Windy City Gridiron
The ‘94 Minnesota Vikings had the Chicago Bears’ number in the regular season. In their week 3 trip to Soldier Field the Vikings dropped 42 on the Bears in a game that didn’t see the Bears get on the scoreboard until 9:18 left in the 4th quarter. A game that ended 42-14.
Flash forward to week 14 and once again the Bears defense offered little resistant to the Vikings, surrendering 33 point, including 20 in the second half to fall 33-27.
Two games, 75 points allowed, and 5 turnovers committed by the Bears.
Coming into this Wildcard matchup Vegas, fans, and the NFL had written off the underdog Bears.
But for the Bears defense, third time was a charm.
It wasn’t pretty early for the Bears, as the committed two early turnovers, but the Bears defense stiffened, allowing just 3 points off those turnovers, which allowed the Bears to build a 21-9 halftime lead thanks to rushing touchdowns from Lewis Tillman and Raymond Harris (one of my all-time favorite Bears players names).
Steve Walsh also connected with Keith Jennings for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Bears would add 2 more touchdowns in the second half, another touchdown pass from Walsh to Jeff Graham, and the final nail in the coffin being a 48-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Bears corner Kevin Miniefield.
While the Vikings offense racked up nearly 400-yards, the Bears forced 4 crucial turnovers, flipping the script from the regular season.
This remains the Bears last win in the Wildcard round, that is until after Saturday night.
With the dominant run of the 80’s behind them, the ‘90 Bears still had something left in them. After a 6-10 hiccup in 1989, the Bears returned to form, collecting 11 wins and winning the NFC Central for the 5th time in 6 seasons. And while the defense wasn’t the dominant presence it was in the 80’s, it finished 9th in points allowed sitting at 17.5 a game. The offense was also a top ten unit sporting a 21.8 points per game average.
Meanwhile the 8-8 Saints squeaked into the playoffs. Coached by the legendary Jim Mora (Playoffs?!) the Saints fought their way into the playoffs on the back of their defense, a unit that was 8th in the NFL, and allowed just 14 points a game in their final 4 games, a stretch they went 3-1 in.
The Bears, however, flashed a little bit of that 80’s domination enroute to Mike Ditka’s last playoff win with the Bears, and coincidentally the Bears’ last home playoff Wildcard round win.
Allowing just 193 total yards of offense, the Bears defense limited the Saints to just 11 first downs and forced 3 turnovers. Saints quarterbacks were supremely ineffective, John Fourcade went 5 for 18 for 79...
