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| Walter Payton helped lead the Bears to the NFL playoffs with their win in the 1977 "Slush Bowl". |
If anybody had told a Chicago Bears fan that after winning the 1963 NFL Championship that the Bears would have to wait 14 years to make the playoffs they would have thought you were crazy.
But unfortunately for Bears fans following their ninth NFL title, the franchise went into decline as they would only have two winning seasons between 1964 and 1976 despite having some of the greatest players in NFL history such as running back Gale Sayers and linebacker Dick Butkus.
It did not appear that the drought would end in 1977 as the team held a 3-5 record especially after a humiliating 47-0 loss against the Houston Oilers.
However, things began to change the following week when the Bears overcame a 17-point deficit to pull out a 28-27 win over the Kansas City Chiefs(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bears-pull.html which kickstarted a five-game winning streak that brought Chicago to a 8-5 record entering the final week of the season(There were 14 games in 1977).
Led by running back Walter Payton, who would run for 868 yards including a then single game record 275 in a 10-7 win against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears needed to beat the 5-8 New York Giants to secure the NFC's lone Wild Card spot in the playoffs.
However, Mother Nature would have something in mind as a mix of rain, sleet, and snow causing horrific field conditions at Giants Stadium.
Instead of a simple snow sticking to the AstroTurf, a wet slush engulfed the field leading to this game to become known as the "Slush Bowl".
With the slushy field, Payton who needed 199 yards to break O.J. Simpson's single season record for most rushing yards in a season, would have his work cut out for him if Chicago was to come out of the Meadowlands with the win.
The Bears would get the ball to start the game as their began their initial possession at their 38-yard-line as Chicago ran the ball three straight times for five yards, forcing them to punt the ball away to the Giants, only to get it back as Jim Stienke muffed the punt, leading to a recovery by Bears wide receiver Bo Rather at the New York 14-yard-line.
But the Bears could not move forward as Payton fumbled the ball not once but twice(he recovered both)leading Bob Thomas to come in and kick a 32-yard field goal to give Chicago a 3-0 lead with 10:50 left in the first quarter.
When the Giants got the ball, they were able to drive 44 yards in nine plays, despite having New York receivers drop four passes on the drive, to set up a 38-yard field goal by Joe Danelo to tie the game 3-3 midway through the first quarter.
Following a 33-yard return by Johnny Musso, the Bears begin their next possession at the Giants' 49-yard-line as quarterback Bob Avellini completed passes of 16 yards to James Scott and 17 yards to Roland Harper to lead Chicago to the New York six-yard-line to give Thomas a chance at making a 23-yard field goal.
However, Thomas' kick would bounce off the left upright and no good to keep the game tied at 3 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
From there, the game would turn into a stalemate as both teamed traded punts as well as interceptions as Avellini was picked off on a deep pass by the Giants' Ernie Jones while quarterback Joe Piscarik was picked off by Bears cornerback Allan Ellis until the Giants got the ball at their 20-yard-line with 3:53 left in the second quarter.
That is when the Giants drove down the field with their running game as Doug Kotar galloped for 32 yards to put New York in Bears territory followed by two runs by Larry Csonka(yes, that Larry Csonka) for 20 yards to put the Giants at the Chicago 28-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
From there, Piscarik completed passes of 12 yards to Gary Shirk and six yards to Willie Spencer to put the Giants at the Chicago 12-yard-line as Danelo come on to try a 29-yard field goal.
But Danelo would miss the field goal as his kick sailed wide right, allowing the Bears to run out the clock in the first half as the two teams were deadlocked at 3.
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| Giants running back Larry Csonka would run for 100 yards on 23 carries. |
Both teams traded punts for the majority of the third quarter until the Giants got the ball at their 33-yard-line when Csonka made his presence felt as he carried the ball on seven of New York's next nine plays, running for 36 yards to put the Giants at the Bears' 21-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.
The Giants would keep feeding Csonka as he carried the ball four straight times for a total of 17 yards until Spencer got a carry as ran for two yards to set up 3rd & goal at the Bears' two-yard-line when New York went to the air as Piscarik threw a pass intended for Spencer that the running back dropped.
Danelo come on to attempt a 19-yard field goal which he made to give the Giants a 6-3 lead with 11:39 left in the fourth quarter.
Following another exchange of punts, the Bears had the ball at the Giants' 40-yard-line when after a three-yard run by Robin Earl, Avellini would complete a 26-yard pass to Scott to give Chicago a 1st down at the New York 11-yard-line.
Avellini would hand the ball off to Earl, who ran for seven yards on 1st down, then ran it in for a four-yard touchdown on 2nd down to give the Bears a 9-6 lead.
However, Giants defensive end George Martin would block the extra point to keep the score 9-6 with 6:02 left in regulation.
The Giants would begin their next possession at their 28-yard-line with a 12-yard pass from Piscarik to Bobby Hammond which was followed by a holding penalty that pushed the Giants back to their 30-yard-line where they faced a 1st & 20 when Piscarik completed passes of 14 yards to Jim Robinson and 16 yards to Ed Marshall to put New York at the Bears' 40-yard-line.
Kotar would get his hands on the ball on the next two plays as he caught a three-yard pass on 1st down, followed by a nine-yard run to give the Giants another 1st down at the Chicago 28-yard-line.
After an one-yard run by Hammond on 1st down, Piscarik scrambled for eight yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Csonka got the ball again, only to be stopped for no gain to force 4th & 1.
Figuring a 36-yard field goal would be too difficult on the slushy field, the Giants decided to go for the 1st down which they got when Spencer ran for three yards to give New York a 1st down at the Bears' 16-yard-line.
Following a six-yard pass to Emery Moorehead, Piscarik would throw a pass to the end zone for Ed Marshall, only to have the wide receiver drop what would have been the go-ahead touchdown which was followed by another incomplete pass to bring up 4th & 4 from the Chicago 10-yard-line.
This time, the Giants sent in the field goal unit on 4th down as Danelo would come in and kick a 27-yard field goal to tie the game 9-9 with 32 seconds left in regulation.
The Bears would get the ball one more time before the end of regulation but could not mount a drive as the game would go into overtime with Chicago needing a score of any kind in the extra period in order to make the playoffs.
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| Bears quarterback Bob Avellini competed 17 of 26 passes for 186 yards. |
The Giants won the coin toss and took the ball to start the overtime period but would give it right back to the Bears on the second play of overtime as Chicago free safety Doug Plank picked off a Piscarik pass and ran it back 12 yards to put the Bears at the New York 27-yard-line.
Three running plays picked up nine yards to bring up 4th & 1 from the Giants' 18-yard-line when Bears head coach Jack Pardee sent in the field goal unit to attempt a 35-yard field goal that would send Chicago into the playoffs.
But a poor snap led to a bad hold and then a bad kick as Thomas' kick sailed wide left to keep the game tied 9-9 with 12:36 left in overtime.
After another exchange of punts, the Bears got the ball back at their 46-yard-line when Avellini completed a 35-yard pass to Rather to put Chicago in field goal range at the New York 19-yard-line.
Two runs by Harper for eight yards and an one-yard run by Avellini set up 4th & 1 at the Giants' 10-yard-line when Thomas was called on again to attempt a potential game-winning field goal this time from 27 yards out.
But once again the snap was bad, this time leader the holder, Avellini to try and throw a pass intended for Doug Buffone which fell incomplete to keep the game tied with less than three minutes to go in the game.
Desperately needing a stop, the Bears would force the Giants to go three-and-out to get the ball back with one last chance at winning the game as they began their ensuing possession at the New York 44-yard-line with 82 seconds left in the game.
Following an one-yard pass to tight end Greg Latta, Avellini would find Latta again, this time for 18 yards to give the Bears a 1st down at the Giants' 25-yard-line when Payton, who had been held to 47 yards on 15 carries, caught a screen pass and ran it 14 yards to the New York 11-yard-line when Pardee sent in the field goal unit to try to win the game for the third time in overtime.
This time, the kick was true as Thomas would make a 28-yard field goal with nine seconds to go to give the Bears a 12-9 win and clinch Chicago its first postseason berth since 1963.
The win over the Giants started a big celebration in Chicago that when the Bears returned home they were greeted by nearly 3,000 fans at O'Hare International Airport.
However, the Bears' trip back to the postseason would be a short one as they were trounced by the Dallas Cowboys 37-7 the following week in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs which was followed one week later by the departure of Pardee who left Chicago to become the head coach of the Redskins.
Still, their win over the Giants in the 1977 "Slush Bowl" is remembered fondly amongst Bears fans.
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| The Chicago Bears celebrate after their win in the 1977 "Slush Bowl". |
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