Jim McMahon holds an NFL passing record that will never be broken. 25 consecutive winning starts. Between 1984 and 1987, Jim McMahon never lost a game. The Bears lost 9 without him. Jim didn't lose one.
That’s not including the 2 times that he came off of the bench to bail them out. Since they weren’t starts, they don’t count towards that record and that’s a shame.
Dude, you post this everywhere. I love Jimmy Mac but all he had to do was not suck. Also, 25 is not that great over 4 seasons which means a lot of missed opportunities to lose. Also, his wins were far more driven by the defense and run game than by his passing attack. The offense was centered on Walter and run-play time of possession. This is so incredibly obvious to any Bears fan, especially those of us who watched in those days. #9 was a solid QB with as much guts as injuries. He was our charismatic field general anchoring the greatest Bears team of all time. For that, he'll have a place in my heart but dubious "passing" records really damn him with feint praise. By the way, I remember this game so well and that incredible block thrown by Walter on JM's first TD passing play. Yes, this was a wonderful comeback win led by #9 and his passing game.
Cant say how good a qb he was compared to the inflated stats qb' today enjoy but he is the toughest qb ive' seen perfect fit for hardnose chicago a place made to fail he didnt he exceeded led them to super bowl win but ditka took all the credit to a point the only coach better than him( Buddy Ryan ) a defensive genuis. He went to philly and beat head to head ditka everytime while ditka still was bears coach . Ditka was a great tight end he revolutionized the tight end as a weapon other than blocking
Great to see McMahon and the '85 Bears dominate the Minnesota Vikings in their dominating Super Bowl season. What a thrill of a game and a season. I'm glad I saw it all then and relived some here. Thanks for posting.
Jim's first play from scrimmage in this game is THE quintessential example of exactly why Jim was so crucial to that Bears' offense [Everybody always talks about that 85 defense, but their offense was _easily_ the best offense in Bears history]. Of course, everyone always talks about the Payton block, and they should because it is far and away the best block by a halfback in the history of football AND the most important block in that 85 season and in Bears history, HOWEVER the stunning greatness of that block overshadows McMahon's particular brilliance. Watch it again closely: the play was just a simple fullback screen to the left to Matt Suhey. Gault was lined up wide left, and his job was simply to run deep down the middle to draw the cornerback and/or safety to him and create room for Suhey once he caught the ball. The Vikings were blitzing their safeties on that play, along with their linebackers. After the snap Jim stumbled [the Payton block happened as he was righting himself while he was dropping back]. Once he righted himself he quickly looked down the middle and saw that there was no safety there. He never actually saw Gault; he just knew where Gault was supposed to be. Instead of following through on the design of the play and throwing it to Suhey [which would have resulted in a nice gain], Jim knew that without safety help there was no possible way the corner could run with Gault, so he righted himself, set his feet, and threw the ball as hard and far as he could deep down the middle. It's important to note how quickly all of this happened, because even WITH the Payton block, Jim got clobbered the INSTANT the ball left his hand . . . and the pass was absolutely perfect. 70 yard touchdown. The other two td passes were also improvised plays, but that first play . . . that play demonstrated to defenses in the whole NFL that when you played the Bears with McMahon healthy, you were REALLY playing with fire if you loaded up on the line of scrimmage to either stop the run or the short passing game, because he could torch you . . . and remember, he didn't NEED to torch you that many times in a game. Just a couple/few times was enough because of how great that defense was. Just the THREAT of McMahon being able to burn a defense for stacking against the run is one of the key factors that allowed the Bears to just STRANGLE teams with their running game once they got a 10 point lead. It was a classic pick your poison situation: to really stop that Bears running game, you had to get the safeties up close to the line, but if you DO that, then McMahon was good enough to beat you, either deep or with medium range passes, AND on top of that Jim could also take off and run himself if you gave him and opening. That was an element that the Bears' offense had ONLY with McMahon during the entire time Walter Payton was with the team. Avellini was . . . well, _Avellini._ Mike Phipps couldn't keep the starting job after playing very well in 79. Vince Evans had the physical talent [he probably had the strongest arm of any quarterback who ever played for the Bears] but he just couldn't read defenses well enough.
@@PageMarker1 Douglass was basically a linebacker playing quarterback. Evans had probably the strongest arm of any quarterback that's ever played for the Bears, and one of the strongest period. He just wasn't very good at reading defenses. He wasn't atrocious, like Mike Tomczak atrocious, but he also lacked touch. Those were his two biggest problems. Evans was a great athlete, though.
This was a wonderful comeback led by McMahon but this '85 team was defense 1st, run 2nd, and passing distant 3rd. Don't overstate Jimmy Mac's contribution. Remember, when he was injured, Steve Fuller was the QB for the most lopsided defeat of the Cowboys history, 44-0, against a great Dallas team and 36-0 against Atlanta. 80-0 in 2 consecutive games. Fuller's arm had as much to do with those wins as Mac's arm had to do with team's wins in '85. This is obvious in the postseason wins where the Bears D simply killed the Giants, Rams amd Pats offenses. The way they stopped Dickerson, the best RB at the time, was amazing, for example. It's the charisma and inspiration, more intangible qualities, that make #9 so special and tend to have us Bears fans overrate him.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 , dude, I trust my eyes and I watched every game that year and what I said is 100% correct. This team was absolutely defense first, the running game and playing for time of possession second, and passing attack distant 3rd. None of those players and coaches you mentioned ever claimed that McMahon was the the top factor in that Super Bowl championship season. They may have said nice things about how important MacMahon was but that doesn't contradict my take at all.
Loved watching McMahon throw the ball. Such a smooth fluid motion, a strong arm and good accuracy. Also could make accurate throws while on the run and off platform. That throw to McKinnon was unbelievably hard
... Jim's career could have been so different without the injuries... and a little-more offensively flexible Ditka. McMahon had the talent, will and football-IQ to be one of the greatest...
Jim's legendary heroics in this game overshadowed a career night for Tommy Kramer, who threw for over 430 yards with 3 TD passes of his own. Buddy Ryan always felt that TK was a great player and a gutty competitor, and felt that Kramer had that "feel" . . . like he had eyes in the back of his head. As a lifelong Bears fan who was alive and cognizant during this time, I always had tremendous respect for TK.
Page, Eller, Marshall, and Larsen was as good a Defensive line as any. I think Paul Krouse was playing safety at the time too, but can't remember looking back.
I remember watching this with my folks as an excited 8 year old. I kept wondering if they were going to put McMahon in, and I jumped for joy when they did. 80's childhood is something I'm so thankful for. This team had so much personality it was impossible for kids not to like them. All of us boys had Bears book bags that year lol. McMahon said years afterward that he was high as a kite on painkillers which is why he stumbled on the very first play-he really shouldn't have been playing and props to him for being nearly blind in one eye.
How is this almost 40 years ago?! Those were some good teams, and some great football. I don't care if today's players are better physical athletes, they were better all around athletes back then (mentally and physically).
Makes you miss the golden age of MNF. This was truly an event back then. Both teams amped up, a hot crowd, and all of America watching McMahon coming in throwing those beautiful spirals effortlessly
The current NFL product is inferior to these years. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I can't watch the NFL anymore. I follow it, but don't watch the games. Too much celebration for mundane plays, commentators are worthless, and too much focus on non-football activities.
@@emptyhand777 I am old, and I've been saying the same for the last several years. Today's game/players has/have found a way to put the "I" in team. Pregame even has too much "I" in the show.
Jimmy Mac was my greatest. He was a winner. He never gave up. So many memories. Both at BYU and the bears. A magical time a different era. It was hard nose football. These cupcakes today would die facing the bears defense the raiders defense the rams defense heck even the cowboys that year. Even the 49ers. Thanks for the memories Mac.
Was in Germany,air force .. listen live in the radio,,,turned it off and went to sleep after vikings we're dominating,,,watched the game the next night on armed forces network...I figured watch it,who cares I know the outcome... little did I realize this was the Greatest game of that season .. unbelievable....what a game
7:37... Hard to believe, this was Willie Gault's one and only TD reception during the 1985 regular season. He did catch another TD pass in the NFC Championship game vs the Rams.
- Anthony Carter should be in the Vikings Ring of Honor - Kramer & McMahon were "gunslingers" and fun to watch - Bad game by Punter Greg Coleman - Metrodome field turf & chalf numbers were sub-standard - Gifford had little help in the booth with OJ & Namath - Thx to whomever put this together!
Jim's ability to improvise was such a crucial element to the Bears' offense. All three of the famous touchdown passes were not even close to his first reads. That first one to Gault . . . everyone knows about the legendary block by Payton [and it's true; I don't think anyone can realistically dispute that that's the greatest block by a running back in history], but Jim going off-script is just as big because the play was just a FB screen to Suhey. Gault is just supposed to run deep down the middle to get the cornerback out of there, but when Jim saw that the Vikings were in a all-out blitz [he looked down the middle and saw that the safety wasn't there], he knew that whoever was covering Gault was in single coverage, and at that instant decided to throw it to Gault. He righted himself, wound up, and threw it deep down the middle as far as he could, just barely getting rid of the ball. His ability to improvise like that was the key to that whole offense because teams couldn't just overload for the running game, and it also allowed the defense to take more chances because they knew that with McMahon in there if they fell behind they could come back.
The other aspect was his intelligence. Jim never received alot of acknowledgement for his football intelligence, but he had it in spades. Reading things quickly and knowing where to go with the ball is crucial in winning games.
As good as McMahon was, there was one thing that hindered him most of his career. That was his lack of durability. In fact in '85 I think he missed 5 or 6 games due to injuries. If he hadn't been injured as much he would probably be in the HOF today. I'm a Vikings fan and I remember that game and that legendary block. I thought for sure McMahon was going to be sacked. After that play the Vikings just couldn't put anything together. McMahon talked about that game years later and said it was a turning point for the team as it pulled them all together and they knew they had a good team that year.
@@66limelight I respect your comment very much, and it's with that respect that I say . . . everyone knows he had a hard time staying healthy; that's not top secret information. It was a double-edged sword with Jim: he played so hard to win, with such disregard for his body that he inspired his teammates [that and of course he was a natural field general], but that disregard was what kept him from staying healthy more. In 85, he was his most healthy. He played in all but 3 games, which is a tad misleading. He didn't start the famous wk3 game in MIN, missed wk10 - wk12 entirely because of a bad shoulder, only came into the MIA game in wk13 cuz Fuller sprained his ankle, then played the rest of the year and the playoffs. It's awesome that you were at that wk3 game at MIN. Payton's block is easily the greatest block ever by a halfback and, as it turned out, the most important block by anyone in that entire season. It's a misnomer that the Vikes couldn't get anything going. Kramer was fantastic that night, and in the 4th down 30-17 he beat Leslie Frazier [the only time all season that Frazier was beat deep for a score] for a 57-yarder to AC, and all of a sudden it's a ballgame again at 30-24. That whole thing was crucial because everyone knew the Bears had that great defense, but that wk3 game showed to the whole league that, with McMahon in there, the Bears were an offense that was extremely dangerous, an offense that could pick the defense up when they were having trouble, and that's the key to that team, and I say all of this as a Bears fan. These people out there who buy into this revisionist crap that the Bears would've won the Super Bowl that year with "my grandma" playing qb are absolutely incorrect. They don't even reach the Super Bowl without Jim, and I can back that statement up with very conclusive evidence.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 I wasn't knocking McMahon about his injuries, I was just saying "what if" he'd been as durable as others. I think he'd be talked about in the way that Elway, Kelly, Marino etc are talked about today. As an example, "what if" Tom Brady would have played most of his career in Detroit???? I don't think the Lions would have 5 or 6 SB titles. My memory isn't as good as yours on that game. I didn't remember them making the game that close. I definitely remember the block and the TD pass to WG. And McMahon showed how important a player he was on the field. Fuller was no JM of course but the Bears were so solid in probably every other position. Man, there were a lot of great players (some HOFers) on that team. And their defense was so strong and intimidating. IMO, the best team that I ever remember. I think it was in the next season that JM got body slammed by one of the Packers on a dirty play. Oh, and after that loss to Miami in the '85 season, they didn't lose again until they were in Minnesota in the '86 season. Now THAT was an exciting game. The Vikings showed everyone that the Bears CAN be beat.
@@66limelight Yes, if he'd been able to stay on the field more, he'd have better numbers, but that also means that he would've stayed with the Bears, and it's extremely important to note that the Bears didn't throw anywhere near as much as those other teams with those notable qbs did, so he was never gonna have gaudy numbers . . . and what with the Bears penchant for cheapness, I don't think after 87 they had the talent anymore to actually get to and win the big one. I remember their first loss in 86 at Minnesota very well. It showed that MIN could play, but for Bears fans it was a stark reminder of how critical McMahon was to the success of that team when they played true quality opponents. Just a few weeks earlier, the Bears had trounced MIN with McMahon, and it was the same type of story: he didn't have great numbers, but he made key plays when they needed them and, just as key, helped to keep MIN in terrible field position the entire game. Then in the loss a few weeks later without McMahon, and the offense couldn't do anything because the Vikes were really good and Fuller was ineffective. In that 85 wk3 game, one of the things that gets lost to history is that Tommy Kramer played brilliantly in that game, throwing for over 430 yards and 3 tds. The Bears didn't play badly on defense that game . . . Kramer was just that good.
Hey! I remember you! I was there too! Were you the kid sitting next to his father? I was the guy in one of the other seats. (Just kidding, but I really was there).
@@dapunkyqb1679 Precisely right. Nobody else in football history could've made that block. That whole crapping on Ditka for that whole thing needs to be put out to pasture; Ditka did plenty of silly things that he deserved blame for [bringing Flutie in in 86 . . . okay, but STARTING him in a Divisional Playoff game!!?!! When Fuller had actually BEATEN them ON THE ROAD in an 84 playoff game!?! Yeah, that's a head scratcher.], but the whole Payton Super Bowl td thing ain't one of 'em.
As dominant as our Bears 1985 defense was, if McMahon doesn't come in I truly believe we lose this game. And if McMahon was able to start all 16 games we have an undefeated season.
@@mramisuzuki6962 Your saying that about 84 and 86 and yeah your right. It also further proves my point. If we have McMahon for every game we win 3 consecutive Superbowls. We would have lost a maybe 2 or 3 games in 84. But yeah the backup QB carousel at that time,and also having Mike Tomczak in so many games in 86 killed the dynasty possibity
I agree --I remember thinking the same as I watched this game. Without that block it is a whole different play! And it could have been a whole different game.
Jim McMahon was such a difference maker. I stand by what I said if McMahon would have stayed healthy the Bears would have won at least 3 Super bowls! Let's Go Bears! Bear Down!
McMahon and his lack of durability but innovative mind and ability to pay attention to the defense was perfect for the Bears especially with Walter. The other team was so fearful of Walter they didn’t always lock down the passing game. Bears should have had Walter at TE with McMahon like Kelce today with Mahomes.
That was a good Vikings team they beat. Anthony Carter was such a good wide receiver. I had the joy of watching him during my student days at U of M. We were all wondering who was that skinny kid at wide receiver? Bo legendarily never started freshman but he started AC.
Crazy Bears fan back then. That was a blast watching it back then. McMahon had a few college games like that as well. Not a great arm, not fast, but just a pit Bull winner. 1983-1987 the Bears were a force. I swear this game was on a Thursday. I remember it. Thinking it was one of the early Thursday games. JeffsPaintingElmhurst
the most exciting game of my life ....BEARS were destroyers jim McMahon"s greatest quarterback bears ever had greatest defence bears ever had ...this was magic
People marvel at the talented players of today, thinking talent is a recent thing. But us old guys have seen this talent for decades. The difference now is camera angles and multiple replays.
This was my first year supporting the Bears, this was the first or second year the NFL was shown in the UK. My dad had it on in his house one Sunday and it was a highlight show back then and I believe it was the week 7 game with the Bears v Patriots at Soldier field. As a little short fat git I identified with William Perry for obvious reasons. So I decided to support the Bears, 3 months later and we had our 1st superbowl win In thought it was on the gravy train after that but it's been 37 years of hurt, I had hope when Devin Hester returned the opener back in 2006 but thats been about it.
He might not have been well liked by many (hated by the teams that the Bears beat that year) and he was very injury prone but Jim pulled off some great miracles in '85. He had a lot of help from his friends. The awesome block by Walter Payton before McMahon threw the first pass is classic Walter. He did this many times in his long career. One of the best to ever play the game.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 Payton could've been an All-Pro lineman with his strength. It's too bad he kicked too much ass as a halfback, so we'll never know just how good of a lineman he could have been.
@@mylesmarkson1686 No. Sorry. I love Walter, but he wasn't big enough to be a lineman or linebacker. On defense he would've been either a strong or free safety. He wasn't quite fast enough to play corner, but he would've been murder as a safety.
I really enjoy the screen with NOTHING on it! You can focus on the game and not 73 other things crawling across the screen. I also noticed no celebrations after every single play. They just make a tackle and move on.
Lots of deceased players in this game (both teams) and .... Can you name all of the players (both teams) that became coaches? I've seen three.. maybe four so far (by halftime)
I listened to the game while I was at work. After the game ended, the commentators said that even though McMahon was not supposed to play, he begged Ditka to put him in. When they put McMahon in, the Bears were back in the game! They would go to win Super Bowl XX, with a regular season of 15-1-0. The only loss was to the Miami Dolphins. When I heard that I thought now the other shoes going to drop and they're going to go downhill. Little did I know that next week they would go on to win the remainder of their games and win home field advantage throughout the playoffs. That 1985 season was one season to remember. Eventually Mike McCaskey fired Ditka because he dared to speak his mind to McCaskey. As soon as Virginia Halas McCaskey dies, the team ownership will fall into the hands of the McCaskeys. Since Mike McCaskey fired Ditka, the team has never been the same since. I don't think Papa Bear George S Halas would have approved of Ditka's firing by his son-in-law. The McCaskeys are not a football family, and they only know the business side. Papa Bear Halas knew both the football side and the business side because he was not only owner and coach of the former Decatur Staleys, but he also played as their quarterback. That's why I say that George S Halas not only knew what it took to play football, but he also was their first head coach during the team's time as the Decatur Staleys, and also as the Chicago Bears - plus, HE OWNED THE TEAM. When Papa Bear died, the ownership passed to his daughter Virginia Halas McCaskey, and her husband and they're grown children would run the organization. It's always been my position that the Chicago Bears should remain in the ownership of the Halas family and not pass on to the McCaskeys.
Take note of the block Walter Payton put on a blitzing linebacker. Without that block, McMahon gets sacked instead of launching a 70 yd TD bomb to Gault.
@@absolut_dre I'm aware of A.C. It was a funny, not a to be pissed on. Relax, NFL knowledge isn't exactly the stuff that makes the world turn, ya know?
This bears defense had the best pass rush the game has ever seen by a longshot.... Jus 4-5 yrs of great defense too bad they had no offense most the time
The Bears were also one draft pick away from never winning anything. Ditka is why the offense was so bland and predictable. McMahon may have been the ONLY quarterback on the planet capable of manifesting enough offense, where there literally was none!
@@dapunkyqb1679 A wonderful point. The 1985 NFCCG against the Rams would've been a repeat of the 84 NFCCG had McMahon not played, and I also think it's probable that the Bears don't beat the Giants in the 85 Divisional round without him.
@@dapunkyqb1679 These people who try n say the Bears in 85 could've won, or even _gotten_ to the Super Bowl with "my grandma" at quarterback are true morons. These are the ones who only look at the numbers, that didn't actually watch that team play.
I think McMahon just despised losing in Minnesota - some of the locals have a very low opinion of folks from Illinois. The defense and offense were great that year but when sparked by McMahon the team was nearly unbeatable.
Yeah, I felt like, with McMahon, the offense was equally good as the defense The only reason they won in 85 was because McMahon wasn’t injured ALL the time lol
Couldn’t agree more. The defense and Walter were always great. and contrary to what many of his detractors may say, Jim McMahon is the guy who brought it all together. “…when number nine’s at quarterback, no matter what happens we know that we can stay in that game and win it.” -Gary Fencik
Jim McMahon holds an NFL passing record that will never be broken. 25 consecutive winning starts. Between 1984 and 1987, Jim McMahon never lost a game. The Bears lost 9 without him. Jim didn't lose one.
That’s not including the 2 times that he came off of the bench to bail them out. Since they weren’t starts, they don’t count towards that record and that’s a shame.
Wow! Impressive!
Yup and Ditka hated him
Not sure that's a passing record.
Dude, you post this everywhere. I love Jimmy Mac but all he had to do was not suck. Also, 25 is not that great over 4 seasons which means a lot of missed opportunities to lose. Also, his wins were far more driven by the defense and run game than by his passing attack. The offense was centered on Walter and run-play time of possession. This is so incredibly obvious to any Bears fan, especially those of us who watched in those days. #9 was a solid QB with as much guts as injuries. He was our charismatic field general anchoring the greatest Bears team of all time. For that, he'll have a place in my heart but dubious "passing" records really damn him with feint praise. By the way, I remember this game so well and that incredible block thrown by Walter on JM's first TD passing play. Yes, this was a wonderful comeback win led by #9 and his passing game.
The fear the other team had of Payton really helped the offense. Everyone talks about the 85 Bears defense but the offense was just as masterful.
McMahon and the 1985 Bears were so amazing. I loved watching this and hearing all those familiar names again.
Cant say how good a qb he was compared to the inflated stats qb' today enjoy but he is the toughest qb ive' seen perfect fit for hardnose chicago a place made to fail he didnt he exceeded led them to super bowl win but ditka took all the credit to a point the only coach better than him( Buddy Ryan ) a defensive genuis. He went to philly and beat head to head ditka everytime while ditka still was bears coach . Ditka was a great tight end he revolutionized the tight end as a weapon other than blocking
This shit was brutal! And the passes. Man! I missed these days.
That McMahon was a beast!
Every Jim McMahon play is a highlight.
I was watching this game when it happened. It was electric.
Great to see McMahon and the '85 Bears dominate the Minnesota Vikings in their dominating Super Bowl season. What a thrill of a game and a season. I'm glad I saw it all then and relived some here. Thanks for posting.
“I LOVE IT!”
Joe Willie Namath’s reaction to the first McMahon TD is priceless
Jim's first play from scrimmage in this game is THE quintessential example of exactly why Jim was so crucial to that Bears' offense [Everybody always talks about that 85 defense, but their offense was _easily_ the best offense in Bears history]. Of course, everyone always talks about the Payton block, and they should because it is far and away the best block by a halfback in the history of football AND the most important block in that 85 season and in Bears history, HOWEVER the stunning greatness of that block overshadows McMahon's particular brilliance. Watch it again closely: the play was just a simple fullback screen to the left to Matt Suhey. Gault was lined up wide left, and his job was simply to run deep down the middle to draw the cornerback and/or safety to him and create room for Suhey once he caught the ball.
The Vikings were blitzing their safeties on that play, along with their linebackers. After the snap Jim stumbled [the Payton block happened as he was righting himself while he was dropping back]. Once he righted himself he quickly looked down the middle and saw that there was no safety there. He never actually saw Gault; he just knew where Gault was supposed to be. Instead of following through on the design of the play and throwing it to Suhey [which would have resulted in a nice gain], Jim knew that without safety help there was no possible way the corner could run with Gault, so he righted himself, set his feet, and threw the ball as hard and far as he could deep down the middle. It's important to note how quickly all of this happened, because even WITH the Payton block, Jim got clobbered the INSTANT the ball left his hand . . . and the pass was absolutely perfect. 70 yard touchdown.
The other two td passes were also improvised plays, but that first play . . . that play demonstrated to defenses in the whole NFL that when you played the Bears with McMahon healthy, you were REALLY playing with fire if you loaded up on the line of scrimmage to either stop the run or the short passing game, because he could torch you . . . and remember, he didn't NEED to torch you that many times in a game. Just a couple/few times was enough because of how great that defense was. Just the THREAT of McMahon being able to burn a defense for stacking against the run is one of the key factors that allowed the Bears to just STRANGLE teams with their running game once they got a 10 point lead. It was a classic pick your poison situation: to really stop that Bears running game, you had to get the safeties up close to the line, but if you DO that, then McMahon was good enough to beat you, either deep or with medium range passes, AND on top of that Jim could also take off and run himself if you gave him and opening. That was an element that the Bears' offense had ONLY with McMahon during the entire time Walter Payton was with the team. Avellini was . . . well, _Avellini._ Mike Phipps couldn't keep the starting job after playing very well in 79. Vince Evans had the physical talent [he probably had the strongest arm of any quarterback who ever played for the Bears] but he just couldn't read defenses well enough.
Interesting comments. Can't remember much of Vince Evans, but Bobby Douglass had a hell of an arm, too bad he lacked accuracy.
@@PageMarker1 Douglass was basically a linebacker playing quarterback. Evans had probably the strongest arm of any quarterback that's ever played for the Bears, and one of the strongest period. He just wasn't very good at reading defenses. He wasn't atrocious, like Mike Tomczak atrocious, but he also lacked touch. Those were his two biggest problems. Evans was a great athlete, though.
This was a wonderful comeback led by McMahon but this '85 team was defense 1st, run 2nd, and passing distant 3rd. Don't overstate Jimmy Mac's contribution. Remember, when he was injured, Steve Fuller was the QB for the most lopsided defeat of the Cowboys history, 44-0, against a great Dallas team and 36-0 against Atlanta. 80-0 in 2 consecutive games. Fuller's arm had as much to do with those wins as Mac's arm had to do with team's wins in '85. This is obvious in the postseason wins where the Bears D simply killed the Giants, Rams amd Pats offenses. The way they stopped Dickerson, the best RB at the time, was amazing, for example. It's the charisma and inspiration, more intangible qualities, that make #9 so special and tend to have us Bears fans overrate him.
@@Frank_Cohen You are completely incorrect. Ditka, Fencik, Dent, and Buddy Ryan all said so publicly.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 , dude, I trust my eyes and I watched every game that year and what I said is 100% correct. This team was absolutely defense first, the running game and playing for time of possession second, and passing attack distant 3rd. None of those players and coaches you mentioned ever claimed that McMahon was the the top factor in that Super Bowl championship season. They may have said nice things about how important MacMahon was but that doesn't contradict my take at all.
Loved watching McMahon throw the ball. Such a smooth fluid motion, a strong arm and good accuracy. Also could make accurate throws while on the run and off platform. That throw to McKinnon was unbelievably hard
if he could just stayed healthy...who knows what could have been...
... Jim's career could have been so different without the injuries... and a little-more offensively flexible Ditka. McMahon had the talent, will and football-IQ to be one of the greatest...
I remember this game as if it happened yesterday. Jim McMahon's biggest attribute was his leadership. He knew exactly how to get the job done.
That cannon of an arm was also a big part of his success. Loved the 70 yd play to Gault.
Especially if he could stick it to Ditka in the process.
McMahon showed his greatness.
His first two plays he throws two TD passes. Unbelievable!!
IIRC he almost threw three in a orw. The third pass was either dropped or called back on a inconsequential penalty.
Let us not forget about H.C. Mike Ditka. This guy was born to lead the Bears!!! Tough as nails!!
I love Namath's call as McMahon's first ball was going for a td. I love ittttttttt!!!!!!
Vikings fan here, but I will admit that da '85 Bears D & Walter Payton (RIP) were beasts. IMO da 85 Bears D was the best in my lifetime.
DYK the Bears total score for three games in the 85 playoffs was 91-10?
Jim's legendary heroics in this game overshadowed a career night for Tommy Kramer, who threw for over 430 yards with 3 TD passes of his own. Buddy Ryan always felt that TK was a great player and a gutty competitor, and felt that Kramer had that "feel" . . . like he had eyes in the back of his head. As a lifelong Bears fan who was alive and cognizant during this time, I always had tremendous respect for TK.
Oh ya, I am a Bears fan 2x times per season, when the Bears play the greasy grimy Green Bay Packers.
You are a very wise man.💯😎
Page, Eller, Marshall, and Larsen was as good a Defensive line as any.
I think Paul Krouse was playing safety at the time too, but can't remember looking back.
I remember watching this game, and I had to relive the moment! Thanks
Here’s to the memories, my good man. Glad you could appreciate it.
I remember watching this with my folks as an excited 8 year old. I kept wondering if they were going to put McMahon in, and I jumped for joy when they did. 80's childhood is something I'm so thankful for. This team had so much personality it was impossible for kids not to like them. All of us boys had Bears book bags that year lol. McMahon said years afterward that he was high as a kite on painkillers which is why he stumbled on the very first play-he really shouldn't have been playing and props to him for being nearly blind in one eye.
How is this almost 40 years ago?! Those were some good teams, and some great football. I don't care if today's players are better physical athletes, they were better all around athletes back then (mentally and physically).
Still so amazing to watch that season!!
A 9yr boy from Sheffield, uk saw jim play and loved every moment...
And still does 😉
Makes you miss the golden age of MNF. This was truly an event back then. Both teams amped up, a hot crowd, and all of America watching
McMahon coming in throwing those beautiful spirals effortlessly
The current NFL product is inferior to these years. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I can't watch the NFL anymore. I follow it, but don't watch the games. Too much celebration for mundane plays, commentators are worthless, and too much focus on non-football activities.
This is not the golden Era lol. Look at all the empty seats in a week 3 game?
@@bradsanders407 It _was_ the Rollerdome.
It's a big event now.
@@emptyhand777 I am old, and I've been saying the same for the last several years. Today's game/players has/have found a way to put the "I" in team. Pregame even has too much "I" in the show.
Jimmy Mac was my greatest. He was a winner. He never gave up. So many memories. Both at BYU and the bears. A magical time a different era. It was hard nose football. These cupcakes today would die facing the bears defense the raiders defense the rams defense heck even the cowboys that year. Even the 49ers. Thanks for the memories Mac.
Was in Germany,air force .. listen live in the radio,,,turned it off and went to sleep after vikings we're dominating,,,watched the game the next night on armed forces network...I figured watch it,who cares I know the outcome... little did I realize this was the Greatest game of that season .. unbelievable....what a game
7:37... Hard to believe, this was Willie Gault's one and only TD reception during the 1985 regular season. He did catch another TD pass in the NFC Championship game vs the Rams.
Man, I forgot about Tommy Kramer. I'd love to go back to 1985.
McMahon was so under rated. One of the best Bear QB's ever!!!
- Anthony Carter should be in the Vikings Ring of Honor
- Kramer & McMahon were "gunslingers" and fun to watch
- Bad game by Punter Greg Coleman
- Metrodome field turf & chalf numbers were sub-standard
- Gifford had little help in the booth with OJ & Namath
- Thx to whomever put this together!
Glad you could appreciate it, bud.
Jim's ability to improvise was such a crucial element to the Bears' offense. All three of the famous touchdown passes were not even close to his first reads. That first one to Gault . . . everyone knows about the legendary block by Payton [and it's true; I don't think anyone can realistically dispute that that's the greatest block by a running back in history], but Jim going off-script is just as big because the play was just a FB screen to Suhey. Gault is just supposed to run deep down the middle to get the cornerback out of there, but when Jim saw that the Vikings were in a all-out blitz [he looked down the middle and saw that the safety wasn't there], he knew that whoever was covering Gault was in single coverage, and at that instant decided to throw it to Gault. He righted himself, wound up, and threw it deep down the middle as far as he could, just barely getting rid of the ball. His ability to improvise like that was the key to that whole offense because teams couldn't just overload for the running game, and it also allowed the defense to take more chances because they knew that with McMahon in there if they fell behind they could come back.
The other aspect was his intelligence. Jim never received alot of acknowledgement for his football intelligence, but he had it in spades. Reading things quickly and knowing where to go with the ball is crucial in winning games.
As good as McMahon was, there was one thing that hindered him most of his career. That was his lack of durability. In fact in '85 I think he missed 5 or 6 games due to injuries. If he hadn't been injured as much he would probably be in the HOF today.
I'm a Vikings fan and I remember that game and that legendary block. I thought for sure McMahon was going to be sacked. After that play the Vikings just couldn't put anything together. McMahon talked about that game years later and said it was a turning point for the team as it pulled them all together and they knew they had a good team that year.
@@66limelight I respect your comment very much, and it's with that respect that I say . . . everyone knows he had a hard time staying healthy; that's not top secret information. It was a double-edged sword with Jim: he played so hard to win, with such disregard for his body that he inspired his teammates [that and of course he was a natural field general], but that disregard was what kept him from staying healthy more. In 85, he was his most healthy. He played in all but 3 games, which is a tad misleading. He didn't start the famous wk3 game in MIN, missed wk10 - wk12 entirely because of a bad shoulder, only came into the MIA game in wk13 cuz Fuller sprained his ankle, then played the rest of the year and the playoffs.
It's awesome that you were at that wk3 game at MIN. Payton's block is easily the greatest block ever by a halfback and, as it turned out, the most important block by anyone in that entire season. It's a misnomer that the Vikes couldn't get anything going. Kramer was fantastic that night, and in the 4th down 30-17 he beat Leslie Frazier [the only time all season that Frazier was beat deep for a score] for a 57-yarder to AC, and all of a sudden it's a ballgame again at 30-24.
That whole thing was crucial because everyone knew the Bears had that great defense, but that wk3 game showed to the whole league that, with McMahon in there, the Bears were an offense that was extremely dangerous, an offense that could pick the defense up when they were having trouble, and that's the key to that team, and I say all of this as a Bears fan.
These people out there who buy into this revisionist crap that the Bears would've won the Super Bowl that year with "my grandma" playing qb are absolutely incorrect. They don't even reach the Super Bowl without Jim, and I can back that statement up with very conclusive evidence.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 I wasn't knocking McMahon about his injuries, I was just saying "what if" he'd been as durable as others. I think he'd be talked about in the way that Elway, Kelly, Marino etc are talked about today. As an example, "what if" Tom Brady would have played most of his career in Detroit???? I don't think the Lions would have 5 or 6 SB titles.
My memory isn't as good as yours on that game. I didn't remember them making the game that close. I definitely remember the block and the TD pass to WG. And McMahon showed how important a player he was on the field.
Fuller was no JM of course but the Bears were so solid in probably every other position. Man, there were a lot of great players (some HOFers) on that team. And their defense was so strong and intimidating. IMO, the best team that I ever remember.
I think it was in the next season that JM got body slammed by one of the Packers on a dirty play. Oh, and after that loss to Miami in the '85 season, they didn't lose again until they were in Minnesota in the '86 season. Now THAT was an exciting game. The Vikings showed everyone that the Bears CAN be beat.
@@66limelight Yes, if he'd been able to stay on the field more, he'd have better numbers, but that also means that he would've stayed with the Bears, and it's extremely important to note that the Bears didn't throw anywhere near as much as those other teams with those notable qbs did, so he was never gonna have gaudy numbers . . . and what with the Bears penchant for cheapness, I don't think after 87 they had the talent anymore to actually get to and win the big one.
I remember their first loss in 86 at Minnesota very well. It showed that MIN could play, but for Bears fans it was a stark reminder of how critical McMahon was to the success of that team when they played true quality opponents. Just a few weeks earlier, the Bears had trounced MIN with McMahon, and it was the same type of story: he didn't have great numbers, but he made key plays when they needed them and, just as key, helped to keep MIN in terrible field position the entire game. Then in the loss a few weeks later without McMahon, and the offense couldn't do anything because the Vikes were really good and Fuller was ineffective.
In that 85 wk3 game, one of the things that gets lost to history is that Tommy Kramer played brilliantly in that game, throwing for over 430 yards and 3 tds. The Bears didn't play badly on defense that game . . . Kramer was just that good.
Was at this game, unbelievable 2nd half comeback
Some pretty good head/position coaches in this game as well - Singletary, Rivera, Leslie Frazier, Mike Tice, Mularkey, Millard
"John Elway is the guy you want your daughter to marry. Jim McMahon is the guy you want your daughter to bet on."
Umm Elway had more wins than Mcmann
Who said that?
Elway had 148 career wins, McMahon had 86. Nuff said
McMahon won 25 straight. Didn’t play as long as Elway due to injuries. But Elway had the better career , no doubt.
This was a rare Thursday night version of MNF. I was there with my father - tough one to lose but a still a great memory.
Hey! I remember you! I was there too! Were you the kid sitting next to his father? I was the guy in one of the other seats. (Just kidding, but I really was there).
Excellent video quality!
Thank SWEETNESS for that 6 hell of a block RIP WALTER
That one play says more about him than any Super Bowl touchdown ever could have.
@@dapunkyqb1679 Precisely right. Nobody else in football history could've made that block. That whole crapping on Ditka for that whole thing needs to be put out to pasture; Ditka did plenty of silly things that he deserved blame for [bringing Flutie in in 86 . . . okay, but STARTING him in a Divisional Playoff game!!?!! When Fuller had actually BEATEN them ON THE ROAD in an 84 playoff game!?! Yeah, that's a head scratcher.], but the whole Payton Super Bowl td thing ain't one of 'em.
Jim McMahon my fav
Jim wasnt fragile he played like a madman and the league was brutal then
He also had to unfortunate plays where a player purposely injured him.
As dominant as our Bears 1985 defense was, if McMahon doesn't come in I truly believe we lose this game. And if McMahon was able to start all 16 games we have an undefeated season.
Didn’t someone figure out the defense in 84 and 86 was better then 85 only difference was how many games McMahon played?
@@mramisuzuki6962 Your saying that about 84 and 86 and yeah your right. It also further proves my point. If we have McMahon for every game we win 3 consecutive Superbowls. We would have lost a maybe 2 or 3 games in 84. But yeah the backup QB carousel at that time,and also having Mike Tomczak in so many games in 86 killed the dynasty possibity
The block by Payton at 7:40 absolutely saves the play, wow
I agree --I remember thinking the same as I watched this game. Without that block it is a whole different play! And it could have been a whole different game.
Textbook and clean but at the same time he got LAID OUT
@@g4340 Different _season_ too.
Jim McMahon was such a difference maker. I stand by what I said if McMahon would have stayed healthy the Bears would have won at least 3 Super bowls! Let's Go Bears! Bear Down!
What a year to be a Bears fan.
New Orleans was quite the time -
Thanks those were the days
Great Game!
McMahon and his lack of durability but innovative mind and ability to pay attention to the defense was perfect for the Bears especially with Walter. The other team was so fearful of Walter they didn’t always lock down the passing game. Bears should have had Walter at TE with McMahon like Kelce today with Mahomes.
That was a good Vikings team they beat. Anthony Carter was such a good wide receiver. I had the joy of watching him during my student days at U of M. We were all wondering who was that skinny kid at wide receiver? Bo legendarily never started freshman but he started AC.
One of the wildest games in the history of Monday Night Football.
I remember those days... defenses were actually allowed to tackle.
I Still Can't Believe Jim McMahon Played His College Ball at BYU? When the Bears Were Da Bears. (smile)
Thanks for posting. I was at this game!
That Thursday was my 25th birthday.
I had to watch the bad TV while my wife watched 'Simon and Simon '.
Until the Bears.....
Crazy Bears fan back then. That was a blast watching it back then. McMahon had a few college games like that as well.
Not a great arm, not fast, but just a pit Bull winner.
1983-1987 the Bears were a force.
I swear this game was on a Thursday. I remember it. Thinking it was one of the early Thursday games.
JeffsPaintingElmhurst
the most exciting game of my life ....BEARS were destroyers jim McMahon"s greatest quarterback bears ever had greatest defence bears ever had ...this was magic
i remember this game vividly. Jim begged Ditka to put him in. Bears we’re down and coach finally put him in. The rest is Hx.
This is the 1985 Bears that won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
It started off 3-0 Patriots ....
The game I became a Vikings fan and here we are some 35 + years later and they still disappoint me annually.
I recorded this game on my first vcr on sept 16 my birthday, we went to the Mets game at Shea stadium that night 🤬
The fake turf they used to play on was ridiculous.
It was like painted concrete. Amazing that more injuries didn’t happen
People marvel at the talented players of today, thinking talent is a recent thing. But us old guys have seen this talent for decades. The difference now is camera angles and multiple replays.
I was a little kid my brother's birthday was the day of that super bowl we had an awesome party
Many many stars in this game
Ditka would later say Payton's block on Dennis Johnson (7:40) was greates block he'd ever seen.
Seriously a highlight that I never get tired of watching. The block gets more and more incredible every time I see it
The block by Walter Payton on McMahon's TD pass understated but shows why Sweetness was the greatest.
This was my first year supporting the Bears, this was the first or second year the NFL was shown in the UK. My dad had it on in his house one Sunday and it was a highlight show back then and I believe it was the week 7 game with the Bears v Patriots at Soldier field. As a little short fat git I identified with William Perry for obvious reasons. So I decided to support the Bears, 3 months later and we had our 1st superbowl win In thought it was on the gravy train after that but it's been 37 years of hurt, I had hope when Devin Hester returned the opener back in 2006 but thats been about it.
8:53, McMahon, 2 attempts, 2 compleations, 95 yards, 2 touchdowns
I wonder what his passer-rating at that point would have been? Over 1000?
@@mylesmarkson1686 It would have been the maximum 158.3.
Some insane jukes😂
OJ with the color commentary
Charles Martin pile drives him, and Jim gets called “injury prone”. lol
He continued playing with broken bone in his neck. But what he did as a student at BYU is probably the best
Dang!!! I remember watching that game as a kid back then!!!! I've hated the Packers from that day forward!!!! Lol
What a game!
What was the final score?
There was a kid watching the Vikings in the 80s saying, "I'ma be a rapper someday. They'll call me Busta Ryhmes"
Prayers up for Mongo
Keith Jackson was calling the game. :):)
No, it was Frank Gifford on play by play.
@@regdunlap6220 ok thanks!!
Vikings #88 is Buster Rhymes.
Wiki - Rhymes was the inspiration behind American rapper Busta Rhymes' stage name, which was given to him by Chuck D.
The Bears D was the best ever but once they saw the Big Mac come in for QB then they got really amped up and that was it.
7:45 I LOVE IT!
He might not have been well liked by many (hated by the teams that the Bears beat that year) and he was very injury prone but Jim pulled off some great miracles in '85. He had a lot of help from his friends.
The awesome block by Walter Payton before McMahon threw the first pass is classic Walter. He did this many times in his long career. One of the best to ever play the game.
The greatest block by a halfback in NFL history, and easily the most important one in Bears history.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 Payton could've been an All-Pro lineman with his strength. It's too bad he kicked too much ass as a halfback, so we'll never know just how good of a lineman he could have been.
@@mylesmarkson1686 No. Sorry. I love Walter, but he wasn't big enough to be a lineman or linebacker. On defense he would've been either a strong or free safety. He wasn't quite fast enough to play corner, but he would've been murder as a safety.
Looking at these old games demonstrates how much faster and tougher the game was. Every hit was a punishment
Except today's players are bigger and faster.
Whoa, hold on. The game was so much slower then. Its not even close.
He was born January 26th 1978 it just so happened Same day as that super bowl
always good to hear the analysis from the double murderer himself.....The Juice!!!!
I don't remember this game. Odd. But it surprised me to see a team move on that Bears defense like that.
BTW notice that the Bears D wasn't so great in this game until Mcmahon came into the game. Then they took over.
I really enjoy the screen with NOTHING on it! You can focus on the game and not 73 other things crawling across the screen. I also noticed no celebrations after every single play. They just make a tackle and move on.
Me too.
Jimmy Mac!
Man do I miss the NFL I grew up on.....Also is that OJ's voice in the booth?.?.?
Yes, O.J. was on the MNF broadcast team that year.
Lots of deceased players in this game (both teams) and ....
Can you name all of the players (both teams) that became coaches?
I've seen three.. maybe four so far (by halftime)
I listened to the game while I was at work. After the game ended, the commentators said that even though McMahon was not supposed to play, he begged Ditka to put him in. When they put McMahon in, the Bears were back in the game! They would go to win Super Bowl XX, with a regular season of 15-1-0. The only loss was to the Miami Dolphins. When I heard that I thought now the other shoes going to drop and they're going to go downhill. Little did I know that next week they would go on to win the remainder of their games and win home field advantage throughout the playoffs. That 1985 season was one season to remember. Eventually Mike McCaskey fired Ditka because he dared to speak his mind to McCaskey. As soon as Virginia Halas McCaskey dies, the team ownership will fall into the hands of the McCaskeys. Since Mike McCaskey fired Ditka, the team has never been the same since.
I don't think Papa Bear George S Halas would have approved of Ditka's firing by his son-in-law. The McCaskeys are not a football family, and they only know the business side. Papa Bear Halas knew both the football side and the business side because he was not only owner and coach of the former Decatur Staleys, but he also played as their quarterback. That's why I say that George S Halas not only knew what it took to play football, but he also was their first head coach during the team's time as the Decatur Staleys, and also as the Chicago Bears - plus, HE OWNED THE TEAM. When Papa Bear died, the ownership passed to his daughter Virginia Halas McCaskey, and her husband and they're grown children would run the organization.
It's always been my position that the Chicago Bears should remain in the ownership of the Halas family and not pass on to the McCaskeys.
Take note of the block Walter Payton put on a blitzing linebacker. Without that block, McMahon gets sacked instead of launching a 70 yd TD bomb to Gault.
McMahon had moxie, something today's player lacks. Can't find that on a stat.
I swear I heard the Rookie from Oklahoma Busta rhymes 😆
4:33 - I was like... No WAY is Cris Carter is THAT old!!! Hehe
Anthony Carter was a beast! I'm baffled by how much "football fans" don't know.
@@absolut_dre I'm aware of A.C. It was a funny, not a to be pissed on. Relax, NFL knowledge isn't exactly the stuff that makes the world turn, ya know?
85 Bears most definitely the best most dominant team in NFL history.
IS that OJ in the booth?
This bears defense had the best pass rush the game has ever seen by a longshot.... Jus 4-5 yrs of great defense too bad they had no offense most the time
The Bears were also one draft pick away from never winning anything. Ditka is why the offense was so bland and predictable. McMahon may have been the ONLY quarterback on the planet capable of manifesting enough offense, where there literally was none!
@@dapunkyqb1679 A wonderful point. The 1985 NFCCG against the Rams would've been a repeat of the 84 NFCCG had McMahon not played, and I also think it's probable that the Bears don't beat the Giants in the 85 Divisional round without him.
@@dapunkyqb1679 These people who try n say the Bears in 85 could've won, or even _gotten_ to the Super Bowl with "my grandma" at quarterback are true morons. These are the ones who only look at the numbers, that didn't actually watch that team play.
85 BEARS baby !
The Hulk
I think McMahon just despised losing in Minnesota - some of the locals have a very low opinion of folks from Illinois. The defense and offense were great that year but when sparked by McMahon the team was nearly unbeatable.
Steve fuller QB for the chiefs when I saw my first pro game
now u see y the coach told buddy to put the nickel defense in after the Miami game
Yeah, I felt like, with McMahon, the offense was equally good as the defense
The only reason they won in 85 was because McMahon wasn’t injured ALL the time lol
Couldn’t agree more. The defense and Walter were always great. and contrary to what many of his detractors may say, Jim McMahon is the guy who brought it all together.
“…when number nine’s at quarterback, no matter what happens we know that we can stay in that game and win it.”
-Gary Fencik
Was that a wad of "chew" under McMahons lip? Lol. Damn, he really is special.
Jim McMahon is Jimmy G. Change my mind
7;10 A good look at the 46 defense.