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1977 Chicago Bears season

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1977 Chicago Bears season
OwnerGeorge Halas
General managerJim Finks
Head coachJack Pardee
Home fieldSoldier Field
Results
Record9–5
Division place2nd NFC Central
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs (at Cowboys) 7–37

The 1977 Chicago Bears season was their 58th regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 9–5 record, which was their first winning season since 1967 and earned them a wild card spot against the Dallas Cowboys, who eventually beat the Bears en route to a Super Bowl victory. This was their first postseason appearance since winning the 1963 championship. They secured this by winning their last six games, including among others the last of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record run of twenty-six losses.

Star halfback Walter Payton had the best season of his career as he led the entire NFL in rushing (1,852 yards), 275 of those 1,852 came on a November 20 game against their division rivals the Minnesota Vikings and he did it despite coming down with the flu on a dark rainy day at Soldier Field.

A week after the Dallas playoff loss, Coach Pardee stunned the team by resigning to take the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins (George Allen having been fired after the Redskins were eliminated from the playoffs by a Bears overtime victory over the New York Giants in the last game of the regular season).

Offseason

NFL Draft

Roster

1977 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

Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 18, 1977 Detroit Lions W 30–20
51,530
2 September 25, 1977 at St. Louis Cardinals L 13–16
49,878
3 October 2, 1977 New Orleans Saints L 24–42
51,488
4 October 10, 1977 Los Angeles Rams W 24–23
51,412
5 October 16, 1977 at Minnesota Vikings L 16–22
47,708
6 October 23, 1977 Atlanta Falcons L 10–16
49,407
7 October 30, 1977 at Green Bay Packers W 26–0
56,002
8 November 6, 1977 at Houston Oilers L 0–47
47,226
9 November 13, 1977 Kansas City Chiefs W 28–27
49,543
10 November 20, 1977 Minnesota Vikings W 10–7
49,563
11 November 24, 1977 at Detroit Lions W 31–14
71,373
12 December 4, 1977 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–0
48,948
13 December 11, 1977 Green Bay Packers W 21–10
33,557
14 December 18, 1977 at New York Giants W 12–9 (OT)
50,152

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Divisional December 26, 1977 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–37
62,920

Game summaries

Week 1

1 234Total
Lions 7 337 20
• Bears 7 2003 30
Scoring summary
1DETDexter Bussey 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)Lions 7–0
1CHIJohnny Musso 2-yard run (Bob Thomas kick)Tie 7–7
2CHISteve Schubert 70-yard punt return (Bob Thomas kick)Bears 14–7
2CHIWalter Payton 3-yard run (kick failed)Bears 20–7
2CHIWalter Payton 2-yard run (Bob Thomas kick)Bears 27–7
2DETSteve Mike-Mayer 35-yard field goalBears 27–10
3DETSteve Mike-Mayer 38-yard field goalBears 27–13
4DETDexter Bussey 5-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)Bears 27–20
4CHIBob Thomas 35-yard field goalBears 30–20

[1]

Week 2

Jim Hart completed 12 straight passes, one of 10 yards for a second-quarter touchdown, while directing St. Louis to victory over Chicago 16-13. The veteran Hart who completed 16 of 24 passes while suffering two interceptions, contributed balance to a crisp Cards attack and Jim Bakken booted three field goals.

Week 3

Archie Manning scored on runs of 8, 2 and 11 and threw a 35-yard Touchdown pass to Chuck Muncie as the Saints gain a road victory. The Saints also got TDs on a 52-yard fumble recovery by Bob Pollard and a 57-yard interception return by Jim Merlo.

Week 4

1 234Total
Rams 13 307 23
• Bears 7 7010 24
Scoring summary
1LARafael Septien 22 yard field goalRams 3–0
1LARafael Septien 29 yard field goalRams 6–0
1LALawrence McCutcheon 2 yard run (Rafael Septien kick)Rams 13–0
1CHIJames Scott 70 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)Rams 13–7
2CHIJames Scott 72 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)Bears 14–13
2LARafael Septien 24 yard field goalRams 16–14
4CHIBob Thomas 33 yard field goalBears 17–16
4CHIGreg Latta 29 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)Bears 24–16
4LADwight Scales 26 yard pass from Pat Haden (Rafael Septien kick)Bears 24–23

[2]

Week 6

With about two minutes to go, Chicago appeared to have a one point victory over Atlanta. But the Bears' Steve Schubert fumbled a punt deep in his own territory, Atlanta recovered and Haskel Stanback plowed in moments later from the two-yard line for the Falcons victory. Chicago had taken a 3-0 lead on Bob Thomas' 40-yard field goal, but Nick Mike-Mayer come back with shots of 32 ,44, and 21 yards to put Atlanta ahead 9-3. Brian Baschnagel's 84-yard kickoff return resulted in the Bears only touchdown.

Week 7

Walter Payton's 205 tied Gale Sayers record for most rushing yards in a game that was set in 1968. "I didn't want to break Sayers' record because Sayers is a super guy. What's a record? I just want to win the game" Payton said it after scoring touchdown runs of 1 and 6 and setting up Johnny Musso's 3-yard touchdown run in a rout over the Packers.

Week 8

  • The Astrodome in Houston, Texas
  • TV Station: CBS
  • Announcers: Frank Glieber and Johnny Morris

Houston's big play offense, dormant throughout the season sprang to life on touchdown bombs of 85 and 43 yards to Ken Burrough and a 75-yard free kick return and a 61-yard touchdown run by Billy Johnson as the Oilers dazzled Chicago 47-0. Houston's first two big plays, Johnson's run and Burrough's 85-yarder we're delivered over a span of 2:55 in the second quarter and helped the Oilers to a 17-0 halftime lead and never looked back. Coach Jack Pardee call the loss "The worst thing i've ever been associated with in any form". This loss turns out to be a turning point in the Bears season. They would not lose a game again in the 1977 regular season.

Week 10

Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 0 707
Bears 0 10 0010

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: Sunday, November 20
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), wind 21 mph (34 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 49,563
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information

Week 11

1 234Total
• Bears 0 01714 31
Lions 0 707 14
Scoring summary
Q2DETHill 16 yard pass from Landry (Mike-Mayer kick)DET 7–0
Q3CHIRather 42 yard pass from Avellini (Thomas kick)Tie 7–7
Q3CHIPayton 75 yard pass from Avellini (Thomas kick)CHI 14–7
Q3CHIThomas 29 yard field goalCHI 17–7
Q4CHIAvellini 1 yard run (Thomas kick)CHI 24–7
Q4DETO'Neil 52 yard fumble return (Mike-Mayer kick)CHI 24–14
Q4CHIPayton 8 yard run (Thomas kick)CHI 31–14

[3]

Standings

NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings(3) 9 5 0 .643 6–1 8–4 231 227 W1
Chicago Bears(4) 9 5 0 .643 6–1 8–4 255 253 W6
Detroit Lions 6 8 0 .429 2–5 4–8 183 252 L1
Green Bay Packers 4 10 0 .286 2–5 4–7 134 219 W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 12 0 .143 0–4 2–11 103 223 W2

Postseason

NFC Divisional Playoff

Dallas Cowboys 37, Chicago Bears 7
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 077
Cowboys 7 10 17337

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Safety Charlie Waters led the Cowboys to a 37–7 victory by setting an NFL playoff record of 3 interceptions. Dallas built a 17–0 halftime lead, with the aid of running back Doug Dennison’s 2-yard touchdown run and quarterback Roger Staubach’s 28-yard scoring pass to tight end Billy Joe Dupree. In the second half, running back Tony Dorsett recorded two rushing touchdowns and Efren Herrera added two more field goals. The Bears were limited to 224 total yards and did not score until the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.

Awards and records

  • Walter Payton, NFL MVP
  • Walter Payton, led NFL in rushing (1,852 yards)
  • Walter Payton, Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player
  • Walter Payton, Led NFL in Total Yards, (2,216)

References

  1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  3. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Nov-27.
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