Everybody knows this franchise is one defined by defense. Look through each major historical period in the history of football and one is sure to find a Bears defense near the top of the ranks. If not the top. Chicago Bears offenses have most often been relegated to playing second fiddle in this town. This mostly due to the fact that so many of them in the past 100 years haven’t been any good.
Believe it or not though, this isn’t always the case. Amidst a long history of darkness on that side of the ball, there have been occasional bursts of bright light. Units that just seemed to come together and jelled. Most of the time it never lasted beyond one season, but those seasons were tons of fun to watch. So this leaves the big question.
Among the many Chicago Bears offenses that have come and gone, who were the best? Sure, it may not be a list that one might call “loaded.” Still, it’s important to have some appreciation for the work guys on that side of the ball did, especially being so often overshadowed by their defensive counterparts.
7. The 2018 offense
Some may view this as jumping the gun but people need to understand. What the Bears did last year was beyond impressive for a first-year offense with so many new pieces in place. Not to mention a second-year quarterback and a rookie head coach. For them to finish 9th in scoring with the 4th-most points scored in franchise history is quite the feat.
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What makes them so unique is it wasn’t a group driven by star power as is so often the case. There were several contributors on this squad. Five different players went over at least 400 yards receiving and six different players scored at least three touchdowns. It truly was a collective effort. Every week it seemed like somebody else was being the hero.
At the heart of it though were two men: head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Nagy’s play calling was sharp and creative, getting his players into good positions to make plays. Trubisky, while not always perfect, amassed 3,644 yards and 27 touchdowns in 14 games. That landed him in his first Pro Bowl. Hopefully a sign of better things to come.
6. The 1956 offense
A lot of people don’t remember the 1956 team. This is likely due to the fact they failed to complete their mission, losing in the NFL championship game to New York. Yet one would be remiss if they didn’t give that team the credit they deserve, especially on offense. It finished #1 in both points and total yards, going through a stretch where they had 37, 31, 58, 38, 35, 38 and 30 points against their opponents.
This wasn’t one of those diverse and spread-the-wealth types of offenses though. The ’56 team was a car driven by two engines. One was fullback Rick Casares and the other was wide receiver Harlon Hill. Casares rushed for 1,126 yards and 12 in just 12 games that year. He was just the 4th man in NFL history to break the 1,000 barrier at that point in time.
Hill meanwhile achieved a milestone of his own, becoming the first Bears receiver in history to post 1,000 yards twice in his career. He finished with a career-high 1,128 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those two were enough to carry the team to the title game that year. Unfortunately, they couldn’t overcome bad weather and a great New York Giants defense that day.
5. The 1965 offense
This one might be considered a bit of a shock to some. The 1960s couldn’t exactly be called a glory era for Bears offense. However, 1965 was a rare exception. The team finished 2nd in points scored and 3rd in total yards. They hung 61 points on San Francisco and 45 on Minnesota. The primary reason for all of that fun could be summed up in two words.
The rookie running back hit the NFL like a bomb that year. Teams had never seen a talent like him before. Speed? Vision? Quickness? He had it all. Every time he touched the ball it fell like he was going to score. In a mere 12 games, he piled up 1,374 total yards and 20 touchdowns. That is not a misprint. He scored 20 times in 12 games. It took almost 30 years to break that record.
To be fair though, there were other contributors. Rudy Bukich was surprisingly effective at quarterback with 2,641 yards and 20 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. Jon Arnett, Ronnie Bull, and Andy Livingston also combined for over 1,140 yards and 10 touchdowns. Johnny Morris had 846 yards receiving as well. So it was more than just a one-man show.
4. The 1985 offense
Most people always remember the 1985 Bears as a defensive juggernaut and not much else. That’s where most of the highlights and stories tend to focus. They might be shocked to hear that the Bears actually had the #2 scoring offense that year. One that still holds the franchise record for the most points scored in a single season with 456.
So here comes the question. Why aren’t they ranked higher on the list? The answer is in two parts. First is that much of their success was greatly aided by the defense. Not just in stops, but in terms of turnovers as well. As a unit, the Bears defense scored five defensive touchdowns, collected 34 interceptions, and recovered 27 fumbles. Scoring stats tend to become inflated under such conditions.
There is also the fact that the Bears were just the 20th ranked passing offense in the league. Collectively they managed 3,303 yards with 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. What made them special was their ground attack. It was overpowering. Led by Walter Payton, they churned up 2,761 yards and 27 touchdowns. It was a machine and nobody could stop it.
3. 1995 offense
Amidst one of the more depressing decades in Bears history, the 1995 year could best be called a trip to bizarro world. That’s because the team finished with a winning record but it wasn’t thanks to the defense. This time it was actually the offense that carried the load most of the year. Something that has almost never happened in the history of this franchise.
They scored 30 or more points in a game six times, ranking 8th overall in points and 9th in total yards. Per usual the team had a solid rushing attack. Nobody would say it’s among the best ever but the combination of Rashaan Salaam and Robert Green went over 1,600 yards with 13 touchdowns alone. The bigger surprise though was the breakout of the passing game.
Quarterback Erik Kramer delivered the most prolific season in Bears history with records in yards (3,838) and touchdowns (29) with only 10 interceptions. Explosive wide receivers Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham both went over 1,000 yards and combined for 16 touchdowns. The only regret is we didn’t get to see that group in the playoffs.
2. The 1943 offense
The Bears had some impressive offenses during their dynasty run in the 1940s. The 1941 and 1942 teams actually scored more collective points. However, there was no more balance and lethal attack of that era than what they put together in 1943. A shocking reality given that the roster was started to get picked over by the U.S. military for the demands of World War II.
Per usual, the Bears were a tough running team. They piled up 1,651 yards in 10 games that season. For an idea that is better than nine teams accomplished last season, and they had 16 regular season games. It was a collective effort led by All-Pro Harry Clarke, Gary Famiglietti, Dante Magnani, Ray Nolting, Bill Osmanski, and even a 35-year old Bronco Nagurski.
What made that offense truly a nightmare to stop was their passing game. That was the year Sid Luckman put together a masterful season-long clinic. He threw for 2,192 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. Only one other QB got anywhere close and he threw 23 and 19 respectively. The remaining starters around the league never got above nine touchdowns. That should provide an idea of how ridiculous Luckman was.
Fittingly, he crowned that year with a dominant performance in the NFL championship against Washington with five touchdown passes. They also ran for over 150 yards and cruised to a 41-21 victory.
1. The 2013 offense
To understand just how good the 2013 Bears offense was, one need only point this out. They finished as the #2 scoring team and were 8th in total yards despite their starting quarterback Jay Cutler missing five games with injuries. Not only that, but the backup Josh McCown actually outplayed him throwing just six fewer touchdowns (13) in seven appearances than he’d managed in eleven (19).
This group put up 30 points six times and 40 points three times. They were led by a four-pronged assault of standout studs. Everything, of course, started with Matt Forte. The running back delivered his finest season as a pro with 1,933 total yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. He averaged a healthy 4.6 yards per carry and made 74 catches. Then there was big, athletic tight end Martellus Bennett who arrived via free agency. He added 759 yards and five touchdowns.
The real firepower though came from the dynamic combination of wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Never before had the Bears featured a powerhouse tandem at that position. Their mixtures of size, length, speed, and strength gave secondaries fits all season long. Jeffery had 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns while Marshall delivered 1,295 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The magic didn’t last beyond that year, but when it clicked this group was almost impossible to stop.
