Читать книгу The 50 Greatest Players in Chicago Bears History - Robert W. Cohen - Страница 22

Sayers scored the first touchdown of his career on an 18-yard run during a 30–28 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on September 25, 1965.

Sayers starred during a 23–14 loss to the Packers on October 3, 1965, scoring both Bears touchdowns on a 6-yard run and a 65-yard pass from quarterback Rudy Bukich. He finished the game with 80 yards rushing and five receptions for 104 yards.

Sayers contributed to a 31–6 victory over the Rams on October 10, 1965, by collaborating with Bukich on an 80-yard scoring play.

Sayers led the Bears to a 45–37 win over the Minnesota Vikings the following week by amassing 297 all-purpose yards and scoring four touchdowns, all of which came in the second half. Displaying his tremendous versatility, Sayers scored his TDs on a 10-yard run, pass plays that covered 18 and 25 yards, and a 96-yard kickoff return.

Sayers topped 100 yards rushing for the first time as a pro during a 35–14 victory over the Giants on November 28, 1965, finishing the game with 13 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns, which came on runs that covered 45 and 15 yards.

Sayers helped lead the Bears to a 13–0 win over a powerful Baltimore Colts squad on December 5, 1965, by rushing for 118 yards and one touch-down, which came on a 61-yard first-quarter run.

Sayers followed that up with a memorable performance against San Francisco on December 12, when, despite playing on a muddy field with poor traction, he led the Bears to a 61–20 rout of the 49ers by rushing for 113 yards, gaining another 89 yards on two pass receptions, amassing 336 yards of total offense, and scoring six touchdowns, which included a short swing pass that he converted into an 80-yard TD, a run of 50 yards, and an 85-yard punt return. Following the conclusion of the contest, Chicago head coach George Halas, who had been in the NFL since its inception in 1920, stated, “It was the greatest performance I have ever seen on the football field.”

Sayers proved to be the difference in a 17–10 win over the Rams on October 23, 1966, rushing for 87 yards and returning a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.

Sayers helped the Bears forge a 10–10 tie with the Detroit Lions on November 6, 1966, by carrying the ball 21 times for 123 yards and one touchdown.

Sayers contributed to a 23–6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on November 27, 1966, by gaining 172 yards on 19 carries and making five receptions for 65 yards.

Sayers led the Bears to a 41–28 win over the Vikings in the final game of the 1966 regular season by returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and rushing for 197 yards and another TD.

Although the Bears lost to the Steelers by a score of 41–13 in the 1967 regular-season opener, Sayers scored again on special teams when he returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown.

Sayers rushed for 142 yards and one touchdown during a 14–3 win over the Detroit Lions on October 15, 1967.

Sayers helped the Bears complete a season-sweep of the Lions by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown during a 27–13 win over Detroit on November 5, 1967.

After scoring six touchdowns against the 49ers two years earlier, Sayers proved to be a one-man wrecking crew again when the Bears traveled to San Francisco on December 3, 1967. Playing on a rain-soaked field at Kezar Stadium, Sayers led the Bears to a 28–14 win by returning the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a 15-yard run, and scoring a third time on a 58-yard punt return. Following the contest, 49ers head coach Jack Christiansen, who revealed that he ordered all his team’s punts to be directed out of bounds after Sayers returned the opening kickoff for a TD, said, “It was a bad field, but it didn’t stop some people.”

Sayers supplied what little offense the Bears mounted during a 10–10 tie with the Vikings on December 10, 1967, carrying the ball 20 times for 131 yards and his team’s lone touchdown.

Sayers again served as the focal point of the Bears offense when they defeated the Falcons by a score of 23–14 in the 1967 regular-season finale, rushing for 120 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns on a 51-yard run and a 32-yard pass from Jack Concannon.

Sayers contributed to a 26–24 victory over the Vikings on October 27, 1968, by rushing for 143 yards and gaining another 33 yards on four pass receptions.

Sayers led the Bears to a 13–10 win over the Packers on November 3, 1968, by carrying the ball 24 times for a career-high 205 yards.