The Chicago Bears have owned an all-time winning record against the Green Bay Packers since the 1930s. After Sunday’s game the Packers are one victory away from evening the series at .500.*
Sunday’s victory gave Packers fans iron-clad bragging rights over Bears fans until Thanksgiving, which is an incredibly satisfying perk. But it’s also gave reason to step back and appreciate how lob-sided this rivalry has been since Mike Holmgren took over in Green Bay.
The Packers’ march back to .500 is a perfect case study about what happens when one franchise has back-to-back Hall of Fame quarterbacks while another is forced to start Jim Miller and Chad Hutchinson. It’s no coincidence that since 1994 the Packers are 33-11 against their oldest rival, including a ridiculous 19-4 record in games played in Illinois
In a league carefully designed to foster parity, one team should not consistently be better than another. It’s to the point where fans born in the mid-1980s (like myself) expect to beat the Bears. I’m sure fans that were sentient during the mid-1980s experienced the opposite feeling. (I imagine it’s what it feels like watching the Milwaukee Brewers play the St. Louis Cardinals.)
While it’s scary to think about, it’s entirely possible that one day the fortunes will flip. Indeed, that is a scary thought, so I’m going to get back to being positive.
This success against the Bears projects to last as long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy and playing quarterback for the Packers. Hopefully he’ll be an MVP calibre quarterback until the year 2074, but that might be asking a too much. In the meantime let’s both revel in the most recent win and appreciate what’s happened in this rivalry since 1994.
*The Bears currently lead the all-time series 92-91-6.