NFC Divisional Round at Soldier Field on Sat December 31, 1988. The Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) travel to face the Chicago Bears (12-4) in the NFC second-round matchup. Known as the 'Fog Bowl' after fog rolled in over Lake Michigan.
Mike Ditka year seven as head coach. Mike Tomczak at quarterback. Neal Anderson at running back. The Eagles start Randall Cunningham. Anthony Toney at running back. Keith Jackson at tight end. Buddy Ryan in year third.[1][2]
The Saturday-afternoon NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field will become known as the Fog Bowl. Mike Ditka's Bears are the NFC's No. 1 seed and the conference's best defense. Buddy Ryan's Eagles, after the 1988 W17 Saints win that clinched the NFC East, come into the Sunday matchup off the bye.
The wire-copy line treated the matchup as a Bears home favorite by 8 points; the fog that rolled in late in the second quarter made the game one of the most-unusual football matchups in NFL history.
Divisional Round Saturday opens the playoffs' second weekend. The Bears (NFC #1) host the Eagles (NFC #4). The 49ers (NFC #2) host the Vikings (NFC #4). The Bengals (AFC #1) host the Seahawks. The Bills (AFC #2) host the Oilers. The Saturday-afternoon NFC matchup is the year's first divisional game.
Through the regular season the Bears finished 12-4 and the Eagles finished 10-6. Mike Tomczak 1,310 reg season passing yards across nine starts. Neal Anderson 253 carries for 1,106. Randall Cunningham 3,808 reg season yards, 24 TDs, 16 INTs. Keith Jackson 81 catches for 869. Anthony Toney 195 carries for 727.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10-6 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 12-4 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8-7-1 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11-1 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-6 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 12-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-12 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 10-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 7-9 | L5 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-13 | L1 |
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The Duel on Dirt! (Bills vs. Browns, 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs) | NFL Vault Highlights| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Robb Riddick 1 yard rush (Scott Norwood kick) | 0-7 |
| Oilers | Tony Zendejas 35 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Thurman Thomas 11 yard rush (Scott Norwood kick) | 3-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Scott Norwood 27 yard field goal | 3-17 |
| Oilers | Mike Rozier 1 yard rush (Tony Zendejas kick) | 10-17 |
Mike Tomczak threw a 64-yard touchdown to Dennis McKinnon, Kevin Butler made two field goals, and the Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-12 at Soldier Field in the NFC Divisional Round. Tomczak finished 11 of 25 for 175 yards. Neal Anderson ran for 80. The game was played in fog so thick that visibility dropped to 15 yards in the second half. Randall Cunningham threw for 407 yards with one touchdown. The Bears improved to 13-4 and advanced to the NFC Championship.[1][2]
The Fog Bowl. Fog rolled in over Lake Michigan in the second half and visibility dropped to roughly 15 yards. The Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-12 at Soldier Field on Mike Tomczak's 64-yard touchdown pass to Dennis McKinnon and Kevin Butler's two field goals.
Tomczak finished 11 of 25 for 175 yards with one touchdown (Dennis McKinnon 64-yarder in the first quarter). Neal Anderson ran 18 for 80. Brad Muster six for 19. Dennis McKinnon two for 71 with the touchdown. The Bears' offensive line produced no sacks but the run game (32 carries for 96 yards) carried the offense through the fog.
Randall Cunningham finished 27 of 54 for 407 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Cunningham ran 7 for 23. Heath Sherman 14 carries for 36. Keith Jackson 7 catches for 142. Cris Carter 6 for 110. The Eagles' offense produced 407 passing yards but the kind of three-zero touchdown-pass afternoon the fog limited. Roger Ruzek kicked four field goals (28, 21, 21, 36).
Bears 20, Eagles 12. Margin: plus 8. NFC Divisional Round (Fog Bowl).
A 20-12 NFC Divisional Round home win for the Chicago Bears over the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. The 'Fog Bowl' will become one of the most-remembered single-game playoff atmospheres in NFL history.
How it unfolded
Dennis McKinnon caught a 64-yard touchdown from Tomczak for the early Bears lead. Roger Ruzek kicked a 28-yarder. Butler added a 28-yard field goal. Ruzek made a 21-yarder. Butler added a 21-yarder for 13-6 at the half. Ruzek made a 21-yarder. Cunningham produced one fourth-quarter touchdown drive that ended with Ruzek's 36-yard field goal for the final 20-12.
The turning point
The fog. By the third quarter, visibility had dropped to roughly 15 yards. Cunningham's 407 passing yards came mostly in the first half before the fog set in; the second-half Eagles offense produced no touchdowns and four Roger Ruzek field-goal attempts. The Bears' defensive front produced four sacks of Cunningham as the fog limited the Eagles' deep ball.
By the numbers
Tomczak 11 of 25 for 175 with the long touchdown. Cunningham 27 of 54 for 407 with one interception. Keith Jackson seven catches for 142.
What it means
13-4. NFC Championship at home next Sunday against the 49ers.
| Oilers | Bills | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 20 | 18 |
| Total Yards | 351 | 372 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/33 | 19/33 |
| Pass yards | 240 | 244 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 14 | 7 |
| Net pass yards | 226 | 237 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 26 | 29 |
| Rush yards | 125 | 135 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 5 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 8 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 60 | 57 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | |||||
| Warren Moon | 17/33 | 240 | 0 | 1 | 62.7 |
| BUF | |||||
| Jim Kelly | 19/33 | 244 | 0 | 1 | 68.2 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | ||||
| Alonzo Highsmith | 5 | 57 | 0 | 31 |
| Mike Rozier | 13 | 44 | 1 | 8 |
| Allen Pinkett | 3 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Warren Moon | 5 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| BUF | ||||
| Thurman Thomas | 7 | 75 | 1 | 40 |
| Jamie Mueller | 7 | 24 | 0 | 14 |
| Jim Kelly | 3 | 18 | 0 | 10 |
| Robb Riddick | 9 | 12 | 1 | 5 |
| Ronnie Harmon | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Carl Byrum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andre Reed | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | ||||
| Haywood Jeffires | 5 | 78 | 0 | 27 |
| Drew Hill | 4 | 62 | 0 | 21 |
| Leonard Harris | 2 | 44 | 0 | 29 |
| Ernest Givins | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Allen Pinkett | 2 | 21 | 0 | 15 |
| Curtis Duncan | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Alonzo Highsmith | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| BUF | ||||
| Andre Reed | 6 | 91 | 0 | 53 |
| Ronnie Harmon | 5 | 58 | 0 | 17 |
| Chris Burkett | 3 | 55 | 0 | 26 |
| Trumaine Johnson | 3 | 31 | 0 | 18 |
| Pete Metzelaars | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Jamie Mueller | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
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