The 1977 Chicago Bears season was their 58th regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 9–5 record, which was their first winning season since 1967 and earned them a wild card spot against the Dallas Cowboys, who eventually beat the Bears en route to a Super Bowl victory. This was their first postseason appearance since winning the 1963championship. They secured this by winning their last six games, including among others the last of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record run of twenty-six losses.
Star halfback Walter Payton had the best season of his career as he led the entire NFL in rushing (1,852 yards), 275 of those 1,852 came on a November 20 game against their division rivals the Minnesota Vikings and he did it despite coming down with the flu on a dark rainy day at Soldier Field.
A week after the Dallas playoff loss, Coach Pardee stunned the team by resigning to take the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins (George Allen having been fired after the Redskins were eliminated from the playoffs by a Bears overtime victory over the New York Giants in the last game of the regular season).
Jim Hart completed 12 straight passes, one of 10 yards for a second-quarter touchdown, while directing St. Louis to victory over Chicago 16–13. The veteran Hart who completed 16 of 24 passes while suffering two interceptions, contributed balance to a crisp Cards attack and Jim Bakken booted three field goals.
Archie Manning scored on runs of 8, 2 and 11 and threw a 35-yard Touchdown pass to Chuck Muncie as the Saints gain a road victory. The Saints also got TDs on a 52-yard fumble recovery by Bob Pollard and a 57-yard interception return by Jim Merlo.
With about two minutes to go, Chicago appeared to have a one-point victory over Atlanta. But the Bears' Steve Schubert fumbled a punt deep in his own territory, Atlanta recovered and Haskel Stanback plowed in moments later from the two-yard line for the Falcons victory. Chicago had taken a 3–0 lead on Bob Thomas' 40-yard field goal, but Nick Mike-Mayer come back with shots of 32, 44, and 21 yards to put Atlanta ahead 9–3. Brian Baschnagel's 84-yard kickoff return resulted in the Bears only touchdown.
Walter Payton's 205 tied Gale Sayers record for most rushing yards in a game that was set in 1968. "I didn't want to break Sayers' record because Sayers is a super guy. What's a record? I just want to win the game" Payton said it after scoring touchdown runs of 1 and 6 and setting up Johnny Musso's 3-yard touchdown run in a rout over the Packers.
Houston's big play offense, dormant throughout the season sprang to life on touchdown bombs of 85 and 43 yards to Ken Burrough and a 75-yard free kick return and a 61-yard touchdown run by Billy Johnson as the Oilers dazzled Chicago 47–0. Houston's first two big plays, Johnson's run and Burrough's 85-yarder we're delivered over a span of 2:55 in the second quarter and helped the Oilers to a 17–0 halftime lead and never looked back. Coach Jack Pardee call the loss "The worst thing I've ever been associated with in any form". This loss turns out to be a turning point in the Bears season. They would not lose a game again in the 1977 regular season.
Safety Charlie Waters led the Cowboys to a 37–7 victory by setting an NFL playoff record of 3 interceptions. Dallas built a 17–0 halftime lead, with the aid of running back Doug Dennison’s 2-yard touchdown run and quarterback Roger Staubach’s 28-yard scoring pass to tight end Billy Joe Dupree. In the second half, running back Tony Dorsett recorded two rushing touchdowns and Efren Herrera added two more field goals. The Bears were limited to 224 total yards and did not score until the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
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The 1977 Chicago Bears season was their 58th regular season completed in the National Football League The team finished with a 9 5 record which was their first winning season since 1967 and earned them a wild card spot against the Dallas Cowboys who eventually beat the Bears en route to a Super Bowl victory This was their first postseason appearance since winning the 1963 championship They secured this by winning their last six games including among others the last of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers record run of twenty six losses 1977 Chicago Bears seasonOwnerGeorge HalasGeneral managerJim FinksHead coachJack PardeeHome fieldSoldier FieldResultsRecord9 5Division place2nd NFC CentralPlayoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs at Cowboys 7 37 1976 Bears seasons 1978 Star halfback Walter Payton had the best season of his career as he led the entire NFL in rushing 1 852 yards 275 of those 1 852 came on a November 20 game against their division rivals the Minnesota Vikings and he did it despite coming down with the flu on a dark rainy day at Soldier Field A week after the Dallas playoff loss Coach Pardee stunned the team by resigning to take the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins George Allen having been fired after the Redskins were eliminated from the playoffs by a Bears overtime victory over the New York Giants in the last game of the regular season Contents 1 Offseason 1 1 NFL Draft 2 Roster 3 Regular season 3 1 Schedule 3 2 Playoffs 3 3 Game summaries 3 3 1 Week 1 3 3 2 Week 2 3 3 3 Week 3 3 3 4 Week 4 3 3 5 Week 6 3 3 6 Week 7 3 3 7 Week 8 3 3 8 Week 10 3 3 9 Week 11 3 4 Standings 4 Postseason 4 1 NFC Divisional Playoff 5 Awards and records 6 References 7 External linksOffseason editNFL Draft editRoster edit1977 Chicago Bears final roster Quarterbacks 7 Bob Avellini 8 Vince Evans 15 Mike PhippsRunning backs 25 Art Best 35 Roland Harper 22 Johnny Musso 34 Walter PaytonWide receivers 80 Bo Rather 83 Steve Rivera 85 Steve Schubert 89 James ScottTight ends 81 Chuck Bradley 39 Robin Earl 88 Greg Latta Offensive linemen 64 Ted Albrecht T 63 Fred Dean G 65 Noah Jackson G 62 Dan Jiggetts T 70 Dennis Lick T 52 Dan Neal C 53 Dan Peiffer C 75 Jeff Sevy G 69 Revie Sorey GDefensive linemen 73 Mike Hartenstine DE 74 Jerry Meyers DT 87 Billy Newsome DE 68 Jim Osborne DT 76 Ron Rydalch DT 71 Roger Stillwell DE Linebackers 50 Waymond Bryant 55 Doug Buffone 59 Gary Campbell 54 Tom Hicks 58 Jerry Muckensturm 51 Mel Rogers 57 Don RivesDefensive backs 43 Craig Clemons SS 48 Allan Ellis CB 45 Gary Fencik SS 24 Virgil Livers CB 46 Doug Plank SS 47 Mike Spivey 44 Terry Schmidt CB 23 Len WalterscheidSpecial teams 86 Bob Parsons P 16 Robert R Thomas K Reserve lists 79 Lionel Antoine T IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 84 Brian Baschnagel WR IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 60 Wally Chambers DT IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp Rookies in italicsRegular season editSchedule edit Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance1 September 18 Detroit Lions W 30 20 1 0 Soldier Field 51 5302 September 25 at St Louis Cardinals L 13 16 1 1 Busch Memorial Stadium 49 8783 October 2 New Orleans Saints L 24 42 1 2 Soldier Field 51 4884 October 10 Los Angeles Rams W 24 23 2 2 Soldier Field 51 4125 October 16 at Minnesota Vikings L 16 22 2 3 Metropolitan Stadium 47 7086 October 23 Atlanta Falcons L 10 16 2 4 Soldier Field 49 4077 October 30 at Green Bay Packers W 26 0 3 4 Lambeau Field 56 0028 November 6 at Houston Oilers L 0 47 3 5 Houston Astrodome 47 2269 November 13 Kansas City Chiefs W 28 27 4 5 Soldier Field 49 54310 November 20 Minnesota Vikings W 10 7 5 5 Soldier Field 49 56311 November 24 at Detroit Lions W 31 14 6 5 Pontiac Silverdome 71 37312 December 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10 0 7 5 Soldier Field 48 94813 December 11 Green Bay Packers W 21 10 8 5 Soldier Field 33 55714 December 18 at New York Giants W 12 9 OT 9 5 Giants Stadium 50 152Note Intra division opponents are in bold text Playoffs edit Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue AttendanceDivisional December 26 at Dallas Cowboys L 7 37 0 1 Texas Stadium 62 920Game summaries edit Week 1 edit 1 234TotalLions 7 337 20 Bears 7 2003 30Date September 18Location Soldier Field Chicago IllinoisGame start 1 00 p m Game attendance 51 530Game weather 73 F 23 C Wind 8 mph 13 km h TV announcers CBS Gary Bender Tom MatteScoring summary1DETDexter Bussey 1 yard run Steve Mike Mayer kick Lions 7 0 1CHIJohnny Musso 2 yard run Bob Thomas kick Tie 7 7 2CHISteve Schubert 70 yard punt return Bob Thomas kick Bears 14 7 2CHIWalter Payton 3 yard run kick failed Bears 20 7 2CHIWalter Payton 2 yard run Bob Thomas kick Bears 27 7 2DETSteve Mike Mayer 35 yard field goalBears 27 10 3DETSteve Mike Mayer 38 yard field goalBears 27 13 4DETDexter Bussey 5 yard run Steve Mike Mayer kick Bears 27 20 4CHIBob Thomas 35 yard field goalBears 30 20 1 Week 2 edit TV Station CBS TV Announcers Frank Glieber Johnny MorrisJim Hart completed 12 straight passes one of 10 yards for a second quarter touchdown while directing St Louis to victory over Chicago 16 13 The veteran Hart who completed 16 of 24 passes while suffering two interceptions contributed balance to a crisp Cards attack and Jim Bakken booted three field goals Week 3 edit TV Station CBS TV Announcers Don Criqui Emerson BoozerArchie Manning scored on runs of 8 2 and 11 and threw a 35 yard Touchdown pass to Chuck Muncie as the Saints gain a road victory The Saints also got TDs on a 52 yard fumble recovery by Bob Pollard and a 57 yard interception return by Jim Merlo Week 4 edit 1 234TotalRams 13 307 23 Bears 7 7010 24Date October 10Location Soldier Field Chicago IllinoisGame start 8 00 p m CDTTV announcers ABC Frank Gifford and Don MeredithScoring summary1LARafael Septien 22 yard field goalRams 3 0 1LARafael Septien 29 yard field goalRams 6 0 1LALawrence McCutcheon 2 yard run Rafael Septien kick Rams 13 0 1CHIJames Scott 70 yard pass from Bob Avellini Bob Thomas kick Rams 13 7 2CHIJames Scott 72 yard pass from Bob Avellini Bob Thomas kick Bears 14 13 2LARafael Septien 24 yard field goalRams 16 14 4CHIBob Thomas 33 yard field goalBears 17 16 4CHIGreg Latta 29 yard pass from Bob Avellini Bob Thomas kick Bears 24 16 4LADwight Scales 26 yard pass from Pat Haden Rafael Septien kick Bears 24 23 2 Week 6 edit Soldier Field in Chicago Illinois TV Station CBS Announcers Vin Scully Alex HawkinsWith about two minutes to go Chicago appeared to have a one point victory over Atlanta But the Bears Steve Schubert fumbled a punt deep in his own territory Atlanta recovered and Haskel Stanback plowed in moments later from the two yard line for the Falcons victory Chicago had taken a 3 0 lead on Bob Thomas 40 yard field goal but Nick Mike Mayer come back with shots of 32 44 and 21 yards to put Atlanta ahead 9 3 Brian Baschnagel s 84 yard kickoff return resulted in the Bears only touchdown Week 7 edit Lambeau Field in Green Bay Wisconsin TV Station CBS Announcers Gary Bender and Johnny MorrisWalter Payton s 205 tied Gale Sayers record for most rushing yards in a game that was set in 1968 I didn t want to break Sayers record because Sayers is a super guy What s a record I just want to win the game Payton said it after scoring touchdown runs of 1 and 6 and setting up Johnny Musso s 3 yard touchdown run in a rout over the Packers Week 8 edit The Astrodome in Houston Texas TV Station CBS Announcers Frank Glieber and Johnny MorrisHouston s big play offense dormant throughout the season sprang to life on touchdown bombs of 85 and 43 yards to Ken Burrough and a 75 yard free kick return and a 61 yard touchdown run by Billy Johnson as the Oilers dazzled Chicago 47 0 Houston s first two big plays Johnson s run and Burrough s 85 yarder we re delivered over a span of 2 55 in the second quarter and helped the Oilers to a 17 0 halftime lead and never looked back Coach Jack Pardee call the loss The worst thing I ve ever been associated with in any form This loss turns out to be a turning point in the Bears season They would not lose a game again in the 1977 regular season Week 10 edit Period 1 2 34TotalVikings 0 0 707Bears 0 10 0010at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Date Sunday November 20Game time 12 00 p m Game weather 48 F 9 C wind 21 mph 34 km h Game attendance 49 563Pro Football Reference com Game informationSecond quarter CHI Walter Payton 1 yard run Bob Thomas kick Bears 7 0 CHI Bob Thomas 37 yard field goal Bears 10 0Third quarter MIN Matt Blair 10 yard blocked punt return Fred Cox kick Bears 10 7 Vikings Bob Lee 12 24 116 Yds 2 INT Chuck Foreman 14 Rush 54 Yds Sammy White 3 Rec 31 YdsBears Bob Avellini 4 6 33 Yds INT Walter Payton 40 Rush 275 Yds TD James Scott 2 Rec 22 Yds Week 11 edit 1 234Total Bears 0 01714 31Lions 0 707 14Date November 24Location Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac MIGame start 1 30 p m ESTGame attendance 71 373Game weather Indoors dome Scoring summaryQ2DETHill 16 yard pass from Landry Mike Mayer kick DET 7 0 Q3CHIRather 42 yard pass from Avellini Thomas kick Tie 7 7 Q3CHIPayton 75 yard pass from Avellini Thomas kick CHI 14 7 Q3CHIThomas 29 yard field goalCHI 17 7 Q4CHIAvellini 1 yard run Thomas kick CHI 24 7 Q4DETO Neil 52 yard fumble return Mike Mayer kick CHI 24 14 Q4CHIPayton 8 yard run Thomas kick CHI 31 14Walter Payton 20 Rush 137 Yds 4 Rec 107 Yds 3 Standings edit NFC Centralviewtalkedit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STKMinnesota Vikings 3 9 5 0 643 6 1 8 4 231 227 W1Chicago Bears 4 9 5 0 643 6 1 8 4 255 253 W6Detroit Lions 6 8 0 429 2 5 4 8 183 252 L1Green Bay Packers 4 10 0 286 2 5 4 7 134 219 W1Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 12 0 143 0 4 2 11 103 223 W2Postseason editNFC Divisional Playoff edit Dallas Cowboys 37 Chicago Bears 7 Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 0 077Cowboys 7 10 17337at Texas Stadium Irving Texas Game time 1 00 p m CSTGame weather 49 F 9 C mostly cloudyGame attendance 62 920Referee Gordon McCarterTV announcers CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Safety Charlie Waters led the Cowboys to a 37 7 victory by setting an NFL playoff record of 3 interceptions Dallas built a 17 0 halftime lead with the aid of running back Doug Dennison s 2 yard touchdown run and quarterback Roger Staubach s 28 yard scoring pass to tight end Billy Joe Dupree In the second half running back Tony Dorsett recorded two rushing touchdowns and Efren Herrera added two more field goals The Bears were limited to 224 total yards and did not score until the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach Awards and records editWalter Payton NFL MVP Walter Payton led NFL in rushing 1 852 yards Walter Payton Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player Walter Payton Led NFL in Total Yards 2 216 References edit Pro Football Reference com Pro Football Reference com Pro Football Reference com Retrieved 2014 Nov 27 External links editChicago Bears on Pro Football Reference Chicago Bears on jt sw Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1977 Chicago Bears season amp oldid 1186165464, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
