The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams have faced each other only twice previously in the playoffs.
They will meet for the third time Sunday night.
The Los Angeles Rams beat the Chicago Bears 24-14 on Dec. 17, 1950 in a divisional playoff game to determine the National Conference (Western Division) champion. (Chicago Tribune)
A Dec. 17, 1950, game was needed to break a conference tie. The Rams won 24-14 in front of more than 83,000 people at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.
The Jan. 12, 1986, meeting was part of the memorable Bears season. Here’s a look back at how the teams got to the NFC championship game and how their second postseason matchup played out.
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How they got to the NFC championship game
Cowboys coach Tom Landrylooks dejected as the clock ticks down on Jan. 4, 1986, in an NFC divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams won 20-0. (Lennox McLendon/AP)
The Rams (11-5) were NFC West champs for the first time since 1979 — when they lost 31-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. They beat the Dallas Cowboys 20-0 on Jan. 4, 1986, thanks to an impressive performance by running back Eric Dickerson.
Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson, left, with a hotel key in his mouth, signs an autograph for a fan upon arrival on Jan. 10, 1986 at a Chicago hotel. (Mark Elias/AP)
The third-year pro had 34 carries for 248 yards — five more than the entire Cowboys offense and good enough for an NFL playoff rushing record. Dickerson had touchdown runs of 55 and 40 yards.
“Going into the playoffs this year, I think we’re equal with anybody, maybe with the exception of the Chicago Bears,” Rams coach John Robinson said in early January 1986.
The Bears (15-1) shut out the New York Giants 21-0. Tribune reporter Don Pierson described the Bears defense “as cold-hearted as the weather.” William “Refrigerator” Perry jumped on top of Giants running back Joe Morris to send Morris temporarily out of the game.
Bears linebacker Mike Singletary closes in on Giants quarterback Phil Simms, who was sacked six times in the NFC semifinal game on Jan. 5, 1986, at Soldier Field. The Bears won 21-0. (Bob Langer/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears sacked Giants quarterback Phil Simms six times — 3.5 by future Hall of Famer Richard Dent, who led the Bears with 6.5 tackles in the game and also had threatened to boycott the Super Bowl if not given a contract extension. Kicker Kevin Butler was among the short list of Bears who had a tough day. He missed field-goal attempts from 26, 49 and 38 yards after making 22 straight from inside the 40. Blame the wind.
“The Giants came into the game with the No. 2 defense in the National Football League and left knowing that Avis is a lot closer to Hertz than the Giants are to the Bears,” Pierson wrote.
Pregame hype
The Refrigerettes cheer on Chicago Mayor Harold Washington as he bets on the Bears-Rams game with Mayor Don Roth of Anaheim, Calif. on Jan. 10, 1986. (Frank Hanes/Chicago Tribune)
Many planned to watch the Bears-Rams game in person or on TV — except for the Chicago Sting. Their opponent, the Baltimore Blast, refused to move their conflicting match to another day.
Parking, too, would be at a premium since the Chicago Boat, Sports and RV Show expected nearly 70,000 people at nearby McCormick Place on game day.
Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, seated left, jokingly interviews teammate Steve McMichael, right, on Jan. 8, 1986, in Suwanee, Georgia, at the Atlanta Falcons training camp facility during preparations for the NFL playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams in Chicago. (Charles Knoblock/AP)
Then as now, the Bears — who practiced at the Atlanta Falcons training facility in Suwanee, Ga., during the playoffs — hoped playing at Soldier Field would give them an advantage.
“There’s no way the weather’s not going to be a factor,” Bears safety Dave Duerson said. “I imagine they are going to wake up Sunday and hope the snow has melted and the temperature is 55 degrees. Sorry, it’s not going to be that way.”
At the time, the Rams hadn’t won a cold-weather playoff game in 40 years.
Aerial photo of Chicago’s Soldier Field in 1986. (Luigi Mendicino/Chicago Tribune)
The game preparation for the Bears, the Tribune wrote, was over. “Time to file away the X’s and O’s, stow the coaching clichés and play the long-awaited game that will determine, finally, whether the Bears go to the Super Bowl.”
Jan. 12, 1986: Rams-Bears at Soldier Field
Bears quarterback Jim McMahon sporting his famous “Rozelle” headband during the NFC Championship game against the Rams on Jan. 12, 1986, at Soldier Field. (Frank Hanes/Chicago Tribune)
It was a balmy 36 degrees at kickoff. A sold-out crowd of more than 65,000 fans packed Soldier Field.
Bears quarterback Jim McMahon — in a headband that read “ROZELLE” (for NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle) instead of his outlawed Adidas one — completed 16 of 25 passes for 164 yards.
“He threw against the wind and through the wind in a performance marked by utter defiance,” Pierson wrote.
Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson (29) comes up short of running room against Chicago Bears defenders Mike Richardson (27) and Mike Singletary (50) on a second quarter carry during the Jan. 12, 1986 NFC championship at Chicago’s Soldier Field. (Fred Jewell/AP)
McMahon ran 16 yards for the first touchdown that was supposed to be a pass. A 34-yard Butler field goal made the score 10-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Also wearing a “ROZELLE” headband was McMahon’s favorite target of the day — running back Walter Payton. Payton ran for only 32 yards on 18 carries but added 48 yards on seven receptions.
The Bears defense had no trouble handling Dickerson, who had 17 carries for 46 yards. Defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan had predicted three fumbles by Dickerson. He had two.
Chicago Bears defensive end Dan Hampton (99) in action during the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field on Jan. 12, 1986. The Bears won 24-0. (Ed Wagner Jr./Chicago Tribune)
Dan Hampton was later asked when the Bears gained control of the line of scrimmage.
“Kickoff,” he said.
McMahon connected with receiver Willie Gault on a 22-yard touchdown pass that was supposed to be a run, making it 17-0 in the third quarter.
Bears’ Wilber Marshall glides into the end zone after scooping up a fumble and running 52 yards during the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship game against the Rams on Jan. 12, 1986, at Soldier Field. The Bears won 24-0. (Bob Langer/Chicago Tribune)
The snowflakes started to fall at Soldier Field in the final minutes of the game after Dent sacked Rams quarterback Dieter Brock and forced a fumble that Wilber Marshall returned 52 yards to the end zone.
Snow looked like confetti sent from heaven by Bears founder George Halas as the Bears earned their first Super Bowl trip, Pierson wrote.
“He sent the sunshine, the snow, the touchdowns, everything,” Ditka said.
The Bears won 24-0.
Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, left, carries the ball during first-quarter action against the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 12, 1986 during the NFC championship game in Chicago. (John Swart/AP)
“Eleven years of climbing mountains and all the sweat finally paid off,” Payton said. “I wish this was the Super Bowl.”
“In a season full of one-upmanship, the shutout was one point better than the San Francisco 49ers’ 23-0 victory over the Bears for the NFC title a year ago,” Pierson wrote. “The Bears … will enter Super Bowl XX as the only team ever to record two straight playoff shutouts.”
The subdued Bears locker room was free of celebration — except for a few cigars. Ditka, Pierson reported, turned to Robert Frost for explanation.
“There’s a poem that says something about we’ve come many miles but we’ve got many miles to go,” Ditka said. “I don’t want to sound like I’m not happy about what happened today, but we’re on a mission and it won’t be finished until we’re finished in New Orleans.”
Firefighters in snorkel buckets attach a giant sweatband to the Picasso statue in Daley Plaza in Chicago on Jan. 22, 1986. The Chicago Bears were set to meet the New England Patriots in New Orleans for Super Bowl XX. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune)
That’s where the New England Patriots would be waiting on Jan. 26, 1986, to face the Bears.
