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 the Western Division Championship. In 1949, The Bears continued to be one of the best teams in the NFL. However, they fell one game short of making the Championship game again. The Bears' success continued into 1950 as they began the new decade in style by finishing 9–3, which was good enough to earn them a tie for the Western Division with the Los Angeles Rams and play in the Conference Playoff against them. However, the Bears were unable to slow down the high-powered Ram offense in a 24–14 loss in Los Angeles as the Rams advanced to the NFL