| 1979 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Head coach | Neill Armstrong |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2ndNFC Central |
| Playoffs | LostWild Card Playoffs (atEagles) 17–27 |
The1979Chicago Bears season was their 60thregular season and 14thpostseason completed in theNational Football League. The team finished with a 10–6 record under second year coachNeill Armstrong but lost to thePhiladelphia Eagles 27–17 in the opening round of the playoffs.
| 1979 Chicago Bears draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Dan Hampton * † | Defensive end | Arkansas | |
| 1 | 9 | Al Harris | Defensive end | Arizona State | |
| 2 | 39 | Rickey Watts | Wide receiver | Tulsa | |
| 3 | 66 | Willie McClendon | Running back | Georgia | |
| 6 | 147 | John Sullivan | Linebacker | Illinois | |
| 7 | 174 | Lee Kunz | Linebacker | Nebraska | |
| 8 | 203 | Rick Moss | Defensive back | Purdue | |
| 9 | 230 | Jerome Heavens | Running back | Notre Dame | |
| 10 | 257 | Joe Restic | Defensive back | Notre Dame | |
| 11 | 286 | Bob Wright | Offensive tackle | Cincinnati | |
| 12 | 312 | Dave Becker | Safety | Iowa | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Maurice Horton | Wide receiver | No College |
| Pete Kraker | Quarterback | Northern Illinois |
| Carl Larson | Center | St. Cloud State |
| Jim Moore | Center | Wisconsin |
| Mark Moselle | Guard | Wisconsin–Superior |
| Phil Olson | Tight end | Dartmouth |
| Dave Petzke | Wide receiver | Northern Illinois |
| Pat Wacker | Wide receiver | North Dakota |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | Green Bay Packers | W 6–3 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 56,515 | |
| 2 | September 9 | Minnesota Vikings | W 26–7 | 2–0 | Soldier Field | 53,231 | |
| 3 | September 16 | atDallas Cowboys | L 20–24 | 2–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,056 | |
| 4 | September 23 | atMiami Dolphins | L 16–31 | 2–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 66,011 | |
| 5 | September 30 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–17 | 2–3 | Soldier Field | 55,258 | |
| 6 | October 7 | atBuffalo Bills | W 7–0 | 3–3 | Rich Stadium | 73,383 | |
| 7 | October 14 | New England Patriots | L 7–27 | 3–4 | Soldier Field | 54,128 | |
| 8 | October 21 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 27–30 | 3–5 | Metropolitan Stadium | 41,164 | |
| 9 | October 28 | atSan Francisco 49ers | W 28–27 | 4–5 | Candlestick Park | 42,773 | |
| 10 | November 4 | Detroit Lions | W 35–7 | 5–5 | Soldier Field | 50,108 | |
| 11 | November 11 | Los Angeles Rams | W 27–23 | 6–5 | Soldier Field | 51,483 | |
| 12 | November 18 | New York Jets | W 23–13 | 7–5 | Soldier Field | 52,635 | |
| 13 | November 22 | atDetroit Lions | L 0–20 | 7–6 | Pontiac Silverdome | 66,219 | |
| 14 | December 2 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | W 14–0 | 8–6 | Tampa Stadium | 69,508 | |
| 15 | December 9 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 15–14 | 9–6 | Lambeau Field | 54,207 | |
| 16 | December 16 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 42–6 | 10–6 | Soldier Field | 42,810 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
Bob Thomas booted a pair of field goals and Walter Payton rushed for 125 yards on 36 carries in 80 degree heat as the Bears won their opener. Thomas who had a field goal attempt blocked by Packers'Mike Hunt in the first quarter converted from 25 and 19 yards in the second quarter and the Bears banked on an aggressive defense which was credited with five sacks for the triumph.Chester Marcol, who had a field goal blocked by Virgil Livers, later connected for Green Bay's only score with a 28 yarder. The Bears defense aided by a pair of excellent punts by Bob Parsons, kept the Packers in tough field condition in the first half when Green Bay was limited to only three first downs.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | CHI | Walter Payton 1 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 7–0 | |
| 2 | CHI | Dave Williams 13 yard pass fromMike Phipps (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 14–0 | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 15 |
| Packers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atLambeau Field,Green Bay, Wisconsin
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | December 23 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 17–27 | 0–1 | Veterans Stadium | 69,397 |
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers(2) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–6 | 273 | 237 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 306 | 249 | W3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 259 | 337 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 246 | 316 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 2–10 | 219 | 365 | L3 |
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| Franchise | |
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| Stadiums | |
| Culture |
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| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Key personnel |
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| Division championships (21) | |
| Conference championships (4) | |
| League championships (9) | |
| Media |
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| Current league affiliations |
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