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 2 3 4 Total Bears 7 0 7 7 21 Packers 0 7 7 7 21 Date: September 26 Location: City Stadium, Green Bay, WI Game attendance: 23,675

Scoring summary Q1 CHI Geyer 8 yard pass from Luckman (Snyder kick) CHI 7–0 Q2 GB Fritsch 4 yard run (Hutson kick) Tie 7–7 Q3 GB Comp 6 yard run (Hutson kick) GB 14–7 Q3 CHI Harry Clarke 21 yard pass from Luckman (Snyder kick) Tie 14–14 Q4 CHI Osmanski 6 yard run (Snyder kick) CHI 21–14 Q4 GB Hutson 37 yard pass from Canadeo (Hutson kick) Tie 21–21

^[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.