1987 Chicago Bears season

1987 Chicago Bears season
Head Coach	Mike Ditka
Home Field	Soldier Field
Results
Record	11-4
Place	1st NFC Central
Playoff Finish	Lost NFC Divisional Playoff
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1986	1988

The 1987 Chicago Bears season was their 68th regular season and 18th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 11-4 record in the strike-shortened season, winning their fourth consecutive NFC Central title. But for the second year in a row, the Bears were upset by the Washington Redskins in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

A Frustrating Season

The 1987 season proved to be a frustrating one for not only the Bears, but probably for most associating with professional football. The league endured its second strike-shortened season in the last 6 seasons, and this was a strike that truly divided teams, including Chicago.

In the windy city, the strike divided its players and tarnished its coach, and the season would be the last for greats such as Walter Payton, Gary Fencik (both of whom retired), Willie Gault (dealt to the Raiders), Wilber Marshall (signed as a free agent by the Redskins), and for all intents and purposes, Otis Wilson.

The Makings of the 1987 Strike

1987 started with the usual drama in Platteville-everyone wondering if Jim McMahon would play at all during the year, McMahon openly feuded with coach Mike Ditka, upset over the new signal-caller Jim Harbaugh that the team picked on the first round. Tension was also building due to strike talk that loomed- always a bad omen for a team.

First up for Chicago in 1987 was a matchup with the defending world champion New York Giants. As if this game wasn't tough enough in and of itself, it would be played on Monday Night Football, and the Bears would be led by 3rd-year QB Mike Tomczak. McMahon and Fuller were injured, Doug Flutie was traded, and rookie Jim Harbaugh needed to be groomed for a few years before he would be ready. The Bears pulled it out in their typical fashion, however, trouncing the world champs by a score of 34-19 behind a remarkable performance by Tomczak who completed 20 of 34 passes for 292 yards. Dennis McKinnon delighted the Soldier Field crowd that night by returning a punt 94 yards for a touchdown, it was the longest TD Punt return in the NFL in 1987. The Bears, it appeared were back. The club won their second game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 20th, then the strike of '87 was called, forcing the cancellation of all NFL games the week of September 27th.

Scabs

During the first days of the strike, the league pondered what to do, as most teams' players were deeply divided over whether to strike or not. This was not 1982, everyone learned, as the league decided to hire replacement players (referred to as "scabs" and "spare Bears"). Cancelling half the season was not an option. Mike Ditka decided to make his feelings public about the strike, as he fully backed management on the work-stoppage. He referred to the spare players as his "real" players,a move which angered the true Bears out on strike. This turned out to be a wound not healed easily or quickly in the months to come.

After The Strike

The strike turned out to only last four weeks, encompassing three games, and the Bears went 2-1. The teams that hired the best replacement players did themselves a favor in the end, a group of which the Bears were a part of. When the "real" 1987 resumed, Jim McMahon was back at QB, and the Bears pulled off their biggest come-from-behind win in history, beating Tampa 27-26 after trailing 20-0. The victory proved to be inspiring, as they then won the next two games, including a 26-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. In this game, Chicago trailed with less than a minute left, when McMahon led the team down the field for a game-winning 55-yard field goal off the leg of Kevin Butler. After the kick, Butler turned and "flipped the bird" to Packer coach Forrest Gregg, in effect saying "see you later" to the coach who was finally axed after the 1987 NFL season.

After the inspiring Green Bay win, Chicago lost a close game at Mile High Stadium to the Denver Broncos 31-29 on Monday Night Football, then beat Green Bay at home and Minnesota on the road, in the infamous "Rollerdome" game (Mike Ditka referred to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome by this name, prompting the Vikings' cheerleaders to parade around on skates throughout the contest.) The Bears were 10-2 with three games left, but dropped 2 of them, and struggled into the playoffs. One of those losses was a 41-0 disaster at San Francisco at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, and Mike Ditka threw his gum at a heckling fan, prompting assault charges to be filed against him. This was certainly not a good way to enter the playoffs.

Postseason

The Bears lost 21-17 to the Washington Redskins in the divisional playoffs. They took a 14-0 lead, but the Redskins rallied behind quarterback Doug Williams to win a playoff game in Soldier Field for the second straight season. For Bears fans, they wondered where the magic of 1985 went.

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result
1	September 14, 1987	New York Giants	W 34-19
2	September 20, 1987	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 20-3
-	September 27, 1987	at Detroit Lions	canceled
3	October 4, 1987	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 35-3
4	October 11, 1987	Minnesota Vikings	W 27-7
5	October 18, 1987	New Orleans Saints	L 19-17
6	October 25, 1987	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 27-26
7	November 1, 1987	Kansas City Chiefs	W 31-28
8	November 8, 1987	at Green Bay Packers	W 26-24
9	November 16, 1987	at Denver Broncos	L 31-29
10	November 22, 1987	Detroit Lions	W 30-10
11	November 29, 1987	Green Bay Packers	W 23-10
12	December 6, 1987	at Minnesota Vikings	W 30-24
13	December 14, 1987	at San Francisco 49ers	L 41-0
14	December 20, 1987	Seattle Seahawks	L 34-21
15	December 27, 1987	at Los Angeles Raiders	W 6-3

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Chicago Bears	11	4	0	.733	356	282
Minnesota Vikings	8	7	0	.533	336	335
Green Bay Packers	5	9	1	.367	255	300
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	11	0	.267	286	360
Detroit Lions	4	11	0	.267	269	384

1987 Chicago Bears draft choices

Round	Pick	Name	Position	College
1	26	Jim Harbaugh	QB	Michigan
2	54	Ron Morris	WR	SMU
4	101	Sean Smith	DE	Grambling State
5	120	Stve Bryan	DE	Oklahoma
5	138	Will Johnson	LB	Louisiana Monroe
6	154	John Adickes	C	Baylor
7	193	Archie Harris	T	William & Mary
8	221	Paul Migliazzo	LB	Oklahoma
9	249	Lakei Heimuli	RB	BYU
10	277	Dick Chapura	DT	Missouri
11	305	Tim Jessie	RB	Auburn
12	333	Eric Jeffries	DB	Texas

External links

• 1987 Chicago Bears Season at www.bearshistory.com