Marshall’s Command: How the Bears’ Ruthless Tactics Crushed the Rams in a Legendary Playoff Showdown

Alright, we’ve finally hit the home stretch—dropping the top 3 greatest Chicago Bears playoff wins in the Super Bowl era. Over the course of this countdown, we’ve seen everything: heart-stopping overtime thrillers, jaw-dropping individual heroics, and even weather that seemed determined to throw a curveball. Now, as we close in, the last trio features a pair of crushing blowouts and one legendary comeback that still echoes in the hearts of Bears fans everywhere.

Ranking these games wasn’t a walk in the park, let me tell you. It wasn’t just about the final score or who wore the opponent down. Nope, it was about the context—the gravity of the foe they toppled, the way the Bears dismantled or defied them, and those iconic moments that became part of Chicago lore. A blend of strategy, drama, and sheer force shaped this list, making each game a chapter in the team’s storied postseason saga.

So, buckle up as we rewind over four decades to relive a clash that defined an era—the 1985 Bears, unstoppable and fierce, meeting a Rams offense led by the phenomenal Eric Dickerson. This game was more than just a matchup—it was a battle of wills, a contest between one of the NFL’s most prolific rushers and a defense that wouldn’t quit. What unfolded was a statement victory, punctuated by a moment of pure magic at Soldier Field that encapsulated the spirit of that unforgettable season.

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Well, here it is, we’ve reached the top 3 on our list of the 10 greatest Chicago Bears playoff victories of the Super Bowl era. So far, our list has included overtime, it’s included some elite individual performances, and we’ve seen some crazy weather. In the last three places, we are going to look at two blowouts and one historic comeback.

What went into ranking these games? I think what team they beat matters. I think how they won matters. I believe individual performances within the game matter. Was it dramatic? Did they blow the opponent out? What made the game interesting or compelling from a Bears perspective? All of these factors went into determining how these games should be ranked.

Let’s wind the clock back a shade over 40 years and talk about number 3.

The Chicago Bears entered the 1985 (January of ‘86) NFC Championship game riding high. They had finished off the season 15-1 and had just crushed the New York Giants 21 to 0 the week before.

Oddsmakers had set the Divisional round spread at 9, but that was clearly too generous to the Giants, so before the kickoff against the Rams, they had jumped that number to 10 and a half.

That number was still wildly too low.

The Rams’ offense was built around sensational running back Eric Dickerson. Dickerson was one of the top running backs in the league and was just a year removed from breaking the record for most rushing yards in a single season, a record that remains today.

In the divisional round, Dickerson carried the Rams to a victory, rushing for 248 yards on 34 carries and scoring the Rams’ only two touchdowns of the game in a 20-0 romp of the Dallas Cowboys.

Heading into this game, it was a question of who was going to win this one. The unstoppable Eric Dickerson? Or the impenetrable Chicago Bears defense?

This one was a first-round knockout.

The Bears held Dickerson to just 46 yards on 17 carries. The Rams failed to have any drives cross into the Chicago Bears’ territory. The only time they spent on Chicago’s side of the 50 was due to two drives where they started in Bears territory due to a turnover and a poor punt.

The Bears may not have terrorized Rams QB Dieter Brock as much as they did Phil Simms the week before, but they kept him rattled, and Brock finished the game just 10 of 31 passing for 66 yards and an interception.

The Bears held a 17-0 lead late in the fourth quarter, and that’s when the cinematic ending transpired. The snow began to fall at Soldier Field, Bear Weather had arrived, and the fans were on their feet. The Rams had the ball and were close to crossing into Bears territory. Brock dropped back to pass, Richard Dent came screaming from the outside and ripped Brock down, forcing a fumble. Wilber Marshall scooped up the football, and with an escort from cult hero William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Marshall sped 48 yards for a game-sealing touchdown and a 24-0 Chicago Bears victory.

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That magical moment was kind of the encapsulation of the Chicago Bears’ season. It was one of the most memorable moments from that season. If you ask any Bears fan alive about what plays do they remember the most from the 1985 season, you’ll get a few different answers, but the most popular answers would almost certainly be Jim McMahon’s touchdown to Willie Gault in the comeback against Minnesota, William Perry’s touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers and in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, and Wilber Marshall’s TD on the Dieter Brock fumble in the NFC Championship game.

This game is hard to top, which is why it’s 3rd all-time on our list.