Bear Down Sunday #12

The Chicago Bears are in Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Vikings tonight. Each team stands at 6-5. The winner will take over sole possession of 1st place in the NFC North division.
In the early part of the 1985 NFL season, on a Thursday night, the Bears were playing the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome. Jim McMahon was not scheduled to play due to a neck injury which forced him to miss a practice that week while staying overnight in the hospital.
Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Bears trailed the Vikings 17-9. Coach Mike Ditka finally relented to McMahon's persistent lobbying to enter the game. McMahon's first play was a 70 yard touchdown pass to Willie Gault. The next time McMahon touched the ball, he threw it for another touchdown pass, this one to Dennis McKinnon. The next time the Bears got the ball, it took several plays, but McMahon connected with McKinnon again for his 3rd touchdown pass of the game. The Bears went on to win 33-24. Of course, they also went on to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl victory!
I hope some of that McMahon magic appears in Kyle Orton as he tries to lead the Bears to victory tonight. Ironically, McMahon played with the Vikings later in his post-Bears career.
Despite his sometimes questionable image, I have always found McMahon to be a decent guy. He is a great autograph signer and is involved in many charitable causes. Logistics prevented me from posing with the punky QB, but I did manage to get a couple cards signed.