fencik]] were honored before the game, but Seattle manhandled the Bears 34-21.
Post season
- For more details on this topic, see NFL playoffs, 1987-88.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional Round | January 10, 1988 | Washington Redskins | L 21-17 | Soldier Field | CBS |
NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Chicago Bears 17
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Bears | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
- Game Attendance: 65,268
The Redskins overcame a 14-0 Bears lead by scoring three unanswered touchdowns. Chicago's first score was running back Calvin Thomas' 2-yard rushing touchdown. Bears quarterback Jim McMahon then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ron Morris. However, Washington tied the game before halftime with George Rodgers's 3-yard touchdown run and quarterback Doug Williams' 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clint Didier. In the third quarter, Redskins cornerback Darrell Green's scored on a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown. Chicago responded with kicker Kevin Butler's 25-yard field goal, but were shut down for the rest of the game. This was the final game in the Hall-of-Fame career of Bears running back Walter Payton, who rushed for 85 yards and caught 3 passes for 20 yards.
- Scoring
- CHI - Calvin Thomas 2 run (Kevin Butler kick)
- CHI - Ron Morris 14 pass from Jim McMahon (Kevin Butler kick)
- WAS - George Rogers 3 run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick)
- WAS - Clint Didier 18 pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick)
- WAS - Darrell Green 52 punt return (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick)
- CHI - FG Kevin Butler 25
Awards
- NFC Central Division Champions (3)
References
- Chicago Bears Media Guide
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