1943 Chicago Bears season

1943 Chicago Bears season
Head coach Hunk Anderson
Luke Johnsos
Home field Wrigley Field
Results
Record 8–1–1
Division place 1st NFL Western
Playoff finish Won NFL Championship

The 1943 Chicago Bears season was their 24th regular season and 8th postseason in the National Football League. The club posted an 8–1–1 record under temporary co-coaches Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos. On the way to winning the Western Division, the Bears were, yet again, denied a chance at an undefeated season by the defending champion Redskins in Washington. The Bears had their revenge in the NFL title game and defeated the Redskins at Wrigley Field to claim their sixth league title. It was their third championship in four years, establishing themselves as the pro football dynasty of the early 1940s.

Bears quarterback Sid Luckman had one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in NFL history, and certainly the greatest passing season in the history of the early NFL. "Luckman was essentially the player who first fulfilled the position of quarterback as we know it today: the player expected to handle every snap and attempt almost every pass," says Cold Hard Football Facts. "He was also the first to put up modern-looking numbers. When you consider Luckman's numbers in 1943, consider that the league-wide passer rating that year was a meager 48.5. Hell, his 28 TDs, 12 INTs and 107.5 passer rating would be downright impressive in today's game, let alone back in the virtual Stone Age of the NFL. His 10.9 [yards-per-attempt], meanwhile, is simply mind blowing in any era. The Bears scored 30.3 [points-per-game] in 1943. Again, great in any era."[1]

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result
1 September 26, 1943 at Green Bay Packers T 21–21
2 October 3, 1943 at Detroit Lions W 27–21
3 October 10, 1943 Chicago Cardinals W 20–0
4 October 17, 1943 Steagles W 48–21
5 October 24, 1943 Brooklyn Dodgers W 33–21
6 October 31, 1943 Detroit Lions W 35–14
7 November 7, 1943 Green Bay Packers W 21–7
8 November 14, 1943 at New York Giants W 56–7
9 November 21, 1943 at Washington Redskins L 21–7
10 November 28, 1943 at Chicago Cardinals W 35–24

Game summaries

Week 1

1 234Total
Bears 7 077 21
Packers 0 777 21

[2]

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result
Championship December 26, 1943 Washington Redskins W 41–21

Standings

NFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Chicago Bears 8 1 1 .889 5–0–1 303 157 W1
Green Bay Packers 7 2 1 .778 4–1–1 264 172 W3
Detroit Lions 3 6 1 .333 2–4 178 218 L2
Chicago Cardinals 0 10 0 .000 0–6 95 218 L10

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

  1. ↑ Cold Hard Football Facts: The Dandy Dozen: 12 best passing seasons in history
  2. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jul-14.
For more details on this topic, see NFL Championship Game, 1943.


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