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Bear Digest

The 10 Greatest Chicago Bears Victories on Monday Night Football

The Bears have a losing record on MNF and haven't always been prime-time players but had memorable moments or even historically significant ones.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes against the Commanders in last year's comeback victory on Monday Night Football.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes against the Commanders in last year's comeback victory on Monday Night Football. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

When Roone Arledge created Monday Night Football in 1970, it became a national sensation.

It was an event to have the Monday night crew coming to the city for prime-time football, and to have Howard Cosell's controversial mouth saying things about your team.

The Bears didn't get many opportunities at first, being a miserable team seeking to scrap out wins for most of the 1970s. Prime time was for better teams. Eventually, the Bears made their mark.

It's often looked at by players as a showcase because it's the only game that day and the rest of the league is watching.

The disruption of the Sunday game day routine by the schedule is viewed often by coaches as a problem.

“I know we have a lot of different time slots this year, from Thursday to Sunday at noon to Sunday night to Monday," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "We're all over the place. The way we've tried to prepare our team throughout training camp is a little bit chaotic by design, so that we don't bat an eye when we get called upon to show up.

"I do think there's some natural excitement. Anytime you're playing a night game in front of your home crowd, you can feel the electricity in the stadium. I think that's what gets our guys going."

Maybe you're waiting all day waiting for Sunday night, and on Thursday nights, well, no one likes the way those games are played due to lack of preparation, but Monday Night Football is the original prime time football and is king. The Bears are 39-45 on Monday night.

For the Bears, some of their biggest wins came in the MNF showcase, victories that either triggered a playoff run or even helped define an era.

Here are their 10 greatest Monday Night Football victories ranked.

10. Bears 24, Rams 23

Oct. 10, 1977
The Bears got 126 yards rushing from Walter Payton, and in the fourth quarter a 29-yard Bob Avellini touchdown pass to Greg Latta and 33-yard Bob Thomas field goal let them come away with the win at Soldier Field. The defense knocked Rams QB Joe Namath out of the game in the last game he would ever play. The Avellini-to-Latta connection produced again later that season for a miracle win over KC that sparked a run to the playoffs, the first Bears postseason berth since they won the 1963 NFL championship.

9. Bears 24, Seahawks 17

Sept. 17, 2018
A week after they opened the Matt Nagy era by blowing a 20-point lead against Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, the Bears bounced back for their first win under their new coach and started a roll to the NFC North title. Prince Amukamara's 49-yard pick-6 in the fourth quarter keyed the impressive effort by Vic Fangio's defense and made the victory at Soldier Field possible.

8. Bears 13, Vikings 10

Oct. 23, 1972
The first time they won in this series. The meanest Monster of the Midway, Dick Butkus, took the ball from the Vikings on a fumble recovery, and later intercepted a Fran Tarkenton pass that triggered a drive to Mac Percival's game-winning field goal at Soldier Field. The Vikings came back after Percival's kick but Fred Cox missed an easy 27-yard field goal to end the Vikings' hopes. Maybe he saw Butkus and got scared.

7. Bears 42, Rams 27

Dec. 11, 2006

In St. Louis, Devin Hester's explosive rookie year continued as he took back kickoffs 94 and 96 yards for TDs. It made everyone forget Rex Grossman threw two TD passes in the game, as the Bears continued their march to a Super Bowl appearance.

6. Bears 10, 49ers 9

Oct. 15, 1988

Richard Dent launched himself like a rocket over a blocker to sack Joe Montana in the night's biggest play, and the Bears defense controlled the eventual Super Bowl champions at Soldier Field. The 49ers switched from ineffective Montana to Steve Young but to no avail. The win left the Bears 7-1 on the year, but a series of defensive injuries ensued and by the time they hosted the 49ers in the NFC championship game that season they were using a lineup loaded with backups or even practice squad types.

5. Bears 25, Commanders 24

Oct. 13, 2025

Jayden Daniels couldn't hold onto the football in the closing minutes and a botched handoff let D'Andre Swift run the Bears into range for a 38-yard Jake Moody field goal in the wind and rain at Washington. The win came a week after they won by the same score over the Raiders on a blocked field goal. Something was in the air, and the run of comeback wins behind Caleb Williams en route to a division title ensued. Better yet, the Bears had avenged the worst defeat of the Matt Eberflus era, the Hail Mary play.

4. Bears 40, Vikings 14

Dec. 20, 2010

Minnesota and Brett Favre tried to catch the Bears napping by pulling the double cross. He went from being out of the game to suddenly starting, a violation of NFL protocol, but the Bears had something waiting for him -- namely Corey Wootton. A sack by Wootton on the frozen University of Minnesota field knocked Favre out of the game, ending his NFL career. Robbie Gould kicked four short field goals and Devin Hester returned a punt for a TD to lead Love Smith's team to a victory that clinched the NFC North title.

3. Bears 23, Packers 7

Oct. 21, 1985

Payton scored two touchdowns and ran for 112 yards but the rush everyone talked about was William "The Refrigerator" Perry's 1-yard TD dive that flattened linebacker George Cumby into Gumby. Mike Ditka had called out the heavy-duty thunder in their run to the Lombardi Trophy.

2. Bears 34, Giants 19

Sept. 14, 1987

Super Bowl XXI 1/2. This was how national TV billed it for months as the Bears and Giants, the last two Super Bowl champs, both laid claim to having the best defenses in football. The Bears defense left no doubt who actually was the better defense. They left Phil Simms looking dazed and confused with eight sacks. Dennis McKinnon returned a punt 83 yards for a TD, Mike Tomczak threw a 56-yard TD pass to Willie Gault and scored a TD himself, and the Bears won handily over Lawrence Taylor and the Giants with QB Jim McMahon missing the game injured.

Bears 24, Cardinals 23

Oct. 16, 2006

Nothing more needs to be said than "The Bears are who we thought they were." And the Cardinals let them off the hook. The Bears staged a miraculous rally from a 20-point second-half deficit without scoring an offensive TD on a horrendous night by Grossman. They scored on a 3-yard Mike Brown fumble return, a forced fumble by Brian Urlacher and 40-yard Charles Tillman TD return, and an 83-yard Devin Hester fourth-quarter punt return to stun Arizona. Then they hung on for the win when kicker Neil Rackers stubbed a 40-yard field goal attempt wide. Cards coach Dennis Green then melted down with his famed rant. The Bears were 6-0 after the win, on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.