The Oldest Rivalry in the NFL

Packer hat. 1/3/2026 dwm

Sunday was the 211th time the Chicago Bears played the Green Bay Packers. It's the oldest rivalry in professional football.

When I was growing up it was a lopsided affair with the Bears ahead of the Packers by 20 or more wins. The NFL schedule makes it difficult to catch up because if you split the series, nobody moves.

The Packers of my childhood went to the playoffs twice, under coach Dan Devine in 1972 and coach Bart Starr in 1982. The other seasons during the 1970s and 80s were spent losing. From that vantage point, when we did manage to beat Chicago it was a big deal, in spite of the fact my team wasn't going to the playoffs.

Then Brett Favre happened. 

In 1992, new General Manager Ron Wolf wanted to get the gun slinger from Mississippi State to lead the Pack. Wolf wanted to draft Favre a year earlier, but didn't have the authority to make the move. Now the man in charge in Green Bay, he had the power and made the move. The first two years of the 90s, Chicago won the first four games over two seasons, Green Bay split the series the next two years with Favre under center, then only lost once more to the Bears in the 1990s.

Since 1990, Green Bay won 52 of the 72 meetings with the Bears, including Sunday night, which pitted a Chicago Bears team at the top of the National Football Conference standings and the leader in the NFC North Division by a half-game. 

The 1996 Super Boal hat. dwm photo

 Green Bay got off to a good start except for a Jordan Love interception. Other than that, Love was in fine form and provided a steady hand when the Packers needed to get a go-ahead touchdown. 

 The Packer defense responded well, playing with their backs against a wall, Keishan Nixon intercepted Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to seal the win with a final score of 28 to 21. For this week, Green Bay is at the top of the division and in second place of the NFC. 

 The all-time series now improves the Packer lead to 108 wins, 95 losses, and 6 ties. The division rivals have played two playoff games, each team winning one.

Thanks to two Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterbacks in Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, the Packers took a strong lead over the Windy City. It appears that with Jordan Love now in charge, Green Bay may be able to at least maintain the lead or extend it.