1995 Chicago Bears: The Decline Of The Wannstedt Era Begins

The Dave Wannstedt era in Chicago was off to a promising start. In 1994, his second season, Wannstedt’s Bears made the playoffs and won a game. Midway through this season, it seemed like the 1995 Chicago Bears would continue the upward trend. But a late fade not only cost the Bears this ’95 season, it foreshadowed harder times ahead.

Chicago generally hasn’t been known for their offense, even in their good years, but this edition could move the ball. Erik Kramer was a top-10 quarterback for both completion percentage (60%) and yards-per-attempt (7.4). His 29-10 TD/INT ratio, accompanied by a 1.9% interception rate, was even better, with the latter ranking fourth among starting quarterbacks.

Kramer had big-play targets in Jeff Graham and Curtis Conway. Graham caught 82 balls for just over 1,300 yards. Conway’s 62 catches netted over 1,000 yards. The Bears passing game also made use of the backs. Fullback Tony Carter had 40 receptions, and Robert Green added 28 more.

Rashaan Salaam ran for over 1,000 yards, although with a pedestrian offensive line, his 3.6 yards-per-carry left something to be desired. Even so, with all of the above—in spite of not a single player even making the Pro Bowl—Chicago still ranked 8^th in the NFL for points scored.

Defense was supposed to be the Wannstedt specialty, after he’d been the coordinator under Jimmy Johnson for the rise of the Dallas Cowboys. It was what was going to make Wannstedt the right fit for the Windy City’s football culture. But that didn’t work out this year.

There were some decent individual players—Alonzo Spellman at defensive end and tackle Jim Flangian combined for 19 ½ sacks. Donnell Woolford and Mark Carrier had good careers in the secondary. But no one on this side of the ball made the Pro Bowl either, and the Bears finished 22^nd in the 30-team NFL for points allowed.

A high-profile home game with the Minnesota Vikings—a rematch of a wild-card game from last year, won by Chicago—would kick off the season in the late Sunday afternoon window. The game was tied 14-14 at the half and the Bears offense broke it open. Kramer finished 19/28 for 263 yards. Conway and Graham both had 100-plus yards receiving, and Chicago rolled to a 31-14 win.

Another big divisional rival, the Green Bay Packers, had also made the playoffs in 1994. Brett Favre brought the Packers into Chicago for a Monday Night game. The Bears dug themselves a 21-0 hole, including allowing a 99-yard touchdown pass. They rallied, closed the gap to 27-21 and got inside the Packer five-yard line in the fourth quarter. Wannstedt settled for a 20-yard field goal, in a pre-analytics era when coaches were more conservative. It ended in a 27-24 loss.

Chicago continued to get good TV placements, playing a late afternoon game in Tampa Bay. The offense bogged down in the red zone against a mediocre opponent, and the Bears settled for three short field goals. But they also forced seven turnovers, blocked a punt that was recovered for a touchdown, shut down the Bucs running game and cruised to a 25-6 win.

The Rams were in their first year playing in St. Louis and Chicago made the short trip south. It would be a shootout. The Bears turned a 10-0 deficit into a 21-17 lead, with Kramer throwing for 317 yards and Graham’s six catches producing 145 yards. But the secondary was being carved up and the afternoon ended in a 34-28 loss.

Chicago went into their bye week on 2-2, but they had winnable games coming up. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars were both in their first year of existence and were waiting on the far side of the bye. That was followed by a game with the mediocre Houston Oilers (today’s Tennessee Titans). There was opportunity for the Bears to make some hay.

Carolina came to Solider Field and was able to score a touchdown on both defense and special teams. It could have been a disaster. But Salaam ran for 105 yards, Kramer went 23/41 for 259 yards, three TD passes and no mistakes. The Bears overcame the adversity to win 31-27.

Kramer continued to be sharp in Jacksonville, going 17/29 for 245 yards and another 3 TD/0 INT afternoon. The Bears took a 20-10 lead in the third quarter and were able to hold off the Jags for a 30-27 win.

At home against the Oilers, the day was cruising along nicely—Salaam, Conway, and Graham all on their way to 100-plus yards. Chicago led 28-8 and was driving for more. Then Kramer threw an interception near the goal line that got taken back the other way. Houston turned the momentum, but the Bears had just enough left to hold them off, 35-32.

Chicago was 5-2, but a combined score of 96-86 against three mediocre-to-bad opponents was a cause for concern. The Bears were going to Minnesota for a Monday Night showdown. They needed to play some defense. And they did. Chicago stopped the Viking ground game and sacked Warren Moon four times. Kramer tossed a short TD pass to Flanigan, who checked in as an eligible receiver. The quarterback hit Conway on a more conventional 48-yard strike. The Bears won 14-6.

Halfway through the season, Chicago was riding high at 6-2. They were building off the success of the previous year. While Wannstedt’s former employer in Dallas was the top-heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl, and the San Francisco 49ers were the defending champs, the Bears were right behind. Times were good. As it turned out, this was the peak of Wannstedt’s career in Chicago.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were bound for the Super Bowl, and they came in for a late Sunday afternoon game that would go to most of the country. Kramer’s offense moved the ball in a back-and-forth battle. Chicago led 24-17, 27-20, and then 34-27 after a Pick-6. But the defensive problems continued, and the Bears were out-executed on third down on both sides of the ball. That was ultimately the difference in a game that went to overtime and ended as a 37-34 loss.

A big divisional showdown with Green Bay was next, and it was another aerial war, as Kramer and Favre put on a show. Kramer threw for 318 yards, over 100 apiece to Conway and Graham. But Favre had the last word and handed the Bears a 35-28 loss.

The Detroit Lions were the fourth team who had made the playoffs out of the NFC Central (the four current teams of the NFC North plus Tampa Bay) in 1994. After a slow start, the Lions were starting to find their footing. Kramer threw an early TD pass, the Bears forced three turnovers and Graham caught five passes for 109 yards. When Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell was knocked out, the opportunity was ripe for the Bears to get a needed win.

But one of the worst memories of franchise lore would be reawakened. Lion backup QB Don Majikowski had once been the starter in Green Bay. And in 1989, he threw a hotly disputed touchdown pass to beat the Bears—so hotly disputed that, to this day, the Chicago franchise does not officially recognize the loss. Majikowski woke up the echoes and there was no controversy this time, as he threw a late TD pass to hand the Bears a 24-17 loss.

With the promising season now in a tailspin, Chicago went to the Meadowlands to face a bad New York Giants team. Kramer played well, going 25/38 for 268 yards and no mistakes. The Bears were efficient on third down and they pulled out a 27-24 win to stop the bleeding.

At 7-5, Chicago entered the stretch drive one game behind Green Bay for the NFC Central lead, although they head-to-head sweep put the Bears at a tiebreaker disadvantage. The wild-card situation was more promising. In a race for three spots, the Philadelphia Eagles led the way at 8-4, but Chicago and the Atlanta Falcons were both 7-5 and holding down the final two berths. Everyone in the NFC Central was still in the hunt—Detroit, Minnesota and Tampa Bay joined St. Louis in giving chase at 6-6.

This landscape heightened the stakes for a Monday Night trip to Detroit to open December. It was a disaster. Kramer was sacked four times. While completing 21/33 passes, those only produced 140 yards. The defense continued to be carved up in a 27-7 loss. While Atlanta had lost on Sunday, Minnesota and St. Louis won. The result was a five-way tie for two playoff spots.

A road trip to face a bad Cincinnati Bengals team seemed like the right tonic. But it was a windy day and throwing the ball was extremely difficult. While Salaam ran for 105 yards, Kramer couldn’t generate any offense, and Chicago didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. They lost 16-10. In the meantime, the Falcons, Lions and Vikings all won to get to 8-6.

Tampa Bay and Chicago were both 7-7, and they met in Solider Field. Facing a desperation situation, Salaam pounded out 134 yards on the ground. Graham caught five balls for 102 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown pass. The Bears won 31-10. The following night they got a needed break, when surging San Francisco knocked off Minnesota.

Philadelphia and Detroit had clinched playoff spots. There was one berth left. Atlanta had the inside track, but they also had to host the red-hot 49ers—who could secure the #1 seed in the NFC with a win. If the Falcons stumbled, as most everyone expected, the Bears were next in line.

Although Chicago didn’t have an easy game themselves—the Eagles’ late surge not only wrapped up a playoff berth, but had given them a chance to catch the Cowboys in the NFC East.

The Bear running game had performed well down the stretch, and did so again here. They dominated the trenches, winning rush yardage 181-44. Kramer threw two first-half touchdown passes to tight end Keith Jennings and Chicago built up a 17-7 lead. They allowed a defensive touchdown that tightened things up, but eventually survived, 20-14.

But San Francisco couldn’t close the deal—in spite of leading much of the afternoon in Atlanta, the 49ers gave up a late touchdown pass, and the Falcons pulled out a 28-27 win. Chicago would stay home for the playoffs.

It was more than just a heartbreaking end to a season that had seemed so promising. The Bears never recovered. They went 7-9 in 1996 and followed it up with a pair of 4-12 seasons that ended the Wannstedt era. The franchise did not return to the playoffs until 2001.