Jim McMahon has a complicated legacy with the Chicago Bears. He was a #5 overall pick, one of just two Pro Bowlers the team has fielded at quarterback since 1970, and won a Super Bowl. At the same time, he was known for lack of discipline at times, being injury-prone, and loving to question authority. One reputation he always lived up to was being an instigator. McMahon wasn’t afraid to run his mouth. Most of the time fellow teammates Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael didn’t mind that.
That changed when the chance to win a championship was on the table.
McMahon was a lightning rod for media attention the entire week leading up to Super Bowl XX. While most of it was harmless fun, he did get in hot water with one of his comments about the host city New Orleans. Something that earned him death threats from citizens. According to Dan Pompei of The Athletic, the two star defensive tackles made one thing clear. That clown act better not affect his play on Sunday.
Hampton thought quarterback Jim McMahon was soft. He told him as much, and he shared the opinion with the media.
When death threats were made against McMahon after he had been accused of calling the women of New Orleans “sluts,” most of his teammates kept their distance from him during an outdoor practice leading up to the Super Bowl. The King and Ming did not.
“Don’t worry about that death threat,” Hampton told him. “But if you don’t play well on Sunday, the two of us will kill you.”
Jim McMahon appeared to take that promise literally
Hampton and McMichael were one of the two toughest players in the NFL. Not just on the Bears. They were widely feared and respected in equal measure. Hampton for his part was never a fan of McMahon and wasn’t afraid to say it. So the quarterback knew those guys were probably dead serious about that promise. This explains why he made sure to play well.
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McMahon finished the afternoon against the New England Patriots with 256 yards passing on just 20 attempts. He also scored two rushing touchdowns, establishing himself as the offensive MVP of the game. He probably didn’t need to worry too much. Hampton, McMichael, and the rest of the defense smothered the Patriots all game long, allowing just one field goal the entire time they were on the field. Chicago cruised to a 46-10 blowout.