Dan Fortmann team captain, he led the Bears to back-to-back NFL championships in 1940 and 1941 with records of 8–3 and 10–1. After the 1940 season, Fortmann was rated as the best lineman in the NFL. The United Press called him "the heart and soul" of the Bears' ground attack that "rolled up a vast amount of yardage overland." In the 1940 NFL Championship Game, the Bears defeated the Washington Redskins by a 73-0 score. Fortman later cited the 1940 championship game as proof of Halas' skill as a "master of psychology." The Bears had lost to the Redskins three weeks earlier,
History of the Chicago Bears first ever NFL Championship Game. The Bears again captured the championship in a nail biter against the New York Giants, 23–21 as Red Grange made the game-winning tackle. In 1934, the Bears dominated the league and finished 13–0, but were denied perfection, losing 30–13 to the Giants in the NFL Championship, what became known as the "Sneakers Game." The Bears would play in the Championship game two more times in the decade, losing both of them. In 1935 and 1936, the Bears remained somewhat competitive, but failed to qualify for the Championship Game. In 1937, the Bears made a return