The Bears’ 12-game winning streak and dreams of an undefeated season
turned to a nightmare with a 31-point onslaught by quarterback Dan Marino and the Dolphins in the first half.
By the time the No. 1 defense in the league adjusted and Bears’ coach
Mike Ditka switched from Steve Fuller to Jim McMahon at quarterback, it was
too late. The noisy Orange Bowl crowd of 75,594 counted down the seconds and
hailed the 1972 Dolphins as the last unbeaten (17-0) team.
When the Bears gave up their fourth touchdown in the first half after a
blocked punt at their own 6-yard line, Ditka screamed in frustration at
defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan on the sidelines. But when it was over, Ditka was calm.
“Nobody’s perfect and we proved it. Now it’s what you do with it. Do you bounce back? We’ll be back,” said Ditka.
To a man, the Bears gave the Dolphins credit, but felt they beat
themselves more than Marino did. Marino completed 14 of 27 passes for 270
yards and 3 touchdowns. He made big plays on five of six third downs in the
first half, and the Dolphins scored the first five times they got the ball to take a 31-10 halftime lead.
If the two teams play again, it will be in the Super Bowl.
“They deserved to win and we didn’t,” said Ditka. “I hope they go as
far as we’re going to go and we play them again.”
The victory lifted the Dolphins (9-4) into a first-place tie with the New England Patriots and the New York Jets in the American Football Conference’s
East Division.
Ditka said McMahon “probably” will start at quarterback next week
against the Indianapolis Colts in Chicago. McMahon was sharp during warm-ups
after a three-week layoff with a shoulder injury. But Ditka did not turn to
him until Fuller limped off with a sprained left ankle with 12 minutes 47
seconds to play.
McMahon moved the Bears briefly until an interception by William Judson
in the end zone with 6:12 left ended any hopes for a miracle.
Ditka said he did not think of starting McMahon or playing him earlier.
“What did Steve do wrong?” asked Ditka.
Walter Payton got his record-breaking eighth 100-yard game in a row only
because the Bears called time out three times in the final minute when the
Dolphins had the ball. Payton finished with 121 yards in 23 carries and
curiously carried only 10 times in the first half.
“Walter Payton is the greatest football player to ever play the game.
Other people who call themselves running backs can’t carry his jersey,” said Ditka.
Ditka second-guessed his own play-calling in the first half, saying, “I
should have run a couple more times.”
Poor field position and turnovers set up four of the Dolphins’ five
touchdowns. In the first half, wide receiver Nat Moore caught two TD passes
from Marino and running back Ron Davenport ran for two.
Of the defense, Ditka said: “I thought we could have adjusted earlier to some things. They beat our butts pretty good.”
When receiver Mark Clayton caught a 42-yard touchdown pass that was
tipped by Bears’ defensive lineman Dan Hampton in the third quarter for their last points, the Dolphins knew it was their night.
“We gave them 21 points,” said Payton. “But we might play these guys
again. It was a good experience.”
It was the Bears’ ninth straight loss on the road on “Monday Night
Football.” The 31 first-half points shattered a string of 13 scoreless
quarters and were the most points scored against the Bears since the 1972
season opener. The 12 victories at the start of a regular season ranks as the third-best in history behind the Dolphins’ 14-0 in 1972 and the Bears’ 13-0 in 1934.
When the Bears pulled to 31-17 with 9:25 left in the third period, Ditka
appeared to order an onside kick by Kevin Butler that rookie Alex Moyer
recovered for the Dolphins at the Chicago 46.
Three plays later, Clayton caught his tipped pass.
“It was not an onside kick,” Ditka said. “It was supposed to be a lob
down to the 30-yard line, and Kevin didn’t hit it well. But I take the
blame.”
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The Dolphins scored three of their five touchdowns after getting the ball at the Chicago 25, Chicago 6 and Chicago 46.
Ditka chose to get into a shootout with Marino in the first half, and
Marino won.
Payton did not carry the ball until the Bears were behind 10-7 with 5:56
left in the first quarter. When he did, he gained 14 yards in three carries.
Then Ditka called a screen pass that Fuller overthrew, a play Ditka second-
guessed. Dolphin linebacker Bob Brudzinski intercepted and Bear tackle Keith
Van Horne was penalized for unnecessary roughness to set Marino up at the
Chicago 25.
On third and 19, Marino hit Moore for 22 yards and soon it was 17-7.
The Bears closed to 17-10 after a Statue of Liberty handoff to Payton and throwback to Fuller backfired.
Then the Bears lost the game in the final 5 minutes of the half.
Marino faced a third down and 13 from his own 18. He rolled right against a 3-4 defense and found Mark Duper running open for a 52-yard gain.
Three plays later, it was third and 7. Again Marino rolled and found
Clayton for 26 yards to the 1-yard line. Davenport scored to make it 24-10
with 1:57 left.
The Bears took over at their 20 and tried to move downfield by passing.
Fuller was sacked and had to scramble on third down. When Maury Buford tried
to punt, William Judson broke through the middle and blocked it.
It took Marino two plays to hit Moore and run it to 31-10.
With William “the Refrigerator” Perry facing All-Pro center Dwight
Stephenson in the “46” defense, the Bears had trouble pressuring Marino up
the middle. When he rolled right, he broke containment and killed the
coverage.
“They must have studied the film of last year’s NFC title game when
(49er quarterback Joe) Montana hurt us by getting out of the pocket,” said
safety Dave Duerson.
The Dolphins also isolated wide receivers on linebacker Wilber Marshall,
and Marino’s strong arm and quick release found targets on quick slanting and crossing patterns.
“There’s no question we helped them on their way,” said center Jay
Hilgenberg. “But the only thing that matters is the last game of the year.” “They were a better team than us,” said tackle Jimbo Covert. “Tonight. It ain’t the end of the world. On this day in history, they were better. Five or six weeks down the road, we might be better than them.”
“I don’t think it affects the achievements of the 1985 Bears,” said
safety Gary Fencik. “We have to take it as a positive. We’re not
infallible.”