# 1984 Chicago Bears season

The 1984 season was the Chicago Bears' 65th in the National Football League the 15th post-season completed in the NFL, 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. The Bears went on to lose in the NFC Championship Game 23–0 to the eventual Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers led by Joe Montana.
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.
Chicago opened the season by routing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34–14. In Week Two, they shut out the Denver Broncos 27–0 behind a huge day from star running back Walter Payton. This game 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.
In Week Three, they were without the services of starting quarterback Jim McMahon at Green Bay, reserve quarterback Bob Avellini took the reins. Chicago's offense performed inferiorly but still managed a 9–7 victory. This contest marked the first meeting between Mike Ditka and Packers head coach Forrest Gregg. It would be a rivalry that would go down in history as arguably the dirtiest era in Chicago-Green Bay football.
In Week Four, the Bears' lack of offensive power was evident as they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 38–9. After this loss, Ditka cut Avellini. The following week, the Bears lost to the Dallas Cowboys 23–14, bringing their record to 3–2.
On October 7, 1984, Walter Payton reached a major milestone as he surpassed Jim Brown as the game's all-time leading rusher in yards, he did it in the third quarter of a Week Six home game against the New Orleans Saints. The Bears beat the Saints 20–7. Incidentally, the 1984 Bears ran for the second-most rushing attempts in a season, with 674.
In Week Seven, the Bears lost 38–21 to the Cardinals in St. Louis the following week. Sitting at 4–3, the Bears proceeded to win three in a row. They beat Tampa Bay 44–9, then Minnesota Vikings at home, 16–7. Following the win over the Minnesota Vikings, came the biggest challenge for the Bears: a showdown with the defending world champion Los Angeles Raiders. The Bears beat the Raiders 17–6, a game that showcased Richard Dent, who collected three sacks against Raiders QB Marc Wilson. Dent would finish with 17.5 sacks, third-most for the season behind Mark Gastineau and Andre Tippett. The Bears would then record 72 sacks, an NFL record. The Bears' victory was marred by a kidney laceration suffered by Jim McMahon, ending his season.
Six-year veteran QB Steve Fuller had been acquired from the Los Angeles Rams prior to the 1984 season for insurance in case McMahon was injured. The investment paid off, as Fuller guided the Bears to a 2–1 record over the next 3 games. In the third game at Minnesota's new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Week Thirteen, the team clinched its first NFC Central Division title.
After the Minnesota game, Fuller was injured, and Chicago was faced with another quarterback problem. Ineffective Rusty Lisch replaced the injured Fuller and lost the Week Fourteen game at San Diego, then started the following week against Green Bay at home. Lisch was again ineffective, so Ditka inserted none other than Walter Payton behind center in the shotgun formation. Payton, unsurprisingly, was ineffective as well, and the Bears lost to the Packers 20–14.
Fuller was expected to return by the playoffs, but Ditka did not want to enter the postseason with another loss. The Bears signed 14-year journeyman Greg Landry to start his last NFL game against his previous team, the Detroit Lions, in the season finale. The Bears won 30–13, and were headed to the playoffs for the first time since 1979.

## Offseaon
### 1984 NFL Draft

1984 Chicago Bears draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 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 ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

1984 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Mike Bass | Kicker | Illinois |
| Chris Jensen | Wide receiver | Lake Forest |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
| 1 | August 4, 1984 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 10–19 | 0–1 | Soldier Field |
| 2 | August 11, 1984 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–17 | 0–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium |
| 3 | August 18, 1984 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–25 | 0–3 | Soldier Field |
| 4 | August 26, 1984 | Buffalo Bills | W 38–7 | 1–3 | Hoosier Dome |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 2, 1984 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 34–14 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 58,789 |
| 2 | September 9, 1984 | Denver Broncos | W 27–0 | 2–0 | Soldier Field | 54,335 |
| 3 | September 16, 1984 | at Green Bay Packers | W 9–7 | 3–0 | Lambeau Field | 55,942 |
| 4 | September 23, 1984 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 9–38 | 3–1 | Kingdome | 61,520 |
| 5 | September 30, 1984 | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–23 | 3–2 | Soldier Field | 63,623 |
| 6 | October 7, 1984 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–7 | 4–2 | Soldier Field | 53,752 |
| 7 | October 14, 1984 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 21–38 | 4–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 49,554 |
| 8 | October 21, 1984 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 44–9 | 5–3 | Tampa Stadium | 60,003 |
| 9 | October 28, 1984 | Minnesota Vikings | W 16–7 | 6–3 | Soldier Field | 57,517 |
| 10 | November 4, 1984 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 17–6 | 7–3 | Soldier Field | 59,858 |
| 11 | November 11, 1984 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 13–29 | 7–4 | Anaheim Stadium | 62,021 |
| 12 | November 18, 1984 | Detroit Lions | W 16–14 | 8–4 | Soldier Field | 54,911 |
| 13 | November 25, 1984 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 34–3 | 9–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 56,881 |
| 14 | December 3, 1984 | at San Diego Chargers | L 7–20 | 9–5 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 45,470 |
| 15 | December 9, 1984 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–20 | 9–6 | Soldier Field | 59,374 |
| 16 | December 16, 1984 | at Detroit Lions | W 30–13 | 10–6 | Pontiac Silverdome | 53,252 |

### Standings

NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | 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 |

### 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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Packers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
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
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
Bob Avellini 11/17, 133 yards, INT
Walter Payton 27 rushes, 110 yards
Emery Moorehead 2 receptions, 65 yards
Packers
Lynn Dickey 11/23, 142 yards, INT
Gerry Ellis 7 rushes, 18 yards
James Lofton 4 receptions, 89 yards :

#### Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 38 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
* Date: Sunday, September 23
* Game time: 1:00 pm. PDT
* Game weather: indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 61,250
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan & Johnny Morris
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Matt Suhey 3-yard pass from Walter Payton (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–0.
SEA – Keith Simpson 39-yard interception return (Norm Johnson kick). Tied 7–7.
Second quarter
SEA – Norm Johnson 27-yard field goal. Seahawks 10–7.
Third quarter
SEA – Dave Kreig 3-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). Seahawks 17–7.
SEA – Eric Lane 55-yard pass from Dave Kreig (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
Bob Avellini 13/26, 119 yards, INT
Walter Payton 24 rushes, 116 yards
Willie Gault 6 receptions, 73 yards
Seahawks
Dave Kreig 6/16, 146 yards, TD
Eric Lane 17 rushes, 50 yards 1 reception, 55 yards, TD :
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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
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
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Rafael Septién 44-yard field goal. Cowboys 3–0.
CHI – Jim McMahon 16-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–3.
DAL – Tony Dorsett 68-yard pass from Gary Hogeboom (Rafael Septien kick). Cowboys 10–7.
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 :
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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Bears | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
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
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
NOR – Wayne Wilson 15-yard pass from Richard Todd (Morten Andersen kick). Saints 7–6.
CHI – Walter Payton 1-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 13–7.
Fourth quarter
CHI – Dennis McKinnon 16-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 20–7.
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 :
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.

#### Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
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
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Matt Suhey 2-yard run (Bob Thomas missed extra point). Bears 6–0.
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
MIN – Leo Lewis 22-yard pass from Wade Wilson (Jan Stenerud kick). Bears 16–7.
Vikings
Archie Manning 14/24, 138 yards, 1 INT
Archie Manning 4 rushes, 20 yards
Leo Lewis 3 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD
Bears
Jim McMahon 16/26, 180 yards, 1 TD
Walter Payton 22 rushes, 54 yards
Emery Moorehead 3 receptions, 64 yards :

#### Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
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
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Walter Payton 18-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–0.
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
Marc Wilson 7/19, 70 yards, 2 INT
Marcus Allen 15 rushes, 42 yards
Todd Christensen 5 receptions, 61 yards
Bears
Jim McMahon 3/11, 68 yards, INT
Walter Payton 27 rushes, 111 yards, 2 TD
Willie Gault 1 reception, 50 yards :

#### Week 13

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bears | 7 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 34 |
| Vikings | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
* Bears clinch division title

#### Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: Sunday, December 9
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Second quarter
GB – Ed West 3-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Al Del Greco kick). Packers 7–0.
Third quarter
CHI – Matt Suhey 2-yard pass from Walter Payton (Bob Thomas kick). Tied 7–7.
GB – Del Rodgers 97-yard kickoff return (pass failed). Packers 13–7.
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 :

## 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

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
| Divisional Round | December 30, 1984 | at Washington Redskins | W 23–19 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 55,431 |
| NFC Championship | January 6, 1985 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 23–0 | Candlestick Park | 61,040 |

### NFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday, December 30, 1984): at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 23 |
| Redskins | 3 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 19 |
at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Overcast, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 55,431
* Referee: Fred Silva
* TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Dick Vermeil

### NFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 6, 1985): at San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears (11–7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49ers (17–1) | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 23 |
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)
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| CHI | Passing | Steve Fuller | 13/22, 87 YDS, 1 INT |
| CHI | Rushing | Walter Payton | 22 CAR, 92 YDS |
| CHI | Receiving | Matt Suhey | 4 REC, 11 YDS |
| SF | Passing | Joe Montana | 18/34, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
| SF | Rushing | Wendell Tyler | 10 CAR, 68 YDS, 1 TD |
| SF | Receiving | Freddie Solomon | 7 REC, 73 YDS, 1 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | CHI | SF |
| 1 | 4:21 | | | | 49ers | 21-yard field goal by Wersching | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | 7:57 | | | | 49ers | 22-yard field goal by Wersching | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | 8:27 | | | | 49ers | Tyler 9-yard touchdown run, Wersching kick good | 0 | 13 |
| 4 | 12:15 | | | | 49ers | Solomon 10-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Wersching kick good | 0 | 20 |
| 4 | 1:56 | | | | 49ers | 34-yard field goal by Wersching | 0 | 23 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 23 |
* Point spread: 49ers by 10
* Over/Under: 40.0 (under)
* Time of Game:
| 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 |