Now that the 55 greatest games series that turned into something more like 59 greatest games is over, we can get back to posting on more current events.

Today I read that former Bears running back Johnny Bailey, who was with the team in 1990 and 1991, has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 43.  For someone that’s approaching 40 and a relative peer in age to Bailey, that is sad and scary.  I did not know he was ill.

Bailey is still in the Bear record books for his 95-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 29, 1990.  I was at that game in the far end zone (the end zone to which he was running), and got to see the Chiefs part like the Red Sea during the return.  I liked Bailey’s stuff even though he was only a reserve running back and special-teamer.  Sounds very corny, but he was the reason I donned #22 on my college intramural football jerseys.

If my memory serves me correctly, Bailey fumbled/muffed punts several times in 1990 and in the 1991 preseason, earning himself a spot in Mike Ditka’s doghouse, and he was cut several weeks into the ‘91 regular season.  He would make the Pro Bowl following his 1992 season with the Cardinals.

Thoughts and prayers are with Bailey’s family.

Bears 46, Patriots 10: Super Bowl 20: January 26, 1986

Probably pretty anti-climatic to end this series this way, since I’m sure everyone already knew that Super Bowl 20 was the greatest and most memorable Bears game played in the last 32 years.

Chicago Bears players traveled to New Orleans for Super Bowl 20 the week before the event, and later in the week with them came thousands of Chicagoans.  Bear players were routinely seen savoring the Bourbon Street night life while their Patriot counterparts laid low.  A minor controversy brewed the week before the game, when New Orleans television personality Buddy Dilberto took to the air and claimed that Bears quarterback Jim McMahon called the people of New Orleans stupid and the women sluts.  (Dilberto later recanted his statement).  By gametime, players were roundly ready to take care of the business at hand.

And take care of it the Bears did, but not before an early scare.  On the first possession of the game, Bear great Walter Payton took a handoff and fumbled, and the ball was recovered by the Patriots.  Several plays later, New England quarterback Tony Easton fired a pass on a slant that would have gone for a touchdown if not dropped by the Patriot receiver.  The opponents settled for a field goal, and New England led 3-0 early in the game.

Some Bears players looked at the scoreboard, which showed that the vast majority of the time, the team that scores first in the Super Bowl wins.

But the contest wasn’t a game for very much longer.  Within five minutes the Bears drove for a field goal to even the score.  By the end of the first quarter the score was 13-3 Bears.  It was 23-3 at halftime, 44-3 in the fourth quarter, and in the end, after the Bears tacked on a safety for good measure, the Bears had defeated their opponents by the largest margin in history, 46-10.

Along the way the Bears had fun as only the 1985 team could.  Ditka had William Perry attempt a pass (before he was sacked), and McMahon wore several more personalized headbands.  Running back Matt Suhey scored two toucdowns and “The Fridge” (Perry) one, but sadly Payton was not able to score, as New England planned their defense around stopping him.

The Patriots were limited to only 123 total yards and set numerous records for offensive futility in the contest, including their rushing yards total for the day (7).

The next day the Bears were treated to a ticker-tape parade in the city of Chicago, when over 500,000 people turned out in a six-block area to brave frigid temperatures and cheer on their World Champion Chicago Bears.

Down to the final two today…finally!

Second Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 24, Rams 0: NFC Championship: January 12, 1986

The stage was set for the Chicago Bears to return to the NFL Championship game for the first time since 1963.  Most everyone in the nation did believe that the Bears would win.  Most, that is, other than famous prognosticator Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, who sat on the Soldier Field sidelines just prior to gametime and predicted the Rams would upset the home team.  Those that did give Los Angeles a shot pointed to Ram running back Eric Dickerson’s 248 yards rushing the previous week against Dallas.  But as we saw earlier in the season, the Bears were in a different class than the Cowboys in 1985.

Dickerson mustered only 46 yards and fumbled twice in the Bears devastating 24-0 victory.  The Rams could only muster 130 total yards and crossed the Bear 35 only once, after the Bears fumbled a punt.  Leading 17-0 with the final minutes in the game ticking off, a light snow began to fall.  Players began to celebrate on the sideline.  Ram quarterback Dieter Brock dropped back to pass, was hit and stripped, and the fumble was picked up by lightning-fast Bear linebacker Wilber Marshall.  Marshall raced 52 yards for the Bears final touchdown, led at times by rookie phenom William Perry, in one of the most indelible scenes in Chicago Bears history.

After the game, Bear defensive lineman Dan Hampton was asked when he thought the Bears took control of the line of scrimmage.  His answer: “Kickoff.”  That’s exactly how the game went.

Bear quarterback Jim McMahon also put on an unforgettable performance, on the sideline as well as off the field.  Prior to the conference championship game, McMahon was warned about wearing his trademark “Adidas” headband by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, and the quarterback responded by donning a headband that read “Rozelle.”  “[McMahon] was a crazy nut out there,” Bear Hall of Famer Walter Payton said, “he did everything but take his clothes off.”

The streets of Chicago were happily mad after the victory, and it would only get better two weeks later.

Third Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 39, Saints 14: NFC Championship Game: January 21, 2007

The Bears were hosting the NFC Championship game for the first time since the 1988 season, coming off their first home playoff win since defeating the New Orleans Saints in January 1991.  The Saints were media darlings, given all that the city of New Orleans endured in 2005, as if the city’s football team were directly connected to the events the populace endured.  Every ESPN prognosticator polled picked the Saints to defeat the host Bears.  How wrong they were.

New Orleans’ offense was high-powered indeed, led by quarterback Drew Brees and rookie running back Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston.  On the first drive of the game, Colston caught a Brees pass, but was stripped by the opportunistic Bears defense.  Chicago converted the turnover into a Robbie Gould field goal, and would tack on two more, leading 9-0 in the second period.  The Saints offense was stuck in neutral, meanwhile, and after Bear runner Thomas Jones almost single-handedly moved the ball down the field nearing halftime leading to a touchdown, the Bears led 16-0.  The Saints marched back just before the break, however, scoring a touchdown to make the score 16-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter each teams’ fortunes were completely reversed.  After Reggie Bush took a swing pass an bolted past Bear linebacker Brian Urlacher for an 88-yard touchdown, the Bears looked as if they were in deep trouble, their lead whittled to 16-14.  But Bush made a mistake, taunting Urlacher and flipping head over back into the end zone.  Whether the taunting turned the Bears’ emotions is unknown, but it was after that play the Bears’ fortunes turned again to the positive side.

After a Bear possession, punter Brad Maynard pinned the Saints close to their own end zone, and Brees was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, which is a safety.  After this, the Bears sailed, starting with a 33-yard Bernard Berrian touchdown pass from Grossman, then rushing touchdowns by Jones and Cedric Benson nailed the Saints’ coffin shut.

After the Bears ran out the final seconds of the clock in “victory formation,” Grossman hurled the ball into the stands, releasing pent up aggression from a season that was sometimes magical, sometimes downright awful for the quarterback.  Just after time expired, silver and orange confetti was blown out of cannons on the edge of the field, then former Cowboy Tony Dorsett presented the George S. Halas NFC Championship trophy to Halas’ daughter Virginia.  A party ensued in Chicago, one not seen in town since another snowy day in 1986.

Colts 29, Bears 17: Super Bowl 41: February 4, 2007

The Bears were back in the Super Bowl.  I repeat, the Bears were back in the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 years.  It seems like a dream.  It was a wonderful two weeks leading up to the big game to bask in Bear wonderment in frigid Chicago.  My pick was that if the weather was ugly in rainy Miami, which should have slowed down Peyton Manning’s attack, and if the Bears could score first, they would win.

Those things happened, but the Bears didn’t win.

The game opened with one of the most thrilling moments any Bears fan has witnessed.  Rookie phenom Devin Hester stood to receive the opening kickoff of the game, and all Indianapolis eyes were on him as he had already scored on six return touchdowns in the regular season.  But they watched in amazement as no matter how they tried, they could not bring him down.  Hester first took the kick straight up the middle, paused, then turned on the jets up the right sideline, 92 yards for the first opening kickoff touchdown return in Super Bowl history.

The Bears played solid defense in the beginning of the game, holding until Manning hit Reggie Wayne on a 53-yard touchdown pass aided by blown coverage by Chicago rookie safety Danieal Manning.  But the football gods seemed to be smiling on the Bears when Indianapolis missed the extra point.

The Bears still led 7-6 and added seven more points to that lead when quarterback Rex Grossman hit wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad on a touchdown pass.

But the game unraveled from there.  Indianapolis scored four times in a row, leading 22-14 in the third, until the Bears drew within five points on a Robbie Gould field goal.

At this point Grossman began to press, as Bear fans learned in late 2006 and beyond he had a tendency to do.  All but abandoning the running game in the driving rain, Grossman threw and threw, eventually tossing the ball into the hands of Colt defensive back Kelvin Hayden, who returned the gift 56 yards for the clinching Colt touchdown.  The Bear magic of 2006 was over.

After the game, Bear defenders gathered at the end of the field, telling each other they wanted to watch the Colts celebrate, so the Bears would know how to do it “next time.”  So far there has not been a “next time” for the Bears in the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, three years removed from that night that started so magically.

Fifth Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 27, Browns 21: November 4, 2001

Hard to choose, of course, between the 2001 miracle games as to which was more amazing.  Actually for me it isn’t, I believe hands-down the Cleveland miracle game was more amazing.

I’ve been going to Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field for 31 years as of 2010, as of 2001 it had been 23 years.  And in all the years before, and all the years since, I have still not met a worse crowd than the Cleveland fans that day.  But we had the last laugh.

The Bears looked pretty miserable throughout that game.  The contest started just as the prior miracle against San Francisco had-with Chicago’s quarterback getting hit, fumbling, and the fumble being returned for a touchdown by the opposition.  This time only the quarterback was different: with Jim Miller still out with a rib injury, Shane Matthews started for the Bears and looked shaky in regulation.  Not from a stats standpoint-he finished with 357 yards on 50 attempts but threw three interceptions.

What counted was that with less than two minutes to go in regulation the Bears trailed their guests 21-7.  The Cleveland fans were loud and obnoxious, one of them climbing up my row to insult Bears fans en masse (until I called security over on him).  But with 28 seconds on the clock, Matthews hit Marty Booker on a touchdown pass to bring the Bears within 7.  Now all the Bears would have to do would be to successfully kick onsides, get the ball back and score another touchdown, just to tie the game.  The Soldier Field crowed amped up when yes, Chicago did successfully recover the onside kick.

The Bears had the ball on Cleveland’s 47 and one timeout, and after two short passes to running back James Allen, the Bears were ready to take a final hail mary shot with 34 yards in front of them to the end zone.  Matthews dropped back and lofted the ball to the right side of the end zone into a maze of defenders.  The ball was tipped, and again James Allen dove into position to catch the ball.  He grabbed it, and after the extra point the score was indeed tied 21-21.  Many, many Bears fans had left by this point, but those that remained absolutely erupted.

In overtime the Bears failed to move the ball and punted to the Browns.  On third down, Cleveland’s Tim Couch attempted a pass to his left, but the ball was batted high in the air by Bear defensive end Bryan Robinson.  As the crowd followed the ball, individuals may not have noticed who was running with perfect timing to pluck it out of the air.  It was none other than safety Mike Brown, hero of the previous week.  Brown dashed untouched into the end zone, and continued running straight into the locker room as Soldier Field rocked.  The Bears won their second consecutive overtime thriller, this one with a score of 27-21.

One of these games in a season would be amazing.  Two in a season would be unbelievable.  But two in successive weeks?  Unthinkable.  And amazing.

6th Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 37, 49ers 31: October 28, 2001

This matchup featured two of the surprise teams of the NFC in 2001, with the Bears and 49ers both holding 4-1 records.  Perhaps this game would figure later into who was one of the most dominant teams in the conference that season.  But on this day it would end as one of the most memorable games in Chicago Bears History.

Chicago was faced with stiff competition and went down fast early.  San Francisco scored two touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead in the first period, the first on a Julian Peterson fumble return after he hit and caused a fumble on Bears starting quarterback Jim Miller.  The hit injured Miller’s ribs, and he was replaced by the far more weak-armed Shane Matthews.  The second 49er touchdown came on a one-yard pass from quarterback Jeff Garcia to Justin Swift.

In the secondd period the Bears recovered somewhat, scoring two points on a safety, and a touchdown on a Daimon Shelton run.  But from halftime to the middle of the fourth quarter was all San Francisco; with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game they held a commanding 31-16 lead, and the situation looked bleak for the Bears.  Some Soldier Field fans departed.

The rest of the game would cause controversey among 49er fans and observers.  Coaches Steve Mariucci of the 49ers and Dick Jauron of the Bears were friends and colleagues dating to 1992 in Green Bay, and in retrospect Mariucci was accused of going easy on his old friend.  During this time the seemingly weak-armed Matthews threw two touchdown passes to rookie receiver David Terrell, and after these the Bears suddenly trailed only by a score of 31-29.  With seconds remaining they would have to score a two-point conversion simply to put the game into overtime, let alone win.  On the conversion try, offensive coordinator John Shoop called an inside run to rookie back Anthony Thomas, who plunged into the end zone to tie the game.  The play was reviewed to check if Thomas’ knee was down, but the play stood.

The Bears lost the ensuing coin toss and would kick to the 49ers, who set up at their own 33-yard line, just 27 yards out of field goal range.  On the very first play from scrimmage in overtime, 49er Pro Bowlers Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens attempted to hook up on a pass over the middle.  Routine stuff.  But at the point of the reception, Owens was smashed by second-year Bear linebacker Brian Urlacher.  The ball popped loose, right into the hands of Bear safety Mike Brown.  Brown dashed to the right sideline and ran past all San Francisco defenders to the end zone, where he fell.  The Bears had pulled off a highly unlikely win just 16 seconds into the overtime period, which beat the 1980 Bears’ record for shortest overtime victory.

7th Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 23, Redskins 19: NFC Divisional Playoff: December 30, 1984

The Bears were clearly building toward a championship run at some point by 1984, led by third-year coach Mike Ditka, Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, and one of the best draft classes (1983) in NFL history.  But McMahon wouldn’t even be a part of the equation for this game, as he was lost for the season with a lacerated kidney weeks prior.  The Bears offense was a completely different and weaker animal under the control of backup Steve Fuller, who was rusty himself having not played since late November.  And some fans & prognosticators felt the Bears were just destined to never win, like the 1984 Cubs who had choked away a 2-0 series lead in that year’s NL Championship Series.

But the Bears had something the NFL was just discovering they possessed-the makings of the most ferocious defense the NFL had ever seen, led by safeties Todd Bell and Gary Fencik, linebackers Mike Singletary and Otis Wilson, and NFL sack leader Richard Dent.  In fact, the 1984 Bears set the NFL’s sack record for a season with 72, a mark that still stands.  This wasn’t even including rookie linebacker Wilber Marshall, who was just a role player in 1984.

After allowing an early Redskin field goal, the Bears matched with a kick of their own, then shocked their hosts when Payton threw a surprise touchdown pass to tight end Pat Dunsmore.  Chicago led 10-3 at halftime.

Then on the first drive of the second half, a quick swing pass to receiver Willie Gault turned into a 75-yard touchdown romp after the speedster made one spin move on the Washington cornerback.  Later in the third the Bears looked firmly in control after a Fuller to Dennis McKinnon touchdown pass gave them a commanding 23-10 lead.

In the fourth, Washington scored a touchdown to bring the score as close as 23-17.  Late in the period, with the Bears pinned inside their end zone and punting, Ditka made a calculated gamble and asked punter Dave Finzer to step out of the end zone, taking a safety and giving up 2 points for better field position.

After kicking back to Washington the Bear defense held firm, and Chicago shocked the favored Redskins 23-19 in their first playoff win since 1963.

Eighth Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 20, Eagles 12: NFC Divisional Playoff: December 31, 1988

In the game forever known internationally as “The Fog Bowl”, the Bears would host a home playoff game for the fourth year in a row, and controlled home field advantage in the NFC playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record.  The Bears were on fire from 1984-1988, posting the most wins in history over a five year period (later broken in the 2000’s by both New England and Indianapolis).

The 1988 regular season was filled with strife for the Bears.  It was the first after the team had lost star players such as Wilber Marshall and Willie Gault to contract disputes, Walter Payton and Gary Fencik to retirement, and Richard Dent and William Perry to injury.  Head Coach Mike Ditka suffered a heart attack and had to miss a game, and Chicago had suffered a particularly demoralizing loss at Minnesota in the final week of the season.  Yet at the same time the Bears were finding new stars like running back Neal Anderson, and veterans such as Dennis Gentry, Mike Tomczak, Dave Duerson and Dan Hampton had solid years as usual.  Additionally, linebacker Mike Singletary was voted the defensive player of the year.

Brewing like the clouds destined to blow in off Lake Michigan was also the ongoing feud between Ditka and Eagles coach Buddy Ryan.  Emotion was off the charts prior to the game.

The day dawned bright, sunny and remarkably warm for New Years’ Eve in Chicago with temperatures approaching the 50’s.  While visibility still existed on the field, the Bears scored on a 64-yard pass from Tomczak to receiver Dennis McKinnon and on a 4-yard inside trap by Anderson.  During this time, Philadelphia could only muster three field goals.  Late in the second quarter, a fog blew in off the lake, completely descending upon the field, and fans in the stands down to the players on the field couldn’t see a thing–literally.  Coordinators in the box couldn’t see what was happening, coachs couldn’t see into the middle of the field, and players couldn’t see more than 10 yards ahead of themselves at field level.

Luckily for the Bears, they scored their touchdowns while it was possible, because in the second half it was clearly impossible.  After halftime, the Eagles and Bears tacked on an additional field goal each, and the final score was 20-12 Bears.

The Fog Bowl has been featured on NFL Network’s Top 10 Bad Weather Games, and apparently Eagles fans still feel that they were robbed of a victory because of the weather.  I didn’t know the weather was responsible for scoring and giving up points.

9th Most Memorable Chicago Bears Game Since 1979

Bears 27, Seahawks 24: NFC Divisional Playoff: January 14, 2007

This would be the third divisional playoff game the Bears would host in the decade.  The first two ended in shocking Bears losses, so no one questioned Bear fans’ concern prior to this game.  The Seahawks were the defending NFC Champs, led by Mike Holmgren, but the Bears had trounced the visitors on national TV earlier in the 2006 season.  The stage was set for the Bears’ biggest game since the 1988 NFC Championship, as this time around Chicago held home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  But that wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t win in the elusive divisional round.

The Bears scored first on a nine-yard rush by running back Thomas Jones.  The Seahawks answered on a touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Nate Burleson.  In the second quarter the crowd erupted after a 68-yard touchdown strike from Rex Grossman to Bernard Berrian down the middle of the field, but the Seahawks answered again with a Shaun Alexander touchdown run.  But the Bears went up again before halftime on Jones’ second touchdown of the game, and Chicago led 21-14 at the break.

The third quarter did not go the Bears’ way, however.  Seattle tied the score on Alexander’s second touchdown rush, then they tacked on a field goal to lead the Bears 24-21.  With the Bear offense seemingly stalled in the second half, things were again looking grim for the home team in the playoffs.

However, with the help of several huge defensive stops, most notably by linebacker Lance Briggs, the Bears were able to hold, and reliable Robbie Gould kicked the tying 41-yard field goal late in the game.

In overtime, receiver Rashied Davis perhaps saved the game by diving to catch a long pass from Grossman, which eventually set up a 49-yard field goal try by Gould to win the game.  Over his two-year Bears career, Gould was nearly automatic in close, but Chicago rarely gave him attempts past 45 yards.  With the dream season on the line, Gould nailed the kick, winning the Bears their first home playoff game since 1990 and only the third since 1986.  The Bears would go on to host the New Orleans Saints in their first NFC Championship appearance in 18 years.