By Jeremy Harris
The Chicago Bears (4-5) and Denver Broncos (7-2) square off this Sunday, the Bears buoyed by two consecutive road wins and the Broncos having lost two straight games and facing the prospect of being without QB Peyton Manning for an extended period of time if not for the rest of the season.
Today, we will begin highlighting memorable moments of this inter-conference series which dates back to 1971 and is tied at seven.
1). Broncos at Bears on December 20, 1981 (โNeil Armstrong blasts off in his final game as Bears play spoilersโ):ย
The Denver Broncos were an original member of the American Football League and were assigned to the AFC West when the AFL and NFL merged before the 1970 season.ย The Broncos endured nine losing seasons and no winning ones during their ten-year stint in the AFL and zero playoff appearances in their first seven seasons in the NFL.
However, their fortunes began to change under head coach Red Miller in 1977, when the Orange Crush defense took the league by storm and the Broncos represented the AFC in Super Bowl XII.ย Two more playoff appearances followed in 1978 and 1979, but after an 8-8 finish in 1980, Miller was sacked and replaced by rookie head coach Dan Reeves.
In Reevesโ first season in 1981, his Broncos were on the precipice of another playoff appearance when they met the Bears in Week 16.ย Led by veteran QB Craig Morton, a former teammate of Reeves with Dallasย and who was havingย the best season of his career at age 38, the Broncos came to Chicago needing only a win or tie to secure their second AFC West title.
The Bears, 5-10 and winners of two consecutive games, were in their fourth season under head coach Neil Armstrong, whose 10-6 playoff team of 1979 was sandwiched around three losing campaigns.
Despite the high stakes for Denver, the Broncos were throttledย by the Bearsย 35-24, the teams playingย through aย -9 degrees wind chill.ย Walter Payton produced a combined 104 yards rushing and receiving and two touchdowns, DE Al Harris and S Gary Fencik each returned their interceptions of Morton for touchdowns, and the Bears sacked Morton and his replacement Steve DeBerg a combined six times.
Moreover, Bears’ rookie linebacker Mike Singletary notched his first career interception and lineman Alan Page, who had joined the Bears midway through the 1978 season after 11 plus years and four Super Bowl appearances with the Minnesota Vikings, finished his Hall-of-Fame career with a three-sack performance.
The Broncos’ loss did not eliminate them from the playoffs, but they no longer controlled their own fate.ย The following evening, they were forced to huddle in front of their television setsย watching Monday Night Football and doing the unthinkable:ย rooting for the hated Oakland Raidersย to defeat theย San Diego Chargers (9-6) and hand the Broncos the AFC West title.
However, there were no Holyย Rollers to bail out the Broncos, as theย Chargersย bested the Raiders 23-10 and won the divisionย tiebreaker.ย The Bears hadย foiled the Broncos’ playoff chances.
On January 2, 1981, the Chargers and Miami Dolphins would play one of the greatest games in league history, an epic 41-38 overtime win byย San Diegoย in the divisional playoff round.ย The most iconic image of that game is of exhausted and dehydrated Chargers’ย TE Kellen Winslow being helpedย to the locker room by his teammatesย following his herculean performance.
NFL lore wouldย have been deprivedย of this classic gameย but for the Bears’ upset of Denver to close out the regular season.ย
While the Bears win over Denver was mostly a festive occasion, the game was a reminder of one of the worst draft mistakes in franchise history.ย TE Riley Odoms scored one of Denverโs three touchdowns against Chicago.
In the first round of the 1972 draft, the Bears selected OL Lionel Antoine with the third overall pick.
Two picks later, the Broncos snatched up Riley Odoms.ย While Antoine would play 69 games, including 39 starts, for Chicago in seven largely indistinguishable and injury-plagued seasons between 1972 and 1978, Odoms would become one of the most prolific pass-catching tight ends of his era, finishing his 12-year career with 396 receptions, 5755 receiving yards andย 41 touchdown catches.
The 1981 game was the final one played by Broncos’ WR Haven Moses, who finished his brilliant 14-year career in the top ten in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns.
The game also marked theย swan songย for Bears’ head coach Neil Armstrong, who despite finishing with a three-game winning streak, was fired at seasonโs end.ย But at least for one Sunday, Armstrong, who shared the same name as the iconic astronaut, was not โthe other Neil Armstrong.โ
2). Broncos at Bears on October 2, 1983 (โWelcome to Chicago, Mr. Elwayโ):
ย In so many respects, the Bears and Broncos were mirror images of each other.ย Bears’ head coach Mike Ditka and Reeves were former Dallas Cowboys teammates and hadย worked together as assistant coaches under Tom Landry in Dallas. The Broncos and Bears were building around young quarterbacks, the Bears, Jim McMahon and the Broncos, John Elway.
The Bears’ defense was led by Buddy Ryan, a holdover from the Neil Armstrong regime, and the Broncos’ defensive charges wereย guided by Joe Collier, who wasย working underย his fifth head coach since joining Denver in 1969.
Ryan and Collier, both known for being defensive innovators if not revolutionaries, even shared the distinction of having served in the United States Army in the 1950โs.
Ditka would get the better of his contemporary on this Sunday afternoon.
The Bears (1-3) smashed Denver 31-14, racking up nine quarterback sacks.ย Elway completed only four passesย for 36 yards and threw an interception returned for a touchdown by DB Leslie Frazier before Reeves benched the rookie signal caller.ย Rookie first-round pick WR Willie Gault caught two touchdown passes from McMahon and Payton combined for 107 yards from scrimmage in the Bears’ shellacking of Denver.
Another rookie, ferocious hitting DB Todd Bell, delivered three sacks.
While leaving Chicago limping, Denver would regroup and make their first playoff appearance, as a wildcard team, since 1979.ย The Bears would finish 8-8 and have to wait one more season to end their four-year playoff drought.
3).ย Broncos at Bears September 9, 1984 (โThe Broncos cry uncleโ):
ย The Broncos did not have to wait long to try to avenge their previous year’s defeat to Chicago.ย Both teams entered play with 1-0 records.ย The Broncos started fellow 1983 draft pick Gary Kubiak over a hobbled Elway, but the Bears bone crunching defense sent Kubiak, in addition to starting RB Sammy Winder, to the hospital with a concussion.
Elway replaced Kubiak and, when the Bears rolled up a big lead, Reeves made sure that Elway did not join the carnage and inserted third string QB Scott Stankavage.
The Broncos were held to 130 yards, yielded 406 yards to Chicagoโs offense, including 179 rushingย by Walter Payton, and were drilled 27-0.
The Broncos would recover to win the AFC West with a 13-3 record but lost at home to Pittsburgh in the divisional round of the playoffs.ย Chicago would claim the NFC Central crown for the first time since 1977 with a 10-6 record and win its first playoff game since 1963 against two-time defending NFC champion Washington before succumbing to the San Francisco 49ers in the conference championship game.
The Bears struck first against Elway, butย the comeback kingย would get off the mat to even the score.
Check back for more Broncos-Bears memories.
