1966 NFL Week 15

"GAME-OF-THE-WEEK"

Sunday December 18, 1966

Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings

Wrigley Field, Chicago

Another rare "Lost Game" of NFL Films has been released on DVD exclusively by Rare Sportsfilms, Inc.! After being shown only one time as the NFL "Game-of-the-Week" in 1966, this game, narrated by Lindsey Nelson, was never again offered to the public - not even in the NFL Films Special Order Catalog, which was closed forever in 2023!

Both teams have had poor seasons as the 4-8-1 Minnesota Vikings visit Wrigley Field for the final game of the season. Since upsetting the Packers in Green Bay six weeks earlier, they had not won and were looking to stop a 5-game losing streak. Since the back-to-back ties against the Lions and 49'ers, the 4-7-2 Bears themselves were only 1-3, and that win was against the first-year Falcons! With their two great stars Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers, the Bears were hoping to finish the season with a win for their fans at home.

It's a dark, cold day on a muddy Wrigley Field, as Sayers takes Fred Cox's kick on the ten and scampers 90 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the game! Minnesota QB Fran Tarkenton moves the Vikings goalward with passes to Dave Osborn and Paul Flatley, then finds Tom Hall with a 14-yard TD pass which ties the score at 7-7. Chicago answers as first downs by Mike Ditka, Sayers, and Ralph Kurek move the ball to the three, from which Sayers scores his second TD, putting Chicago back in front 14-7. But Tarkenton's 15-yard TD run soon ties the score again at 14-14. The second quarter opens with a 32-yard FG by Roger LeClerc (17-14). Then a first-down Bukich pass from the Bear 20 hits Jimmy Jones in the flat, and Jones goes 80 yards for a Chicago TD, raising the score to 24-14 Bears. The first half ends with a Rudy Bukich 12-yard TD run, making the score Bears 31, Vikings 14.

To begin the second half, Tarkenton and Dave Osborn lead a 70-yard drive to the Chicago ten. On second and goal from the six, Preston Carpenter gets a handoff and scores, making it Bears 31, Vikings 21. After holding the Bears, Minnesota regains possession and Tarkenton starts another third-quarter drive. On first and goal at the Bear three, Dave Osborn takes Tarkenton's short pass for a touchdown and the Vikings have come back to within three points, 31-28. Sayers fields Cox's kickoff at the Chicago eight and gets 26 yards out to the Bear 34. On the next play he gets 18 more to the Vikings 48. Gale then runs for 22 more and, with a roughing penalty, the Bears have the ball at the Viking 11. Two running plays by Jon Arnett get the touchdown and Chicago extends the lead to 38-28.

After recovering a late-game Viking fumble, the Bears' final drive stalls deep in Minnesota territory, and Roger LeClerc boots a 17-yard FG to bring the final score to 41-28 for Chicago. Star of the game is Gale Sayers, who ran for 197 yards on 17 carries, establishing a new Bear single-game record formerly held by Rick Casares. In all, the fabulous halfback accounted for a total of 313 yards for the day and boosted his season rushing total to more than 1,230 yards, to win the NFL rushing title - the first halfback to do that since Steve Van Buren in 1949! Other Bears you'll see in this game are Ed O'Bradovich, Rosey Taylor, Benny McRae, Richie Petitbon, Doug Atkins, Curtis Gentry, Dick Evey, Jim Purnell, Mike Reilly, Frank Cornish, and Ronnie Bull. Other Vikings shown are Bill Brown, Jim Marshall, Karl Kassulke, Grady Alderman, George Rose, Dale Hackbart, Jeff Williams, Don Hansen, and more!

To order your own DVD of this rare film, send $29.95 plus $4.60 S & H to:
(Illinois residents must add $2.30 state sales tax)