Chicago Bears Rewind: Top 5 Most Influential Games vs. The Green Bay Packers (5th of 5)

If one was to ask 100 fans of the Chicago Bears who are their three favorite players of all-time, even today, it is not hyperbole to predict that 99 percent (or maybe higher), male or female, young or old, would name Walter Payton to their team’s “Mount Rushmore of Bears” despite the fact that he had not played a game in 37 years. The Hall of Fame running back, who graced Soldier Field from 1974 until his retirement in 1987, left the game as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, having gained an incredible 16.726 yards over his 14 seasons, which averages out to a ridiculous 1195 yards per season.

Even after his playing days were over, Payton’s effusive personality to go along with his charitable gestures throughout the greater Chicagoland area made him the face of the franchise and a beloved marketing figure throughout Illiniois and other surrounding areas.

Seemingly in amazing shape, football fans across the world were stunned to hear in 1999 that, at age 45, Payton was gravely ill and in desperate need of a liver transplant. An emotional Payton made the announcement of his rare liver disease public on February 2, 1999.

On Monday, November 1, 1999, the news that nobody across the country wanted to hear sadly surfaced: Walter Payton passed away at the age of 45.

Teammates were flabbergasted upon absorbing the news, but their praise of Payton was unrestrained. “I wish there was another word I could think of other than greatness,” former Chicago Bears linebacker Mike Singletary said. “That’s what comes to mind. Greatness.”

Others thought Payton almost immortal. “It’s a big shock because he was the strongest man I met in my entire life,” said Jim McMahon, Payton’s teammate from 1982-87 and Chicago’s quarterback of the 1985 Super Bowl champions.

See Also: ESPN Sportscenter Coverage Of Walter Payton’s Death

Five days later on Saturday, November 6, Soldier Field hosted a memorial service attended by former teammates, coaches, and fans to celebrate the life of the man they called “Sweetness.”

The tragedy rocked the Chicago Bears and the current 1999 team, but the NFL treadmill kept moving and dictated that they continue with their schedule. As luck would have it, the very next game following Payton’s death was to be against none other than their most bitter rivals, the Green Bay Packers, at Lambeau Field. Under the circumstances, the November 7 game, although under somber vibes, turned out to be the most satisfying ending to the roller coaster week imaginable for the Bears.

November 7, 1999: The “Walter Payton Game”

With heavy hearts, the Chicago Bears made the 209-mile trek north to Green Bay. Sporting “34” patches on their white jerseys, they wanted to win one for Sweetness.

As a banner that read “Win One For Walter” hung behind the Bears bench, the game was, in fact, a contest between two underachieving teams. The Bears entered the contest with a middling 3-5 record; the Packers weren’t much better with their 4-3 mark.

On a beautiful 51 degree day, which could be considered balmy for Green Bay in November, the high hopes for a Bears’ victory took a major hit early in the game.

With quarterback Shane Matthews already hurt, backup Cade McNown went down with a sprained knee in the first quarter with the Packers leading, 3-0. Enter third-stringer Jim Miller to save the day.

Miller didn’t play a down in the previous two years and had just 22 pass attempts to that point in the 1999 season. In fact, Miller did not play spectacularly when summoned against the Packers; Miller threw three interceptions, but was was 16-of-29 for 142 yards, while Chicago’s 160 rushing yards kept the ball moving.

49 of those rushing yards came courtesy of running back Glyn Milburn, who ran untouched late in the first quarter for Chicago, making the score 7-3.

The Packers responded with a touchdown drive of their own in the second quarter, a Brett Favre to Tyrone Davis scoring pass, and Green Bay led 10-7 at halftime.

In the second half, the two teams traded scores–a Bobby Engram touchdown for the Bears, a Ryan Longwell field goal for the Packers–which made the score 14-13 in favor of Chicago and set the scene for one the most memorable plays in Bears’ history.

Bryan Robinson: Chicago Bears Hero

Brett Favre knew a thing or two about beating the Bears; his Packers were on a ten-game heater against their rivals, having last lost to Chicago in 1993. In fact, the three-time MVP was on the verge of making it eleven in a row when he drove his team with 3:19 to go from his own 17-yard line 72 yards to the Bears 11 with 7 seconds remaining. All that was needed now to make a horrible week for the Bears worse was a 28-yard field goal from Longwell to break their hearts further.

Enter Bryan Robinson.

Robinson leaped to deflect Longwell’s attempt, rendering it useless as it tumbled to the ground and thereby preserving the Bears’ 14-13 emotionally-draining victory.

Afterwards, the emotions ran deeply across Chicago’s players, coaches, and management.

The hero deflected any praise that came his way. “Walter Payton picked me up in the air,” Robinson said after the game. “I can’t jump that high.” He added, “The only thing I could think of was, ‘I need to make a play.’ I didn’t know that my hand was going to be the one that tipped the kick.”

Team owner Virginia McCaskey was unable to corral her feelings. She signed deeply. “I just can’t begin to —” and then she stopped, her eyes shut. “I’m sorry.” She looked on the verge of both laughter and tears. She laughed, that Sweetness light seemingly running through her. “I just can’t begin to tell you. The memories in this place. Memories of Walter through the week. And the way it happened today. It’s incredible, isn’t it?”

What Did This Mean For The Chicago Bears?

In a word? Everything. Yes, the title of this series is “The Top 5 Most INFLUENTIAL Games” between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Maybe “influential” misses the mark. Words like “memorable,” “emotional,” “satisfying,” or “fulfilling” would work better.

Yet, anyone who following football back in 1999, whether that person was a Bear fan or a Packer fan, will not soon forget the theater that unraveled on November 7.