For the second time in three years, the Bears’ flirtation with the playoffs was followed by the letdown of a 7-9 season. Things were beginning to look and sound like a broken record. Payton’s 1,460 yards gave him a fifth consecutive NFC rushing title, his last, and Houston’s Earl Campbell won the league title for the third year in a row.
On Nov. 16, Campbell gained 206 yards against the Bears at Soldier Field while Payton got only 60 in a 10-6 loss reminiscent of the Bears’ 10-7 win over Minnesota in 1977 when Payton gained 275.
The following week the Bears lost in Atlanta after Payton was ejected for jumping up and inadvertently bumping an official who ruled he had fumbled. Films later showed he had not, but this was before replay.
The Bears had slipped to 4-8, yet Payton refused to reveal any disillusionment in public.
“Looking at the schedule, by this time I would have figured we would have lost only one or two games. Asked what had gone wrong, Payton said, “If I knew I would apply for a coaching job.”
On Thanksgiving Day, Dave Williams ended the shortest overtime game by returning the kickoff 95 yards to beat the Lions. Film later revealed Payton leaping on the back of defensive tackle Dan Hampton during the end-zone celebration, grabbing him by the helmet and breaking Hampton’s nose. The Bears couldn’t even rejoice without mishap.
Payton continued to impress teammates, or in the case of hard-hitting safety Doug Plank, frustrate them. Plank had earned a reputation for illegal spearing, which was becoming costly.
“I would watch Walter run and see him put his head down and run over linebackers, spearing them in the chest with his helmet,” Plank said. “And I kept thinking, `Why can’t I use my helmet like that?’ “
Payton was becoming more comfortable acknowledging his place among NFL greats.
“When I came into the NFL, on a scale of 1 to 10, I was only a 5. Now, maybe because of experience and all that, I’ve become an 8,” he said.
Payton scored the first two touchdowns and the seventh in a 61-7 rout of the Packers, another glimpse of potential that never materialized.
The day after Christmas, a week after the disappointment of failing to make the playoffs, Payton and his wife Connie were celebrating the birth of their first child, Jarrett.
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December 7
Payton rushes for 130 yards and three TDs as the Bears rout Green Bay 61-7 at Soldier Field. Payton moves up to No. 6 on the career rushing list and is awarded a game ball.
1980
ATTEMPTS YARDS AVERAGE TD
317 1,460 4.6 6
