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1984 Chicago Bears season

NFL team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1984 season was the Chicago Bears' 65th in the National Football League and their third under head coach Mike Ditka. The team improved from their 8–8 record from 1983, to a 10–6 record, earning them a spot in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1979.

OwnerThe McCaskey Family
General managerJerry Vainisi
Head coachMike Ditka
Offensive coordinatorEd Hughes
Quick facts Chicago Bears season, Owner ...
1984 Chicago Bears season
OwnerThe McCaskey Family
General managerJerry Vainisi
Head coachMike Ditka
Offensive coordinatorEd Hughes
Defensive coordinatorBuddy Ryan
Home stadiumSoldier Field
Results
Record10–6
Division place1st NFC Central
PlayoffsWon Divisional Playoffs
(at Redskins) 23–19
Lost NFC Championship
(at 49ers) 0–23
All-Pros
Pro Bowlers
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This was the first of five consecutive NFC Central titles for the Bears. They opened their 1984 training camp in a new location, Platteville, Wisconsin as head coach Mike Ditka needed his team to get away from any distractions they might face at home. The team was on the verge of discovering a group of young leaders for the first time, and began to show the dominating defense that would emerge in full the following season, and pushed much farther than anyone expected them to go.

Highlights of the season included a Week 2 shutout of the Denver Broncos 27–0 behind a huge day from star running back Walter Payton, a Week 3 victory against Green Bay, the first game between Ditka and Packers head coach Forrest Gregg, and a 17–6 victory against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Raiders. The Week 2 game against Denver featured a famous image from Payton's career: a 50+ yard run down the sideline, led by 2nd-year guard Mark Bortz, an 8th round draft pick that was converted from defensive tackle. Payton reached a major milestone as he surpassed Jim Brown as the game's all-time leading rusher in yards in the third quarter of a Week Six home game against the New Orleans Saints. The Bears beat the Saints 20–7. The 1984 Bears ran for the second-most rushing attempts in a season, with 674.[3]

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 23–19 for their first playoff victory in the Super Bowl era as well as their first since their victory over the New York Giants in the 1963 NFL Championship Game. However, the Bears' season ended in the NFC Championship Game 23–0 to the eventual Super Bowl XIX champions, the San Francisco 49ers.

Offseason

1984 NFL draft

Main article: 1984 NFL draft
More information Round, Pick ...
1984 Chicago Bears draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Wilber Marshall *  Linebacker Florida
2 44 Ron Rivera  Linebacker California
3 71 Stefan Humphries  Guard Michigan
4 98 Tom Andrews  Guard Louisville
7 179 Nakita Robertson  Running back Central Arkansas
8 212 Brad Anderson  Wide receiver Arizona
9 244 Mark Casale  Quarterback Montclair State
10 266 Kurt Vestman  Tight end Idaho
10 271 Shaun Gayle *  Safety Ohio State
11 298 Mark Butkus  Defensive tackle Illinois
12 330 Donald Jordan  Running back Houston
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career
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Undrafted free agents

More information Player, Position ...
1984 undrafted free agents of note
Player Position College
Mike Bass Kicker Illinois
Chris Jensen Wide receiver Lake Forest
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Personnel

Coaches / Staff

1984 Chicago Bears staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Assistant trainer – Brian McCaskey
  • Weightlifting/Strength – Clyde Emrich

Roster

1984 Chicago Bears roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Reserve

Rookies in italics

Preseason

Walter Payton (34), pictured breaking the NFL's career rushing record
More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue
1 August 4 St. Louis Cardinals L 10–19 0–1 Soldier Field
2 August 11 Green Bay Packers L 10–17 0–2 Milwaukee County Stadium
3 August 18 Cincinnati Bengals L 17–25 0–3 Soldier Field
4 August 26 Buffalo Bills W 38–7 1–3 Hoosier Dome
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Regular season

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 34–14 1–0 Soldier Field 58,789
2 September 9 Denver Broncos W 27–0 2–0 Soldier Field 54,335
3 September 16 at Green Bay Packers W 9–7 3–0 Lambeau Field 55,942
4 September 23 at Seattle Seahawks L 9–38 3–1 Kingdome 61,520
5 September 30 Dallas Cowboys L 14–23 3–2 Soldier Field 63,623
6 October 7 New Orleans Saints W 20–7 4–2 Soldier Field 53,752
7 October 14 at St. Louis Cardinals L 21–38 4–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 49,554
8 October 21 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 44–9 5–3 Tampa Stadium 60,003
9 October 28 Minnesota Vikings W 16–7 6–3 Soldier Field 57,517
10 November 4 Los Angeles Raiders W 17–6 7–3 Soldier Field 59,858
11 November 11 at Los Angeles Rams L 13–29 7–4 Anaheim Stadium 62,021
12 November 18 Detroit Lions W 16–14 8–4 Soldier Field 54,911
13 November 25 at Minnesota Vikings W 34–3 9–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 56,881
14 December 3 at San Diego Chargers L 7–20 9–5 Jack Murphy Stadium 45,470
15 December 9 Green Bay Packers L 14–20 9–6 Soldier Field 59,374
16 December 16 at Detroit Lions W 30–13 10–6 Pontiac Silverdome 53,252
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Standings

More information NFC Central, W ...
NFC Central
 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Chicago Bears(3) 10 6 0 .625 7–1 8–4 325 248 W1
Green Bay Packers 8 8 0 .500 5–3 8–4 390 309 W3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 10 0 .375 3–5 5–9 335 380 W2
Detroit Lions 4 11 1 .281 3–5 4–7–1 283 408 L3
Minnesota Vikings 3 13 0 .188 2–6 3–9 276 484 L6
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Game summaries

Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos

The Bears limited the Broncos to 130 total yards as three different Denver quarterbacks (John Elway, Gary Kubiak, and Scott Stankavage) completed just nine passes with two interceptions. Seven different Bears players led by Walter Payton rushed for 302 yards.

Week 3: at Green Bay Packers

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 3 3 039
Packers 0 7 007
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at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: Sunday, September 16
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

  • CHI – Bob Thomas 19-yard field goal. Bears 3–0.

Second quarter

  • CHI – Bob Thomas 49-yard field goal. Bears 6–0.
  • GB – Jessie Clark 1-yard run (Eddie Garcia kick). Packers 7–6.

Fourth quarter

  • CHI – Bob Thomas 28-yard field goal. Bears 9–7.

Bears

Packers

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Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 7 0 029
Seahawks 7 3 21738
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at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • SEA – Norm Johnson 27-yard field goal. Seahawks 10–7.

Third quarter

  • SEA – Dave Krieg 3-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). Seahawks 17–7.
  • SEA – Eric Lane 55-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Norm Johnson kick). Seahawks 24–7.
  • SEA – Joe Nash recovered fumble in end zone (Norm Johnson kick). Seahawks 31–7.

Fourth quarter

  • CHI – Safety, holding penalty by Seattle in end zone. Seahawks 31–9.
  • SEA – Terry Jackson 62-yard interception return (Norm Johnson kick). Seahawks 38–9.

Bears

Seahawks

  • Dave Krieg
    6/16, 146 yards, TD
  • Eric Lane
    17 rushes, 50 yards
    1 reception, 55 yards, TD
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Six Bears turnovers and a 21-0 run by the Seahawks in the 3rd quarter were the key as Chicago's season-opening win streak was blunted, 38-9. The two teams combined for just 504 yards of offense with 22 penalties eating up 181 yards.

Week 5: vs. Dallas Cowboys

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 10 7 3323
Bears 7 7 0014
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at Soldier Field, Chicago

  • Date: Sunday, September 30
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • CHI – Walter Payton 20-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 14–10.
  • DAL – Timmy Newsome 2-yard run (Rafael Septien kick). Cowboys 17–14.

Third quarter

  • DAL – Rafael Septien 32-yard field goal. Cowboys 20–14.

Fourth quarter

  • DAL – Rafael Septien 23-yard field goal. Cowboys 23–14.

Cowboys

  • Gary Hogeboom
    18/29, 265 yards, TD
  • Tony Dorsett
    18 rushes, 51 yards
    4 receptions, 80 yards, TD

Bears

  • Jim McMahon
    6/14, 79 yards
  • Walter Payton
    25 rushes, 155 yards, TD
  • Dennis McKinnon
    4 receptions, 53 yards
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Mike Ditka for the first time as Bears head coach faced Tom Landry, who'd coached Ditka in Super Bowl VI. Landry's Cowboys were outgained in yardage 400 to 313 but forced two Bears turnovers to win 23-14. The Bears rushing attack still managed 283 yards.

Week 6: vs. New Orleans Saints

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 7 007
Bears 6 7 0720
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at Soldier Field, Chicago

  • Date: Sunday, October 7
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), wind 11 mph (18 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 53,752
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

  • CHI – Bob Thomas 48-yard field goal. Bears 3–0.
  • CHI – Bob Thomas 46-yard field goal. Bears 6–0.

Second quarter

Fourth quarter

Saints

  • Richard Todd
    7/26, 158 yards, TD
  • George Rogers
    16 rushes, 99 yards
  • Tyrone Young
    2 receptions, 93 yards

Bears

  • Jim McMahon
    10/14, 128 yards, TD
  • Walter Payton
    32 rushes, 154 yards, TD
  • Matt Suhey
    3 receptions, 45 yards
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Walter Payton ran for 154 yards and a touchdown on his way to breaking Jim Brown's career rushing yardage and 100-yard games records.[4]

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 0 077
Bears 6 10 0016
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at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: Sunday, October 28
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
  • Referee: Tom Dooley
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • CHI – Dennis McKinnon 18-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 13–0.
  • CHI – Bob Thomas 19-yard field goal. Bears 16–0.

Fourth quarter

Vikings

Bears

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Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 3 306
Bears 7 7 0317
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at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: Sunday, November 4
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), wind 18 mph (29 km/h)
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • CHI – Walter Payton 8-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 14–0.
  • LA – Chris Bahr 44-yard field goal. Bears 14–3.

Third quarter

  • LA – Chris Bahr 40-yard field goal. Bears 14–6.

Fourth quarter

  • CHI – Bob Thomas 29-yard field goal. Bears 17–6.

Raiders

Bears

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Week 13 vs. Minnesota Vikings

More information Team, Total ...
Team 1 234Total
• Bears 7 10170 34
Vikings 3 000 3
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Scoring summary
Q14:19MINStenerud 19-yard field goalMIN 3–0
Q11:32CHIGault 30-yard pass from Fuller (Thomas kick)CHI 7–3
Q27:12CHIThomas 45-yard field goalCHI 10–3
Q20:24CHIMoorehead 13-yard pass from Fuller (Thomas kick)CHI 17–3
Q39:59CHIThomas 37-yard field goalCHI 20–3
Q39:28CHIBell 36-yard interception return (Thomas kick)CHI 27–3
Q32:41CHIPayton 2-yard run (Thomas kick)CHI 34–3
  • Bears clinch division title

[5]

Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers

More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 6720
Bears 0 0 7714
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at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

More information Game information ...
Game information

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

  • CHI – Walter Payton 7-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 14–13.
  • GB – Phil Epps 43-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Al Del Greco kick). Packers 20–14.

Top passers

  • GB – Rich Campbell – 9/19, 125 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
  • CHI – Rusty Lisch – 10/23, 99 yards, INT

Top rushers

  • GB – Eddie Lee Ivery – 12 rushes, 50 yards
  • CHI – Walter Payton – 35 rushes, 175 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • GB – Phil Epps – 3 receptions, 65 yards, TD
  • CHI – Emery Moorehead – 4 receptions, 53 yards
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Postseason

See full article, 1984–85 NFL playoffs

The first-round matchup sent the 10–6 Bears to Washington, a team that had lost to the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. Washington was heavily favored, but Chicago came away with a 23–19 victory that featured touchdown passes from Fuller, as well as Payton on a halfback option pass.

With the momentum of defeating the defending NFC champions, the Bears then travelled to San Francisco for their first appearance in a championship game of any sort since their championship year in 1963. The line for the game came down steadily as the week wore on, but the Bears were shut out 23–0. Fuller had performed poorly in games against tough opponents, and the offense sputtered as the 49ers were able to render Walter Payton ineffective. The team had gone farther than many had expected them to go in 1984, and the season set the stage for their Super Bowl winning 1985 season.

Schedule

Further information: 1984–85 NFL playoffs
More information Game, Date ...
Game Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance
Divisional Round December 30 at Washington Redskins (2) W 23–19 1–0 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 55,431
NFC Championship January 6, 1985 at San Francisco 49ers (1) L 0–23 1–1 Candlestick Park 61,040
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NFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday, December 30, 1984): at Washington Redskins

Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 10 13023
Redskins 3 0 14219
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at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.

More information Game information ...
Game information
  • Scoring
    • WAS – Moseley 35-yard field goal. WAS 3–0.
    • CHI – Thomas 34-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.
    • CHI – Dunsmore 19-yard pass from Payton (Thomas kick). CHI 10–3.
    • CHI – Gault 75-yard pass from Fuller (kick failed). CHI 16–3.
    • WAS – Riggins 1-yard run (Moseley kick). CHI 16–10.
    • CHI – McKinnon 16-yard pass from Fuller (Thomas kick). CHI 23–10.
    • WAS – Riggins 1-yard run (Moseley kick). CHI 23–17.
    • WAS – Finzer ran out of the end zone for a safety. CHI 23–19.
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NFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 6, 1985): at San Francisco 49ers

[6]

NFC Championship Game: Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears (11–7) 0 0 000
49ers (17–1) 3 3 71023
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at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

  • Date: January 6, 1985
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Drizzle, 52 °F (11 °C); wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
  • Game attendance: 61,040
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play), John Madden (color commentator) and Irv Cross (sideline reporter)
  • [7]
More information Team, Category ...
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
CHI PassingSteve Fuller13/22, 87 YDS, 1 INT
RushingWalter Payton22 CAR, 92 YDS
ReceivingMatt Suhey4 REC, 11 YDS
SF PassingJoe Montana18/34, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs
RushingWendell Tyler10 CAR, 68 YDS, 1 TD
ReceivingFreddie Solomon7 REC, 73 YDS, 1 TD
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More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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  • Point spread: 49ers by 10
  • Over/under: 40.0 (under)
  • Time of game:
More information Bears, Game statistics ...
Bears Game statistics 49ers
13 First downs 25
32–149 Rushes–yards 29–159
87 Passing yards 236
13–22–1 Passes 19–35–2
9–50 Sacked–yards 3–8
37 Net passing yards 228
186 Total yards 387
84 Return yards 84
7–43.1 Punts 3–39.0
1–0 Fumbles–lost 1–0
7–50 Penalties–yards 3–20
31:53 Time of Possession 28:07
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References

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