American Football · 1986 · New Orleans, USA
The '85 Bears' Rout
A defence built around the era's most feared unit and a team that had recorded a novelty rap single before the playoffs demolishes the New England Patriots by 36 points in Super Bowl XX.
Bears 46-10 Patriots
Result
123
Patriots total yards
Richard Dent (defensive end)
MVP
The 1985 Chicago Bears went 15-1 in the regular season behind a defence, coordinated by Buddy Ryan and built around stars like Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, and William 'The Refrigerator' Perry, that dominated opponents all year, and a squad famous enough to release the novelty single 'The Super Bowl Shuffle' weeks before the playoffs even finished.
In Super Bowl XX on 26 January 1986, that defence overwhelmed the New England Patriots from the opening series, sacking Patriots quarterbacks seven times, forcing six turnovers, and limiting New England to just 123 total yards for the entire game. Chicago led 23-3 at halftime and never eased off.
The 46-10 final score remains one of the most lopsided in Super Bowl history. Defensive end Richard Dent was named MVP after recording 1.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles, a rare honour for a defensive player, and the '85 Bears are still commonly cited as one of the greatest single-season defences the sport has produced.
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