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When Mike Ditka’s 1984 Bears played the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, their 23-0 loss at Candlestick Park might not have seemed like a prelude to greatness. They put up a fight in the first half but never really threatened with Steve Fuller at quarterback.
But to Ditka, it was a statement game. And he literally made one.
“We will be back,” he said confidently afterward.
Those Bears famously kept that promise, of course, setting a standard for success in 1985 that no Bears team has been able to match since.