Fog Bowl (American football)

NFL single game infobox
name=1988 NFL Divisional Playoff Game
"The Fog Bowl"


caption=
visitor=Philadelphia Eagles
visitor abbr=PHI
visitor coach=Buddy Ryan
visitor record=10-6
home=Chicago Bears
home abbr=CHI
home coach=Mike Ditka
home record=12-4
visitor qtr1=3
visitor qtr2=6
visitor qtr3=3
visitor qtr4=0
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=12
home qtr1=7
home qtr2=10
home qtr3=0
home qtr4=3
home qtr5=
home total=20
date=December 31, 1988
stadium=Soldier Field
city=Chicago, Illinois
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=CBS
announcers=Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw|In American football, the Fog Bowl was the name given to the December 31, 1988 National Football League (NFL) playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears. A heavy, dense fog rolled over Chicago's Soldier Field during the 2nd quarter, cutting visibility to about 10-20 yards for the rest of the game. Philadelphia moved the ball effectively all day and Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham had 407 passing yards, but they could not get the ball into the end zone; many players complained they could not see the sidelines or first-down markers. The Bears ended up winning 20-12.

Game summary

Chicago scored first with quarterback Mike Tomczak's 64-yard touchdown pass to Dennis McKinnon. The Eagles responded by driving to the Chicago 26-yard line, but kicker Luis Zendejas missed a 43-yard field goal. Philadelphia quickly got the ball back after linebacker Seth Joyner intercepted a pass from Tomczak, and this time they managed to score with Zendejas' 42-yard field goal, but only after committing two costly mistakes: twice on the drive Philadelphia had touchdowns nullified by penalties. The Bears then drove to the Eagles 33-yard line on their ensuing drive, but it stalled and kicker Kevin Butler missed a 51-yard field goal attempt, giving the ball back to Philadelphia with great field position. Cunningham then led the Eagles inside Chicago's 20-yard line where Zendejas kicked a 29-yard field goal to cut the team's deficit to one point, 7-6.

2 possessions later, The Bears drove 44 yards and scored with Neal Anderson's 4-yard touchdown run to give them a 14-6 lead. Both teams scored another field goal before halftime, and they went into their locker rooms with Chicago leading 17-9.

Each team could only score a short field goal in the second half. The fog was so thick that both teams were forced to use their running game because receivers could not see the long passes thrown to them. TV and radio announcers, and the fans in the stadium had trouble seeing what was happening on the field. CBS color commentator Terry Bradshaw, who was working the game, later said he was more frustrated than at any time when he was a player. Referee Jim Tunney ended up announcing the down and distance for each play on his wireless microphone.

Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham finished the game with 407 passing yards, but was unable to lead his team to a single touchdown and was intercepted 3 times. Fullback Keith Byars rushed for 34 yards and caught 9 passes for 103 yards. Tight end Keith Jackson caught 7 passes for 142 yards. Other than his 64-yard touchdown pass, Tomczak was dominated the rest of the game by the Eagles defense, completing only 10 of 20 passes for 174 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. McKinnon finished the game with 4 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Crowd reaction

One clever fan in the stadium created an improvised sign that indicated the crowd's frustration with the situation quite effectively. Network television cameras captured it for the home audience to see. It read "WHAT THE FOG IS GOING ON?"

coring summary

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Eagles
R1=3
R2=6
R3=3
R4=0
RT=12
Home=Bears
H1=7
H2=10
H3=0
H4=3
HT=20
*CHI - McKinnon 64 pass from Tomczak (Butler kick)
*PHI - FG Zendejas 42
*PHI - FG Zendejas 29
*CHI - Anderson 4 run (Butler kick)
*CHI - FG Butler 46
*PHI - FG Zendejas 30
*PHI - FG Zendejas 35
*CHI - FG Butler 27

=Officials=

*Referee: Jim Tunney
*Umpire: Ron Botchan
*Head Linesman: [Tom Johnson
*Line Judge: Bama Glass
*Field Judge: Jack Vaughan
*Side Judge: Dave Parry
*Back Judge: Tom Sifferman

ee also

*NFL playoffs, 1988-89

Notes

References

*cite book|title=Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League|publisher=HarperCollins|id=ISBN 0-06-270174-6