On This Day in Sports: January 26, 1986
On January 26, 1986, the Chicago Bears completed one of the most dominant seasons in NFL history by crushing the New England Patriots 46–10 in Super Bowl XX. New England recovered a Walter Payton fumble on the second play and kicked a field goal for a 3–0 lead, but the upset lasted only minutes. Chicago answered with 44 consecutive points at the Louisiana Superdome. The final margin was then the largest in Super Bowl history, and the Bears’ combination of defense, personality and cultural visibility made the game an enduring part of American sports memory.
Chicago’s famed 46 defense overwhelmed the Patriots’ protection and erased their running game. The Bears recorded seven sacks, forced six turnovers and held New England to seven rushing yards. Richard Dent was named the game’s most valuable player after contributing one and a half sacks, forcing two fumbles and helping create constant pressure. Safety Gary Fencik and linebacker Mike Singletary controlled the middle, while lineman William Perry—already a national celebrity known as the Refrigerator—scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge that turned defensive dominance into theater.
Quarterback Jim McMahon threw for 256 yards and rushed for two touchdowns, giving the offense more than enough production. Payton carried 22 times for 61 hard-earned yards but was never given a goal-line touchdown, a decision coach Mike Ditka later said he regretted. Chicago’s star running back still contributed through pass protection and the attention he drew from the defense. The Bears finished with 408 total yards and possessed the ball for nearly forty minutes, ensuring that New England had neither the field position nor the time to recover.
The championship validated a 15–1 regular season and a playoff run in which Chicago had shut out both NFC opponents. It was the franchise’s first NFL title since 1963 and the only Super Bowl victory of the celebrated 1985 team. Their Super Bowl Shuffle video, brash interviews and collection of memorable characters had made them famous before the trophy was secured; the performance in New Orleans proved the swagger rested on extraordinary football. Super Bowl XX remains the clearest expression of that team’s identity: punishing, inventive, confident and impossible to ignore. Every defense compared with the greatest units in league history still has to answer to the standard the Bears established that night. The defense’s reputation also rested on tactical imagination. Coordinator Buddy Ryan used eight defenders near the line, disguised pressure and challenged offenses to identify rushers in an instant. New England’s young line could not solve those angles. Although the roster eventually separated amid coaching tension and injuries, its peak performance in the Superdome preserved the team as a complete, almost mythic snapshot.
New England scored first after recovering an early fumble, but Chicago responded with 44 unanswered points.
The Bears allowed only seven rushing yards and recorded seven sacks against the Patriots.
Dent forced two fumbles and earned MVP honors as the leading figure in Chicago’s defensive assault.
McMahon became the first quarterback to rush for two touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
Perry’s one-yard touchdown made the rookie defensive lineman one of the game’s unforgettable personalities.
Chicago finished 18–1 including the postseason and outscored its three playoff opponents 91–10.
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