The Chicago Bears haven’t played a lot of games in Denver against the Broncos over the years. They’ve met there just eight times in the regular season dating all the way back to 1971. Such is the way things are when two teams have always been in a different conference. Nevertheless, the Bears do have some memorable moments in that stadium.
Some of them were great, others not so much. Like most situations, it often involved the wacky and the unexpected. Just one reason why football is great. There’s no telling where and when the amazing moments will come. Or between which teams. Here are a few moments that Bears fans may or may not remember.
But probably should.
John Elway erases two huge Bears leads (1987 regular season)
By 1987 it was clear that John Elway had established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Not only that but also one of the most clutch. Just a few months prior to this contest he’d engineered his iconic “Drive” against Cleveland in the AFC championship game. He must’ve been feeling that same mojo in this game.
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The Bears jumped to an early 14-0 lead in the game. Elway responded with three touchdown passes in the second quarter to put the Broncos up 21-14. Chicago fired back in the second half, scoring 15 points in the third to hold a 29-21 advantage. Sure enough, Elway wasn’t done, getting a field goal and late touchdown to escape with a 31-29 win.
Kordell Stewart “Elways” the Broncos (2003 regular season)
The 2003 season was a rather ugly one for the Bears. The last of the Dick Jauron era. However, it did have some nice high points. Beating the eventual playoff-bound Broncos in their own building was certainly one of them.
All around it was an ugly game. Denver dominated from an offensive standpoint as Clinton Portis rushed for 165 yards and Jake Plumber added a touchdown pass. However, the Bears defense was stingy that day, not allowing a lot of scoring opportunities.
By contrast, the Bears offense was bad. They struggled to run the ball and quarterback Chris Chandler was forced out of the game before it was over. This brought in veteran Kordell Stewart.
That year was a forgettable one for him, but he did have an old score to settle with the Broncos who’d haunted him for years in Pittsburgh. Despite completing less than half his passes, he scored the decisive touchdown on a 1-yard run for a 19-10 win.
Jay Cutler leads a 98-yard drive (2009 preseason)
The trade that sent Jay Cutler out of Denver to Chicago in 2009 left a lot of Broncos fans bitter. They felt he’d quit on the team and took the coward’s way out. So when he returned that preseason to face his former team for the first time, the atmosphere was usually hostile.
Denver’s defense started out strong, nearly sacking Cutler for a safety on the opening series. He soon began to settle in though. Towards the end of the first half and the Bears up 10-7, Cutler got the ball at the 2-yard line with under five minutes left.
From there he spread the ball around, picking his way down the field until he found Matt Forte for a touchdown, capping a 98-yard drive with just 13 seconds left. It was a true Elway-like moment that must’ve left a lot of people in attendance fuming.
Marion Barber ran out of bounds (2011 regular season)
A moment that still gives Bears fans nightmares to this day. It was the game that pretty much was the backbreaker of the 2011 season for Chicago. They went into Denver with a strong game plan. They knew if they could stop the Broncos running game, Tim Tebow would never be able to beat them throwing.
It looked like everything had worked out perfectly. The Bears had the ball with two minutes left. One more first down and they could run out the clock. On 2nd and 10, running back Marion Barber took the handoff and seemed to get a strong 8-yard gain.
Unfortunately he committed a cardinal sin of late-game execution when he allowed himself to get knocked out of bounds, stopping the clock. This gave Denver a window. Sure enough, they got a stop on the next player, drove down the field and hit a 59-yard field goal to tie the game.
Then they prevailed in overtime 13-10, thanks in large part to a Barber fumble as the Bears were driving into field goal range for the win. It was a monumental meltdown that they never recovered from.
