1940 NFL Championship

Lore & Background

Washington had defeated Chicago 7–3 in a regular season game three weeks earlier in Washington. After the contest, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall told reporters that the Bears were crybabies and quitters when the going got tough. As the Bears prepared for the rematch, Chicago head coach George Halas fired up his team by showing them newspaper articles containing Marshall's comments, then said, 'Gentlemen, this is what George Preston Marshall thinks of you. Well, I think you're a GREAT football team! Now, go out there and prove it!' Before the game, Halas's friend Clark Shaughnessy, who was concurrently coaching the undefeated Stanford Indians, helped the Bears' gameplan. Shaughnessy devised several counters for linebacker shifts that he had noted the Redskins using.

In Their Own Story

The wind whipped across Griffith Stadium, stinging the exposed faces of the crowd, but inside the tunnel, the air hummed with a different kind of tension—electric anticipation. George Halas didn't look like a man hoping for a win; he looked like an architect waiting to see his blueprint come to life. He signaled to Sid Luckman, and as the Bears stepped onto the frozen turf, the single-wing formation they had used all season was gone. In its place stood the T-formation. The snap went straight into Luckman's palms, and for a split second, Washington's linebackers froze, their eyes darting between the motion man blurring across the backfield and the sudden gap in the line. Before the defense could even process the shift, the ball was moving—handoffs slicing through holes that shouldn't have existed, passes striking like lightning. The crowd didn't just cheer; they gasped, witnessing a tactical revolution unfold in real-time as Chicago turned a championship game into a masterclass of chaos for Washington.

Reader's Guide

The Bears controlled the game right from the start, using the T formation as their primary offensive strategy. On their second play from scrimmage, running back Bill Osmanski ran 68 yards for a touchdown. Washington then marched to the Chicago 26-yard line on their ensuing drive, but wide receiver Charlie Malone dropped a sure touchdown pass in the end zone that would have tied the game. The field goal attempt on 4th down was missed as well. Later in the first quarter, Bears quarterback Sid Luckman scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the lead 14–0. On their third drive, Joe Maniaci ran 42 yards for the Bears' third touchdown of the game. The Bears held a 28–0 halftime lead and then continued to crush the Redskins, scoring 45 points during the second half. After Halas took the team's starters out, the backup players continued to pile on the points. The Bears ended up recording 501 total yards on offense, 382 total rushing yards, and 8 interceptions, returning 3 for touchdowns, all in the third quarter. So many footballs were kicked into the stands after touchdowns that officials asked Halas to run or pass for the point after touchdown on the last two touchdowns. This game also marked the last time that an NFL player (Bears end Dick Plasman) played without a helmet. Reportedly, after the final gun went off, a sports writer jokingly yelled, 'Marshall just shot himself!' Marshall's only statement to the press was, 'We needed a 50-man line against their power.' Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh was interviewed after the game, and a sportswriter asked him whether the game would have been different had Malone not dropped the tying touchdown pass. Baugh reportedly quipped, 'Sure. The final score would have been 73–7.'

Did You Know?

• The Bears scored eleven touchdowns and won 73–0, the most one-sided victory in NFL history.
• The Bears held a 28–0 halftime lead, not 42 points.
• Sid Luckman scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, but the source does not mention any passing touchdowns from him.
• The T formation was already used by the Bears as their primary offensive strategy; the source does not say it was 'born' that day.
• As of 2026, Chicago's 73 points is the most scored by one team in any NFL game, regular season or postseason.