The Shufflers Do the Stomp, 46-10 : Bears Make It Look Easy Against Patriots

So much for the Super Bowl Shuffle. What the Chicago Bears did to the New England Patriots Sunday at the Superdome was more like a waltz, where every note rang sweet and true.

By the time Super Bowl XX was finished, the Bears had stepped on the Patriots’ toes to the tune of 46-10, only the most lopsided game in the game’s history.

Bear quarterback Jim McMahon administered most of the damage, but he had considerable help from Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Richard Dent, a defensive end, and Chicago defense that held the Patriots to new yardage lows. McMahon scored two touchdowns and completed 12 of 20 passes for 256 yards before leaving the game early in the fourth period.

The Bear defense did its part in the mauling. Patriot quarterback Tony Eason may never be the same. He was pulled midway through the second period. By then, he was 0-6 and had been sacked three times for minus-28 yards. His replacement, Steve Grogan didn’t fare much better.

The Patriots’ running game was non-existent from the very start. It was as if the New England offensive linemen were whispering the plays to Chicago’s defense before each snap. When New England tried to pass, the result was no better. By games’ end, the Bears had tied a Super Bowl record with seven sacks.

This was a game where toe tags could have been given to Patriot players at halftime. Boards don’t come any stiffer than the Patriots.

Actually, the only real suspense left in the game disappeared with about 3:10 left to play. That’s when third-team Bear quarterback Mike Tomczak entered the game. Who would go in next? Huddles, the Bear mascot?

The game, attended by 73,818 fans, began well enough for the Patriots. On the second play from scrimmage, Bear running back Walter Payton fumbled when linebacker Don Blackmon tugged at his arm. Linebacker Larry McGrew recovered the ball at the Chicago 19.

The fumble recovery marked the 17th takeaway for the Patriots in postseason play.

From there, the Patriots began attempting passes as if they had forgotten running backs Craig James and Tony Collins were employees of the team. Eason tried three consecutive passes, but they fell incomplete. Along the way, the Patriots also lost starting tight end Lin Dawson when he injured his left knee while diving for Eason’s first attempt.

No matter. The Patriots scored on a 36-yard field goal by Tony Franklin with 13:41 remaining in the first quarter. That should have comforted New England, what with the Super Bowl statistic that showed 15 of the 19 teams scoring first, won the NFL championship.

Yes, well so much for that bit of information.

The Bears didn’t mind. To them, it seemed as if the Patriots were a bothersome splinter to be plucked and disposed. On the their next possession, Chicago drove 59 yards and tied the game when Kevin Butler kicked a 28-yard field goal with 9:20 left in the quarter.

A 43-yard pass from Jim McMahon to wide receiver Willie Gault did much of the damage on the drive. On a second-and-10 from the Bear 31, Gault went into motion, crossed the field and then ran past left cornerback Ronnie Lippett on a fly pattern. The Bears would continue to pick on Lippett, a third-year player from the University of Miami, for the rest of the game.

The Patriot offense made another brief appearance a few moments later, long enough for Eason to add two more incompletions. He also was sacked by linebacker Wilber Marshall for a 10-yard loss. Punt.

The next New England possession was worse. James was stopped for no gain on the Patriots’ first rushing attempt. Perhaps figuring the run was worth the trouble, the Patriots told Eason to try another pass. He did, but Bear defensive linemen Richard Dent and Steve McMichaels knocked the bejabbers out of him and that was that. Eason fumbled and defensive end Dan Hampton recovered at the New England 13 with 5:17 remaining in the first period.

Seven plays later, Butler kicked another field goal, this one 24 yards, and the Bears had a 6-3 lead with 1:26 left in the quarter. Had the Bears not tried several ill-fated razzle-dazzle plays (a William Perry run?, pass?), they may have scored a touchdown.

But what to worry when you have the Patriots as your opponent. New England received the kickoff and promptly fumbled back to Chicago. Blame James. He allowed Dent to strip him of the ball. Linebacker Mike Singletary recovered at the Patriot 13.

Fullback Matt Suhey gained two yards on a first try. On second down, he got a great block from right tackle Keith Van Horne and went 11 yards for a touchdown. Butler did his part and the Bears led, 13-3. The score was only Suhey’s second rushing touchdown of the season. He scored his first against the Patriots in Week No. 2 of the 1985 season.

Chicago kicked off and the Patriots tried something new: an offensive gain. The Patriots’ first positive gain came with 15 seconds remaining in the first period.

Meanwhile, the Chicago offense was busy running 15 plays inside the New England 27.

The second quarter was no better for the Patriots. The Bears scored with 7:24 in the period, extending their lead to 20-3, when McMahon faked a handoff to Perry and then ran two yards for a score. Perry and tight end Tim Wrightman contributed two fine blocks. And a 24-yard reception by Suhey earlier in the drive helped, too.

Even when they had the rules on their side, the Patriots couldn’t get a break. With the ball on the Patriot 3, the Bears attempted to snap the ball. They had driven 77 yards in 2:55, but were out of timeouts and the clock was running. With less than two minutes remaining in a half, a team is supposed to be penalized 5 yards and 10 seconds for such an attempt to save time or stop the clock. At least it says so in the National Football League rule book.

But the Bears were assessed only a five-yard penalty and no time was taken off the clock. Butler then kicked a 24-yard field goal.

” . . . the half should have ended prior to Chicago’s successful field goal,” read an NFL statement. “However the score remains: Chicago 23 and New England 3.”

Thus, the Patriots ended the first half with Super Bowl records of the ugliest kind:

--Fewest total net yards (-19), fewest rushing yards (-5), fewest passing yards (-14) and fewest first downs (1).

The Patriots also ended the half with Eason on the bench. Coach Raymond Berry had removed him in favor of Steve Grogan with 5:08 left in the second quarter.

The second half was a repeat of the first. Only some of the names are different.

McMahon scored another touchdown on a one-yard sneak with 7:22 left in the third period. The run ended a 96-yard drive that took 5:05.

It gets blurry for the Patriots after the 30th Chicago point.

Let’s see, cornerback Reggie Phillips intercepts a Grogan pass intended for tight end Derrick Ramsey and goes 28 yards for a touchdown. Butler kicked the extra point and the lead grew to 37-3.

Then, with 3:22 left in the third period, Perry scored on a one-yard run. The touchdown, which made the score 44-3, broke a Super Bowl record for most points scored (the Raiders scored 38 points in Super Bowl XVIII and the San Francisco 49ers scored 38 in Super Bowl XIX).

The Patriots scored early in the fourth period, but the eight-yard pass from Grogan to Irving Fryar didn’t matter By then, there was nothing to do but hope for several bushels full of miracles.

Nothing happened, of course. The Bears added insult to considerable injury by sacking Grogan for a safety late in the game. Two more points didn’t mean much. The song was still the same.