It was a matchup of high drama: the Chicago Bears, at 12-0, were four wins away from becoming the first undefeated regular season team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. And the Bears’ opponents were none other than the Dolphins, an 8-4 team coached by Don Shula, the very man who’d led that ’72 Miami team to a Super Bowl and a perfect 17-0 record. The game took place on December 2, 1985, on a warm Monday evening at the Orange Bowl in Miami, with retired ’72 Dolphins players looking on. The tension was severe: Chicago’s defense hadn’t relinquished a touchdown in their previous three games, in which they outscored their opponents, 104-3, but were now facing a major test in the young, reigning MVP quarterback, Dan Marino. After a close first quarter, Marino and the Dolphins offense dominated the Bears, who were without their own starting QB, an injured Jim McMahon. The Dolphins scored three touchdowns in the second quarter and led, 31-10, at halftime. A 42-yard TD throw from Marino, one of three touchdown passes to go along with 270 yards on the night, put the game away in the third quarter – and the Dolphins won, 38-24. The Bears didn’t make history, but they shrugged off the defeat, winning their final six games to capture the Super Bowl. ― NFL 100
Box Score: Football Reference
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