The Green Bay Packers invaded Wrigley Field in Chicago and got a dominant defensive performance to shut out the Chicago Bears 17-0. The Packers defense held Chicago to just 94 total yards and six first downs while forcing four turnovers in the win. The defense also scored the clinching touchdown when Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown. Today we look back at one of the most dominating defensive performances in team history as the Packers defense stepped up and shut down Gale Sayers and the Bears in Chicago in 1966.

Remembering One of the Most Dominant Defensive Performances in Packers History: The Buildup

The Packers and Bears were always intense rivals and the 1960s were one of the high points of the rivalry. Both teams featured Hall of Fame coaches with Vince Lombardi leading the Packers and George Halas coaching the Bears. The two coaches were both fierce competitors but had a mutual respect for one another as football men.

The Packers were the defending NFL champions and entered this game with a 4-1 record. The previous week, they dropped their only game of the season, a 21-20 road loss to the 49ers. They needed to get back on track in Chicago.

Meanwhile, the Bears were 2-2. They had just won their last two games after starting the season with a pair of losses. A win over Green Bay would set Chicago up for a run at the Western Conference title while a loss would make it difficult for them to catch the surging Packers.

Both teams featured rugged defenses. Chicago’s best offensive weapon was Sayers who was on his way to his first carer 1,000-yard rushing season after scoring 23 total touchdowns in a 14-game season as a rookie in 1965.

The Packers were concerned about stopping “The Kansas Comet.” Lombardi made it priority number one. “Sayers can kill you from anywhere. Every time he moves, I lose a year of my life,” he told reporters. “Would I rather have him running inside or outside? I’d rather have him on the bench.”

A Defensive Struggle

The first half lived up to expectations and became a defensive struggle. The Bears couldn’t move the ball, but their defense gave them chances to get on the board. Doug Atkins intercepted Bart Starr and gave Chicago the ball on the Packers 46. But three plays later, Herb Adderley intercepted Randy Bukich to give the Packers back the ball.

Starr later fumbled at the Green Bay 10 giving the Bears an excellent field position. But the Packers forced Bears running back Jon Arnett to fumble and defensive tackle Lionel Aldridge recovered to keep the Bears off the board.

The Packers moved the ball better than the Bears in the first half, but all they could manage were two missed field goal tries by the usually reliable Don Chandler.

“I just missed the first one,” Chandler admitted after the game. The long one (47 yards out, which back then was considered long) was right down the middle, but it was too short.”

The score was still 0-0 at the half.

Remembering One of the Most Dominant Defensive Performances in Packers History: The Packers Pull Away

In the second half, the Packers put together their only long drive of the game right after the kickoff. Starr put together a 66-yard drive mixing runs and passes that ended on a one-yard touchdown plunge by halfback Paul Hornung. Green Bay nearly lost the ball when Boyd Dowler fumbled after a 15-yard gain, but Carroll Dale alertly scooped up the loose ball at the Bears five to keep the drive alive. The Packers led 7-0.

“It was the turning point because it showed we could move the ball,” Lombardi said of the touchdown.

Then the Green Bay defense stepped up again. Linebacker Ray Nitschke intercepted Bukich and rumbled 23 yards to the Chicago 30. That led to a 30-yard field goal by Chandler to make the score 10-0 Green Bay.

Chandler was relieved to make this third field goal attempt of the game. “I needed it,” he admitted. “You try not to let it, but it’s bound to get you down a little. You’re going to make more than you miss, that’s the way I’ve got to figure it.”

In the fourth quarter, Wood put the icing on the cake with a 20-yard pick six to make the final score 17-0. “Dave Robinson was over there, too,” Wood recalled. “In fact, I thought he was going to knock the pass down when I picked it off.”

The entire game took just two hours and 12 minutes, but the Packers were thrilled to come away with the win. It was the first time they had shut out the Bears in Chicago since 1932, and it was the first time the Bears had suffered a shutout in 27 games.

The Aftermath

Defensive end Willie Davis was impressed with how the defense contained Sayers who gained just 29 yards on 15 carries for the game. His long gain was just nine yards.

“You have to keep him changing his direction. Keep turning him in so that the guys in pursuit have a crack at him. You can’t make mistakes on him,” Davis explained. “He is a great challenge, and it wakes a great effort to stop him. That means 11 guys have to play all out without making a mistake. He forces you to play good.”

Bukich finished the game by completing just 12-of-23 passes for 69 yards and three interceptions. That translated to a quarterback rating of just 18.5.

Another key to the defense’s success was an adjustment the Packers made. “We had double coverage on [Mike] Ditka in the second half,” Wood said. “We learned in the first half that every time they had a big play, they went to Mike, so we double covered him.” Ditka finished the game with just two catches for 26 yards.

The win improved the Packers record to 5-1. They finished the season 12-2 and won their second straight championship after defeating the Chiefs in Super Bowl I. The Bears finished the year 5-7-2, a distant fifth in the West.

 

 

 

 

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