Fantastic Finishes: Mike Brown and the 2001 Bears

The 2001 Bears lost their season opener to the Baltimore Ravens, defending Super Bowl champions, and then reeled off four straight wins. Their winning streak was in danger on October 28 when the Bears spotted the San Francisco 49ers two touchdowns in the first quarter and lost quarterback Jim Miller with a hip injury in the second. Halfway through the third quarter, 49ers safety Zack Bronson intercepted a pass from Miller’s backup, Shane Matthews, and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. The Bears trailed 28-9.

Rookie running back Anthony Thomas rambled 19 yards for a Bears touchdown late in the quarter, and Paul Edinger’s extra point made it 28-16. San Francisco’s first possession of the fourth quarter resulted in a field goal, and, more importantly, took seven and a half minutes off the clock. The 49ers now led 31-16. Matthews engineered a drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver David Terrell. Edinger’s kick made it 31-23 with 4:08 left to play. Now the Bears were within striking distance, and their defense rose to the occasion, forcing a three-and-out on the 49ers’ next possession.

After San Francisco punted, the Bears started from their own 33-yard line with 2:46 remaining. Again, Matthews coolly drove his team downfield. Another touchdown pass to Terrell made the score 31-29 with 26 seconds left. Matthews had completed 25 of 31 attempts for 166 yards and three touchdowns, while Thomas had rushed 27 times for 127 yards—but it would be all for naught unless the Bears made the two-point conversion.

They did, on a straight-ahead plunge by Thomas, and the game was tied 31-31.

 

MIKE BROWN

The overtime period lasted only 16 seconds. The 49ers won the coin flip and received the kickoff. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Jeff Garcia dropped back, saw Terrell Owens slanting across the middle, and let fly. The pass bounced off Owens and popped right into the arms of Bears safety Mike Brown. “I couldn’t believe it,” Garcia said. Neither could Brown believe his good fortune. He tucked the ball away and scurried 33 yards for a touchdown. The Bears won 37-31. “We are a pretty opportunistic team,” said linebacker Brian Urlacher.

The next Sunday, the Bears took on the Cleveland Browns, also at Soldier Field. Again they dug themselves a hole, trailing 21-7 after three quarters. They were still behind 21-7 when they took possession of the ball at their own 20-yard line with 1:52 remaining in the game. Matthews completed six consecutive passes as the Bears advanced and the clock ticked down. On the eighth play of the drive, Matthews connected with Marty Booker for a touchdown from nine yards out. Edinger’s extra point made it 21-14, but there were only 28 seconds left.

The Bears, naturally, lined up for an onside kick. It worked to perfection. Edinger’s kick tumbled into a crowd of players from both teams, and the Bears’ Bobbie Howard came away with the ball after a spirited scrum at midfield. “There’s no telling how many times it changed hands,” said Bears head coach Dick Jauron.

Starting from the Cleveland 47-yard line, Matthews completed two short passes to running back James Allen. Now the Bears had 34 yards to go and time enough for one more play. Matthews took the snap, stepped up in the pocket, and flung a Hail Mary pass into the end zone. Of course, a number of players were waiting for the ball to come down. When it did, it ricocheted off a helmet or shoulder and fluttered onto the outstretched fingertips of Allen, who was in a full-out dive. He secured it just inches above the ground for one of the most sensational catches that anyone would ever see. The clock read 0:00. “Can you believe a running back ran all the way down the field to catch that pass?” Browns safety Devin Bush asked incredulously. Edinger’s extra point tied the score, and the game went into overtime.

This time, the extra period lasted almost three minutes—but it ended with déjà vu all over again. After the Bears won the coin toss and failed to move the ball, the Browns took over at their own 28-yard line. On first down, Bears linebacker Rosevelt Colvin sacked Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch. On second down, Couch again went back to pass. Bears defensive end Bryan Robinson tipped the ball, which spun in the air and (wouldn’t you know it?) was caught by Mike Brown, who returned it for his second overtime touchdown in as many weeks. That particular feat had never been done before and is unlikely to be repeated. “When the ball was up in the air,” said Brown, “I was like, ‘I can’t believe it. Here we go again.’” The Bears won 27-21.                           

The Bears had pulled off two of the most miraculous wins in their history in back-to-back games. They won the rest of their regular-season contests except the two against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers, finishing at 13-3 and capturing the NFC Central title. Their playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on January 6, 2002, was the last game ever played at the original Soldier Field.

 

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