7 Best Moments In the Bears vs. Packers Rivarly

The Bears and Packers have had one of, if not THE most storied rivalries in NFL history. But what have been the best?

Maybe some of these have not been great in terms of the Bears, but all of these were defining moments.

These two teams have combined to win 22 NFL Championships and have 48 members in the Hall of Fame.

It is also the longest rivalry in NFL history, with 182 games between them. The Bears currently lead the all-time series, 92–84–6. 

Meanwhile, let's take a look at some of the best moments from this incredible journey.

November 27, 1921: Staleys 20, Packers 0

So the Bears weren't even the Bears back then, but this game between the Packers and the Chicago Staleys must be included in the all-time moments because it started it all.

That season, George Halas had the Packers removed from the league so that Chicago could take one of their players.

Then they let them back in the league.

Yep, the rivalry was already brewing.

Their first game was at Wrigley Field and the Bears came out on top, 20-0.

October 21, 1985: Introducing the Fridge

the Bears beat the Packers 23-7 but it was the debut of the Bears' first-round draft pick in 1985 that was the most memorable.

Perry was a huge (at the time) defensive end known as "The Fridge," for his enormous size. 

And in this 1985 Monday Night Football matchup, he got to play on the offense.

Given the rivalry between the two teams, it was only fitting that it was the Packers that got to taste the  Fridge lined up at fullback near the goal line, clearing the way to allow Walter Payton to score.

As he sang in the Super Bowl Shuffle, "When we kick and pass, we'll have more fun..." The Bears certainly had fun that season as they went on to win it all.

January 2, 2011: A "Meaningless" Game?

The Packers needed a win in the last game of the regular season to make the playoffs.

But for the Bears, it was all but meaningless, as they had already sowed up the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

As it turns out, however, this game was far from meaningless as the Packers beat the Bears to make the playoffs and we all know what happened after that.

In fact, it leads us to the next great moments in the history between these two teams.

January 23, 2011: Bears-Packers in the NFC Championship Game

On a Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears and Packers played for the NFC championship, only the second time the two have met in the postseason.

The Bears lost this game 21-14 and the Packers went on to win the Super Bowl.

This was the game that many critics feel QB Jay Cutler quit. While he was injured, so that was an unfair conclusion, it was definitely a sad moment but a great one in the history.

After Cutler left the game, the Bears' third-string quarterback, Caleb Hanie, was intercepted just 12 yards from a game-tying touchdown with 37 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Packers and send them to their first Super Bowl in 13 years.

December 14, 1941: First Bears and Packers Meeting in the Postseason

Both teams came into this game 10-1; a game played at Wrigley Field. Coming just a week after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, this game was historic in a lot of ways.

The two teams had split their series with the road team winning each time.

The Bears had their greatest (and perhaps only great) QB in Sid Luckman, and they beat the Packers 33-14.

Two weeks later, the Bears defeated the New York Giants 37-9 to win the championship.  

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December 29, 1963: Bears 26, Packers 7

As the Chicago Sun-Times would report, "Both teams were 8-1 and only one of them would represent the West Division in the NFL Championship game.

Willie Galimore scored on a 27-yard run to lead the Bears, who finished 11-1-2, a half-game ahead of the Packers (11-2-1) and beat the New York Giants in the NFL Championship game."

Perhaps even more important, this was the last great Bears team until the infamous 1985 Super Bowl team, so it was a long stretch of losing to come for Bears fans.

But at least on this day, and in this season, the Bears were the best.

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September 30, 1962: Packers 49, Bears 0

To be fair to Packers fans (as a Bears fan, I don't know why but bear with me), this had to rank up there for them as it was the most lopsided game in the teams' history.

As the Sun-Times reported, "The Bears were 2-0 and had won four consecutive games—sounds familiar—when they took on the defending NFL champion Packers (2-0). But it was no contest as the Packers gained 409 yards for their most-lopsided victory over the Bears."

Sorry, but as a Bears fan, I have nothing more to say. But look, Cheeseheads, don't say I've never done anything for you.

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