Bears–Packers rivalry

The Bears–Packers or the Packers–Bears rivalry is a sports rivalry between two professional American football teams in the National Football League (NFL), the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The two clubs have won a combined 22 NFL championships (including 5 Super Bowls) and have 48 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The rivalry began in 1921 and is the league's longest rivalry, with 184 regular-season and post-season games.^[1] (Note that the rivalry is not the league's longest continuous—played at least once every year—rivalry, as the 1982 strike-shortened NFL season did not include a Packers-Bears game. That title goes to the Bears-Lions(/Spartans) rivalry, who have played at least once a year since 1930.) Because both the Packers and Bears are in the same division—the NFC North—they play each other twice every regular season.

Chicago currently leads the all-time series, 92–86–6.

Notable moments and games

• Bears 3, Packers 0 (November 23, 1924) – The Bears–Packers rivalry can be credited for the first ever ejection of players for fighting during a game. The Bears' Frank Hanny and the Packers' Walter Voss were ejected before the end of the first half as verbal exchanges led to punches being thrown. Two years later, Hanny was ejected once again in a game versus Green Bay.
• Packers 7, Bears 0 (September 28, 1930) – The Packers shut out the Bears for the fifth consecutive game in this contest which is the longest such streak in the series. The streak began in 1928 when the Packers defeated the Bears 6-0 on December 9 of that season.^[2] In 1929 the Packers shut out the Bears three times, 23-0, 14-0, and 25-0 en route to their first NFL championship.^[3][4] Later that season, on November 9, the Bears would finally score on the Packers although they came up short in the final score 13-12.^[5] The Packers would go on to win their second consecutive NFL title that season.^[6]
• Packers 16, Bears 14 (November 2, 1941) – The Bears came into the game undefeated and seemingly invincible. Over their first five games, they defeated their rivals by an unprecedented 157 points.^[7] However, the Packers upset them in this game which would be the Bears lone defeat that season. The Associated Press deemed the game as the "Chicago Bears Myth is Broken".^[8] Chicago fans made accusations that the game had been fixed,^[9] and it was suggested that the Packers had employed a "secret" defensive scheme.^[10] The Packers had built a 16-0 lead through the first three quarters of play before the Bears mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter coming up just short of a win.^[11]
• Bears 33, Packers 14 (December 14, 1941) – In the first playoff meeting between these two rivals, the Bears defeated the Packers 33–14 in a one-game-playoff to determine the Western Division championship. After the Packers, the Bears defeated the New York Giants en route to their fourth NFL Championship. Until the 2010 post-season, this remained the only playoff meeting between the teams.
• Packers 49, Bears 0 (September 30, 1962) – Vince Lombardi's Packers shutout the George Halas' Bears, 49-0 at City Stadium, the Packers largest margin of victory in the rivalry. Strangely, the team repeated that exact score against the Eagles six weeks later on Nov. 11, 1962. The games remain a Packers team record for most points in a shutout victory. After again humiliating the Bears later in the season, this time by a score of 38-7, the Packers would go on to win their 8th NFL championship. Motivated by the two humiliating losses to the Packers, Halas would spend the off season focusing on beating the Packers. In 1963, the Bears handed the Packers their only two losses, and would themselves win their 8th NFL championship.
• Packers 23, Bears 12 (September 13, 1964) – Remembered as the "Free Kick Game" because the Packers invoked the surprising "Fair catch kick rule", which allows for a place or drop kick field goal attempt from the spot of a fair catch. Elijah Pitts fair caught a Bears punt on the Bears' 48 yard-line just before the end of the first half. Packers' coach Vince Lombardi opted to attempt a free kick. Confusion ensued as neither team had ever so much as even practiced a free kick. The Packers lined up at the line of scrimmage with Bart Starr holding for Paul Hornung. Hornung made the 52-yard field goal as the first half ended. The Packers stunned all in attendance with the kick, and went on to win the game 23-12.
• Bears 13, Packers 10 (November 3, 1968) - The Bears got their revenge on the Packers, beating them 13-10 on a fair catch free kick by Mac Percival.
• Bears 2, Packers 0 (August 7, 1971) – Although it was only an exhibition — Dan Devine's first as head coach of the Packers — it will long be remembered as an exercise in futility. The Bears won when 6-foot-7 quarterback Frank Patrick of the Packers, who had been drafted as a tight end the year before and miscast as a quarterback, faded back to pass in the third quarter and faded too far, beyond the end line at Milwaukee's County Stadium for a safety and the only score of the game.
• Packers 12, Bears 6 (September 7, 1980) - With the score tied 6-6 and the game in overtime, Packers kicker Chester Marcol was called in to attempt a game-winning field goal. The Bears’ Alan Page managed to break through and block the field goal, with the football hitting his helmet. The ball rebounded back to the bespectacled Marcol, and before anyone on the field had realized what happened, the scared-to-death Marcol crossed the goal line to score the winning touchdown for the Packers.
• Bears 61, Packers 7 (December 7, 1980) - After the Packers had suffered the second most lopsided defeat in their history, Bart Starr charged across the field to confront Bears coach Neill Armstrong. Starr was upset because defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan had the Bears blitzing from all angles in the fourth quarter. "Bart Starr was upset," Armstrong said after the game. "He did the talking and I did the listening. He said he'd rather not hear what I had to say, something to that effect, and he left." Two years later, Bill Tobin, the Bears' vice president of player personnel at the time, revealed that he had been instructed by general manager Jim Finks during the off-season to study film and decode the Packers' signal system for relaying plays to the quarterback. Tobin, who had been in the Packers' front office during the Devine years, had been fired by Starr in 1975 as part of a wholesale housecleaning. "I went at it like a tiger does good meat," Tobin said at the time. "We wanted 100 points," defensive end Dan Hampton said. "It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of (expletive)."
• Bears 23, Packers 7 (October 21, 1985) – The world was introduced to William "The Refrigerator" Perry on Monday Night football. In goal line situations, Bears head coach Mike Ditka used rookie defensive lineman William Perry, who weighed roughly 350 lbs. in the fullback position. Twice, Perry led the way for Bears legend Walter Payton on two and one yard touchdown runs. In the second quarter, "the Fridge" was given the ball and plunged into the end zone for one of the heaviest touchdowns in NFL history. The Bears won 23-7, and "The Fridge" was born.
• Bears 16, Packers 10 (November 10, 1985) – Two weeks after the Monday Night Game, tempers reached a boiling point in the rivalry. Packers cornerback Mark Lee was ejected after he and Bears running back Walter Payton went flying over a bench in the first quarter.^[12] A few minutes later, Packers safety Ken Stills was flagged for leveling Matt Suhey, Payton's backfield mate, well after the whistle.
• Bears 12, Packers 10 (November 23, 1986) – In Week 12 of the 1986 season Green Bay defensive tackle Charles Martin wore a towel with a hit list of specific Bears numbers written on it, such as #34, Walter Payton, #9 Jim McMahon, and others. Following a McMahon interception Martin came up from behind and body slammed him to the turf,^[12] separating McMahon's shoulder, ending the quarterback's season. Martin would be suspended for two games, at the time the longest suspension in NFL history.
• Packers 14, Bears 13 (November 5, 1989) – This would become known as the Instant Replay Game.^[13] Packers quarterback Don Majkowski led the Packers to a comeback with an apparent game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Sterling Sharpe. Initially the play was called a touchdown, but line judge Jim Quirk had called a penalty on Majkowski for being beyond the line of scrimmage when he threw the pass. A nervous and tense crowd at Lambeau Field waited as the call went up to the instant replay official. Several minutes later, the call came down and the touchdown was awarded as recorded by instant replay, providing the Packers their first victory over the Bears since 1984. This led to a change in the "illegal forward pass" rule which defined when to consider a passer past the line of scrimmage. The rule formerly was judged by the position of the ball instead of the passer's feet. Bears coach Mike Ditka ordered that an asterisk be placed next to the result in all team publications.
• Packers 33, Bears 6 (October 31, 1994) Playing with a severely bruised hip in a driving rainstorm at Soldier Field, Brett Favre rushes for a career-high 58 yards - including a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter when he leaped over a Bears defender.^[14] After the game Favre said "Maybe Gale Sayers (who had his number retired that night along with Dick Butkus) got excited about that one,".^[15] With a win in that game, Green Bay began a ten game winning streak against the Bears as Favre was considered a "Bear-killer"^[16] by members of the Chicago Bears media and fans alike.^[17] This game marked the beginning of two streaks in the series. The Packers would win ten consecutive games in the series (the longest between the two clubs) and also eleven consecutive away games - a streak that would not end until the 2005 season.^[18]
• Packers 27, Bears 24 (September 11, 1995) Brett Favre throws a 99-yard touchdown pass to Robert Brooks - one of only 13 times in NFL history a 99 yard TD pass has ever been completed.^[14] Green Bay stormed to a 27-7 lead and had 431 yards on offense compared to Chicago's 243, Although Chicago scored 17 unanswered at the end, they came up just sort as time expired. The game was featured nationally on Monday Night Football.^[19]
• Packers 35, Bears 28 (November 12, 1995) Coming into this much-anticipated matchup, first place in the NFC Central division was on the line. A victory would give the Packers the same record as the Bears (6–4) and would mean a series sweep, giving Green Bay the head-to-head tie-breaker should the teams be tied at season's end. Brett Favre had a badly sprained ankle, which kept his status for the game uncertain. He had not been able to practice all week until the Friday prior to the game. Not only did Favre start, but he had his best game of the season up to that point. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 336 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Bears QB Erik Kramer also had a solid game, going 23 of 38 for 318 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The teams combined for 800 yards of offense. The game was not decided until LeRoy Butler intercepted Kramer in the end zone on fourth-down-and-two with less than two minutes left to play.^[20]
• Packers 24, Bears 23 (October 12, 1997) In one of the more back-and-forth contests in the rivalry, the Bears got off to a 10–0 lead thanks in part to a rushing touchdown by Raymont Harris in the first quarter before the Packers came back to take a 14–10 halftime lead due to a rushing score by Dorsey Levens. In the third quarter, Erik Kramer ran for a three-yard touchdown to put the Bears back in front, 17–14. However, in the waning seconds of the third quarter, Brett Favre connected with Mark Chmura for a touchdown. The Packers led, 21–17, then extended their lead to 24–17. The Bears marched down the field and scored when Kramer connected with Chris Penn with less than two minutes left. In an "all-or-nothing" maneuver, the Bears went for a two-point conversion. The pass fell incomplete, essentially preserving the win for the Packers.^[21]
• Bears 14, Packers 13 (November 7, 1999) – In their first game since the passing of running back Walter Payton, the Bears defeated the Packers for the first time since 1993 on a blocked field goal by defensive tackle Bryan Robinson.

• Packers 34, Bears 21 (October 7, 2002) - This Monday night contest at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, was the only Bears home game in the entire series that was played outside of Chicago. Brett Favre threw an 85-yard TD pass to Donald Driver in the first quarter—the second longest of his career to that point. At the time, Soldier Field was undergoing a major renovation.
• Bears 26, Packers 0 (September 10, 2006) – In the opening week of the season, the Bears handed Brett Favre his first shutout in his 16-year career, winning 26–0 in Green Bay. The Bears' offense, criticized for being conservative, opened the game with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Rex Grossman to Bernard Berrian. This also marked the first game in which the Bears' Devin Hester returned a punt for a touchdown.
• Bears 20, Packers 17 (December 22, 2008) – In the coldest game in recorded Bears history, with a temperature at kickoff of 2 degrees and -13 degrees with wind chill, the Packers traveled to Soldier Field, where a victory against the Bears would have ended their playoff hopes. The Bears had to rally from a 14–3 score at the half. The Bears were able to score after a turnover on a Packers punt return. The Packers were on the verge of finishing a game-winning drive when Mason Crosby's field goal attempt was blocked by Alex Brown, pushing the game to overtime. The Bears took the first possession in overtime and won the game on a 38-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.
• Packers 21, Bears 14 (January 23, 2011 NFC Championship Game). This was the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs since 1941. The Green Bay Packers started off strong with an early 14-0 lead on an Aaron Rodgers rushing TD. Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler, was injured late in the second quarter, and was unable to continue. After Bears quarterback Todd Collins proved ineffective, going 0 for 4 on two drives, the Bears brought in Caleb Hanie, who scored a touchdown to make it 14-7. On the very next Bears drive however, Hanie would be intercepted by B.J. Raji, who took it to the endzone to make it 21-7 late. The Bears would answer with another TD. With one more drive to tie the game, Hanie threw his second interception, this time to Sam Shields. The Packers went on to win super bowl XLV.
• Packers 35, Bears 21 (December 25, 2011). Following a four-game losing streak for the Bears upon quarterback Jay Cutler breaking his thumb, the Packers kept the Bears out of the playoffs by beating them on Christmas Day. Josh McCown replaced Caleb Hanie as the Bears quarterback in this game.

Playoffs

The Bears and Packers have made it to the playoffs in the same year only 4 times.

• 1941 The Bears would go on to win the championship early on in the rivalry. This was also the only playoff game in which the two teams had played against each other until the NFC Championship game of the 2010 season.

• 1994 Both teams won first round games only to be knocked out in the second round games, seeing the 49ers go on to win the Super Bowl.

• 2001 The Bears had a first round bye but the Packers were the only one of the two teams to win a playoff game this year. The Packers had also given the Bears 2 of their 3 regular season losses that season. The Bears were knocked out at home by the Eagles while the Packers lost to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up Rams.

• 2010 The two teams met on the last day of the season in what was a must win for Green Bay. The Packers won to capture the last wild card spot, while the Bears had already secured a first-round bye. Green Bay clinched a trip to the NFC Championship by virtue of a 21-16 win over Philadelphia in the Wild Card round and then defeating Atlanta, 48-21, in a divisional playoff. The Bears defeated Seattle in the other divisional playoff, 35-24. Both teams advanced to the NFC Championship game, only their second playoff game against each other. Many fans of both teams describe the game as the biggest in the history of the rivalry, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The Packers would ultimately prevail 21-14 and go on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

Statistics and records

As of December 25, 2011, there have been 184 games between the two teams—most in NFL history—since their first league game in 1921, of which the Bears have won 92 and the Packers 86.^[22][23] The largest margin of victory was a 61–7 Bears win on December 7, 1980. The longest winning streak is held by the Packers at 10 games from 1994-1998. After beating the Bears four times in 2011, the Packers became only the second team in NFL history to defeat the same opponent four times in one calendar year (the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos four times in 1994).^[24]

Club success

As of 2011, the Bears and Packers are the NFL's two most successful franchises. The two clubs have won a combined 22 championships in the league's 92-year history.

Table correct as of February 7, 2011

Summary of results

Updated December 25, 2011.

Individual game results

This is a list of results from all of the meetings between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers from their first meeting in 1921 to the present.

1920s (Bears 7–6–3)

1930s (Bears 12–11–1)

1940s (Bears 16–4–1)

1950s (Bears 14–5–1)

1960s (Packers 15–5)

1970s (Bears 11–9)

1980s (Bears 11–7)

1990s (Packers 13–7)

2000s (Packers 12–8)

2010s (Packers 4-1)

* - Denotes a Playoff Game

References