Cowboys Lose for Last Time in ’86 as Flutie Leads Bears to 24-10 Win

Making his NFL starting debut, Doug Flutie threw two touchdown passes and set up another score Sunday as the Chicago Bears routed Dallas, 24-10, assuring the Cowboys their first losing season in 22 years.

The performance may have earned Flutie the starting quarterback job for the Bears in the NFL playoffs.

“The little guy is pretty special,” Chicago Coach Mike Ditka said of Flutie. “He makes things happen. He is a winner. He is a great leader.”

Asked if Flutie would start in the playoffs, Ditka said: “I’m leaning heavily that way. His performance speaks for itself. He handled everything just fine.”

Flutie was more critical than Ditka.

“It was still a pretty shaky performance,” Flutie said. “It was a little bit erratic. I made a few plays and I made some things happen but you’ve got to be consistent.”

Asked if he had been told he was the playoff starter, Flutie said, “I don’t know the situation. When he (Ditka) tells me to go out there and play, I will.”

Cowboy Coach Tom Landry praised Flutie for his ability to scramble and get away from the rush.

“Flutie gave them a big lift with those two deep passes,” he said. “We couldn’t contain him. He made some great throws.

“He is short but he’s a winner. He’s going to have to be like Fran Tarkenton and move around a lot. He has a hard time if he tries to stay in the pocket.”

One NFL record was tied in the game and another was broken.

Bear running back Walter Payton tied Jim Brown’s NFL record for rushing touchdowns with a one-yard scoring plunge in the first period that gave Chicago a 7-0 lead.

Chicago set a record for least points allowed in a 16-game season with 187, breaking Pittsburgh’s mark of 195, set in 1978, the first season of 16-game schedules.

The defending Super Bowl champions won the NFC Central Division with a 14-2 record. The Cowboys fell to 7-9, their worst record since they were 5-8-1 in 1964. It was Chicago’s seventh consecutive victory, while Dallas lost seven of its last eight games.

Chicago will play host to a divisional playoff game either Jan. 3 or 4. If Washington defeats the Rams in the NFC wild-card game, the Bears will play the Redskins. Should the Rams win, the Bears will entertain the San Francisco 49ers.

Flutie, Chicago’s fourth starting quarterback in 1986, side-armed touchdown passes of 58 yards to third-string running back Neal Anderson and 33 yards to wide receiver Willie Gault in the second quarter.

He played only the first half, hitting 8 of 14 passes for 152 yards as Chicago built a 21-0 lead. Mike Tomczak and Steve Fuller played for the Bears in the second half.

In his first start for the Cowboys, quarterback Reggie Collier lost two fumbles and was intercepted twice.

Dallas avoided a shutout in the fourth period on Rafael Septien’s 50-yard field goal. The Cowboys scored their only touchdown with nine seconds left on an 11-yard pass from Steve Pelluer to Mike Renfro.

In the third period, Tomczak completed a 21-yard to Dennis Gentry on a flea-flicker to position the Bears for Kevin Butler’s 31-yard third period field goal for a 24-0 lead.

Herschel Walker set a Cowboys’ single-season record for receptions with his 75th catch of the year in the second period.