Chicago Bears: Top 5 Thanksgiving Day Performances
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at AtoZ Sports! Even though the Chicago Bears won't be playing later today during the NFL's Thanksgiving Day slate, that doesn’t mean we can't get in on all the fun. While the Bears continue to prepare for their Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, let’s take a […]
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at AtoZ Sports!
Even though the Chicago Bears won't be playing later today during the NFL's Thanksgiving Day slate, that doesn’t mean we can't get in on all the fun.
While the Bears continue to prepare for their Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the Bears top Thanksgiving Day moments.
1. Walter Payton's huge game lifts Bears over Lions
It's a no brainer that the Bears best player in franchise history had the team's best individual performance on Thanksgiving Day. In Week 11, 1977 against the Detroit Lions, Payton had a game for the ages given the current era of football.
"Sweetness" totaled 137 rushing yards on 20 carries and caught four passes for an additional 107 receiving yards with two total touchdowns. The 237-yard, two touchdown performance gave the Bears a 31-14 win.
The Bears finished the season with a 9-5 record and lost in the divisional round to the Dallas Cowboys. Payton finished the season with a league-high 1,852 rushing yards (579 more than the nearest player) while being named the league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
2. Tracy Porter gets the better of Aaron Rodgers to close out close win
The Bears rarely got the better of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but in Week 12, 2015 they were able to on the national stage to win a close 17-13 game.
Cornerback Tracy Porter was a major part of making that happen for the Bears defense. Porter finished the game with one interception and four pass deflections. One of those deflections came on a 3rd-and-8 with 36 seconds remaining. Rodgers had another incompletion on the following play to give the Bears the win.
The Bears unfortunately finished the season 6-10 in the first season of the John Fox era. Despite the season outcome, the highlight was still stealing a win against their longtime rivals in a nationally broadcasted game.
3. Roquan Smith torments Lions third-string quarterback David Blough
One of the most recent memorable moments in Bears history on Thanksgiving Day was Roquan Smith's dominant game in Week 13, 2019.
The Lions entered into the week with third-string David Blough listed as the starting quarterback after backup Jeff Driskel suffered a hamstring injury the week before. In his first career start, Blough was introduced to the Bears top defensive player.
Smith ended his night with a team-high 2.0 sacks, two quarterback hits, and 16 combined tackles. The Thanksgiving 24-10 win was the first 2.0 sack game of Smith's career and he's only had one other such game since then.
Blough still managed to put up solid box score numbers throwing for 280 yards with two passing touchdowns and one interception in his NFL debut. The Bears starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky tossed for 338 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
4. Alshon Jeffery's 2 TD game not enough to take down the Lions
While this game didn't turn out the way the Bears hoped, you can't take anything away from the game that Alshon Jeffery had in Week 13, 2014.
The Bears top receiver had nine receptions for 71 yards and two first quarter touchdowns. Tight end Martellus Bennett added eight catches for 109 yards but the Bears ended up losing the game 34-17 to the Detroit Lions.
Jay Culter's two interceptions and the two touchdowns allowed to Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson proved to be too much for the Bears to come back from.
5. Jim Harbaugh's touchdown leads to Bears low scoring victory
It wasn't the most exciting game for the Bears despite despite generating tons of interest for those waking up on Thanksgiving Day.
However, Jim Harbaugh's 123 yard, one touchdown, one interception day was just enough for the Bears to secure a 10-6 win in Detroit. In fact, the Week 13, 1993 victory was the last Bears win in Detroit on Thanksgiving until the streak was finally broken in 2018.
The Bears former quarterback is now gaining increased attention in Chicago with many predicting the Michigan head coach to return to the NFL as the Bears potential next head coach in 2024.
So, there you have it. Hope everyone has a great holiday while checking out the rest of the NFL's slate.
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