Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1985 season. The Bears defeated the Patriots by the score of 46–10, capturing their first NFL championship since 1963, three years prior to the birth of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XX was played on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
"1986 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 1986 season, see Super Bowl XXI.
Chicago Bears (1)
(NFC)
(15–1)
January 26, 1986
73,818[3]
Bart Starr representing previous Super Bowl MVPs
Up with People presents "Beat of the Future"
70
$550,000
Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
This was the fourth Super Bowl and, to date, the last time in which both teams made their Super Bowl debuts. Presently, this can only occur again if the NFC's Detroit Lions play one of the following AFC teams in the Super Bowl: the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars or Houston Texans.[6] The Bears entered the game after becoming the second team in NFL history to win 15 regular season games. With their then-revolutionary 46 defense, Chicago led the league in several defensive categories, outscored their opponents with a staggering margin of 456–198, and recorded two postseason shutouts. The Patriots were considered a Cinderella team during the 1985 season, and posted an 11–5 regular season record, but entered the playoffs as a wild card because of tiebreakers. But defying the odds, New England posted three road playoff wins to advance to Super Bowl XX.
In their victory over the Patriots, the Bears set or tied Super Bowl records for sacks (seven), fewest rushing yards allowed (seven), and margin of victory (36 points). At the time, New England broke the record for the quickest lead in Super Bowl history, with Tony Franklin's 36-yard field goal 1:19 into the first quarter after a Chicago fumble. But the Patriots were eventually held to negative yardage (−19) throughout the entire first half, and finished with just 123 total yards from scrimmage, the second lowest total yards in Super Bowl history, behind the Minnesota Vikings (119 total yards) in Super Bowl IX. Bears defensive end Richard Dent, who had 1.5 quarterback sacks, forced two fumbles, and blocked a pass, was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP).[7] Although he posted relatively mediocre game statistics and failed to score a touchdown himself, star running back Walter Payton was also later credited as being a major factor in the Bears' victory on account of the Patriots' heavy coverage of him giving other members of the team more and better opportunities to score.
The telecast of the game on NBC was watched by an estimated 92.57 million viewers.[5] To commemorate the 20th Super Bowl, all previous Super Bowl MVPs were honored during the pregame ceremonies.
Broadcasting[edit]
The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC, with play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg, and color commentators Merlin Olsen and Bob Griese. Griese worked in a separate booth from Enberg and Olsen.[14] Bob Costas and his NFL '85 castmates, Ahmad Rashad and Pete Axthelm anchored the pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. Other contributors included Charlie Jones (recapping Super Bowl I), Larry King (interviewing Mike Ditka and Raymond Berry), and Bill Macatee (profiling Patriots owner Billy Sullivan and his family). The pregame coverage also included a skit featuring comedian Rodney Dangerfield, an interview by NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw of United States President Ronald Reagan at the White House (this would not become a regular Super Bowl pregame feature until Super Bowl XLIII, when Today show host Matt Lauer interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama) and a concept devised by then-NBC Sports executive Michael Weisman which became known as the "Silent Minute,"[15] a one-minute countdown featuring a black screen with a digital clock which morphed into Roman numerals when it reached twenty seconds remaining and accompanied by Leroy Anderson's "The Syncopated Clock."[16]
The national radio broadcast was aired by NBC Radio, which outbid CBS Radio for the nationwide NFL contract in March 1985. Don Criqui was the play-by-play announcer, with Bob Trumpy as the color analyst. WGN-AM carried the game in the Chicago area (and thanks to WGN's 50,000-watt clear-channel signal, to much of the continental United States), with Wayne Larrivee on play-by-play, and Jim Hart and Dick Butkus providing commentary. WEEI carried the game in the Boston area, with John Carlson and Jon Morris on the call.
NBC's broadcast garnered the third highest Nielsen rating of any Super Bowl to date at 48.3, but it ended up being the first Super Bowl to garner over 90 million viewers, the highest ever at that time.
The series premiere of The Last Precinct was NBC's Super Bowl lead-out program.
Super Bowl XX was simulcast in Canada on CTV and broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Canal 5 also had the game in Mexico, with play-by-play announcers Toño de Valdés, Enrique Burak and color commentator Pepe Segarra. This was the first Super Bowl that this long lasting trio ever called together.[17]
Super Bowl XX is featured on NFL's Greatest Games under the title Super Bears with narration by Don LaFontaine.
Game summary[edit]
First quarter[edit]
The Patriots took the then-quickest lead in Super Bowl history after linebacker Larry McGrew recovered a fumble by running back Walter Payton at the Bears 19-yard line on the second play of the game[14] (the Bears themselves would break this record in Super Bowl XLI when Devin Hester ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown).[18] Bears quarterback Jim McMahon took responsibility for this fumble after the game, saying he had called the wrong play which left Payton alone with no blockers. This set up kicker Tony Franklin's 36-yard field goal 1:19 into the first quarter after three incomplete passes by quarterback Tony Eason (during the first of those three, tight end Lin Dawson went down with torn ligaments in his knee). "I looked up at the message board", said Chicago linebacker Mike Singletary, "and it said that 15 of the 19 teams that scored first won the game. I thought, yeah, but none of those 15 had ever played the Bears."[19] Chicago struck back with a 7-play, 59-yard drive, featuring a 43-yard pass completion from McMahon to wide receiver Willie Gault, to set up kicker Kevin Butler's 28-yard field goal, tying the score at 3–3.
After both teams traded punts, defensive end Richard Dent and defensive tackle Steve McMichael forced a fumble on Eason that was recovered by defensive tackle Dan Hampton on the New England 13-yard line. Chicago then drove to the 3-yard line, but had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Butler after defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry was tackled for a 1-yard loss while trying to throw his first NFL pass on a halfback option play. The score gave Chicago their first lead of the game, 6–3, and they would never trail New England again. On the Patriots' ensuing drive, Dent forced a fumble on running back Craig James, which was recovered by Singletary at the 13-yard line. Two plays later, Bears fullback Matt Suhey scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 13–3.
New England took the ensuing kickoff and ran one play before the first quarter ended, which resulted in positive yardage for the first time in the game (a 3-yard run by James). James, who earlier gained 258 total rushing yards in the three AFC playoff games, only managed to gain one yard on five rushing attempts in the Super Bowl.
Second quarter[edit]
After an incomplete pass and a tackle for a 4-yard loss by Hampton on tight end Greg Hawthorne, the Patriots had to send in punter Rich Camarillo again, and wide receiver Keith Ortego returned the ball 12 yards to the 41-yard line. The Bears subsequently drove 59 yards in 10 plays, featuring a 24-yard reception by Suhey, to score on McMahon's 2-yard touchdown run to increase their lead, 20–3. After the ensuing kickoff, New England lost 13 yards in 3 plays and had to punt again, but got the ball back with great field position when linebacker Don Blackmon stripped the ball from Suhey and cornerback Raymond Clayborn recovered the fumble at the New England 46. During the punt, Ortego forgot what the play call was for the punt return, and the ensuing chaos resulted in him being penalized for handing off a fair catch to cornerback Leslie Frazier, who then suffered a career-ending knee injury while being tackled by Hawthorne.
Patriots head coach Raymond Berry then replaced Eason with Steve Grogan, who had spent the previous week hoping he would have the opportunity to step onto the NFL's biggest stage. "I probably won't get a chance", he had told reporters a few days before the game. "I just hope I can figure out some way to get on the field. I could come in on the punt-block team and stand behind the line and wave my arms, or something."[19] But on his first drive, Grogan could only lead the Patriots to the Chicago 37-yard line, and they decided to punt rather than risk a long field goal attempt. The Bears then marched 72 yards in 11 plays, which included a 29-yard reception by wide receiver Ken Margerum, moving the ball inside the Patriots' 10-yard line. New England kept Chicago out of the end zone, but Butler kicked a 24-yard field goal on the last play of the half to give the Bears a 23–3 halftime lead.
Aftermath[edit]
The nation's recognition of the Bears' accomplishment was overshadowed by the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after launch on the STS 51-L mission two days later, an event which caused the cancellation of the Bears' post-Super Bowl White House visit. Jim McMahon drew controversy after Super Bowl XXXI by wearing a Bears jersey to the Green Bay Packers' visit following their championship, owing to his first official visit never having happened at the time. Twenty-five years after the championship, the surviving members of the team would be invited to the White House in 2011 by President Barack Obama, a Chicago native and Bears fan.[31]