In the first half of the 1986 season, Los Angeles Rams were in the habit of playing close games. Three of the last four games leading up to their Monday Night matchup with the Chicago Bears were decided by a touchdown or less and with one of those games being taken to overtime.
The Rams played close but managed to pull out the victory, no matter how grim things looked. And their Monday night game against the Chicago Bears was no different.
After falling behind 3-0, the Rams took a seven-point lead thanks to Leroy Irvin’s scoop and score off a disrupted punt. Irvin pressured the punter into rolling out and then scooped up the strip for the touchdown.
Back then, the Bears were expected to make a dynasty run. They had Walter Payton. They had the offensive line and the defensive force that made them so fearsome the season prior.
But things didn’t turn out as they had hoped. The offense struggled at times, especially at quarterback, a position in dire need of someone to step up.
What about Jim McMahon?
Well, Jimmy entered training camp about 20+ pounds overweight and was not the same guy he was during the ‘85 run. In fact, he wasn’t even starting by the time the Rams got to town.
No, it was the great Steve Fuller who was under center. The former Kansas alum and ENID OKLAHOMA NATIVE finished the game with just nine completions and 102 yds passing.
But even the Bears’ poor quarterback play couldn’t stop Chicago from taking a 7-point lead away from the Rams.
After a 10-3 lead by Los Angeles, Fuller led the offense downfield twice to set up running back Thomas Sanders up for a 10-yard and 34-yard touchdown, respectively.
But the Bears didn’t hold the seven-point advantage for long. Rams’ QB Steve Dils tied the game by hitting WR Ron Brown with a deep pass down the sideline. Brown, a gold medal track athlete, then sprinted away from his man for the touchdown.
With the score tied at 17-17, the Rams and Bears both had opportunities to take the lead before LA’s final possession. Chicago stopped LA on third down with less than 90 seconds left and geared up for a game-winning drive.
But the Rams defense came up big, forcing the Bears into a third-down situation; an Achilles heel for the Bears that night. Prior to the snap, the offense was 4-for-14 on third-down.
Fuller’s pass fell incomplete which led to the Rams regaining possession with less than a minute left.
After a pass TE Mike Guman, Dils hit RB Eric Dickerson with consecutive screens to set up kicker Mike Lansford for the game-winner.
From 50 yards out, Lansford nailed it and won the game for LA, 20-17.
Author’s note: The last time the Rams and Bears played during Monday Night Football was 2006, a game I intended to include as well. But the YouTube replay of that game was so pixelated and blurry. Not to sound overdramatic but the quality was so bad I wanted to throw up.
Anyway, the Rams got destroyed in that game (42-27) thanks to a second-half surge by the Bears who were led by Rex Grossman, Mushin Muhammed, Thomas Jones, and Adrian Peterson, who at the time was not constantly telling people, “I’m not that Adrian Peterson.” The Oklahoma legend hadn’t made it to the league yet.
That poor bastard. Imagine making it to the top tier in football only to have your name taken from you like that. He was in the league FIRST and still was referred to as “that other Adrian Peterson.”
MNF: The 1986 Comeback Kick
I continue to enjoy these memories Tim. One small item: Mike Guman is referred to as a TE, but I believe he was formally a RB (an FB), with the Rams. He was known as a reliable guy and in Rams lore he's a favorite although he didn't really make a lot of major plays.
Two other great names from this memory are LeRoy Irvin and Mike Lansford. Irvin at his peak could play with anyone and he did a bunch of great things for the Rams, including some great punt returns. Of course he had a bunch of interceptions too, but the sweetest was the one against Joe Montana.
Lansford was the long tenured kicker that bridged many of the years between Frank Corral and Jeff Wilkins. He was a barefoot kicker that was pretty good and delivered in several clutch moments.
As for Monday's game...I'm still disappointed in that weak performance against the Niners. It was obvious watching the energy and attention levels in the game which team wanted it more. So of course I'm pulling for the Rams but also prepared for getting beat. If the Rams D shows up for the whole game, I think they can pull it off.