Bears vs Packers is the best rivalry in the NFL

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts — a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the offseason, we send 32 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Bears fans, sign up HERE to join SB Nation Reacts!

The people have spoken!

And I’m not just talking about Chicago Bears’ fans or Green Bay Packers’ fans, I’m talking about all 32 NFL fanbases that are a part of SB Nation Reacts that picked the Bears vs Packers as the best rivalry in the NFL.

Sure it’s been relatively one-sided the last quarter century, but even when the Bears are down, the league still picks Bears vs Packers for a prime time match-up nearly every year. They know it’s a ratings winner and they can call back to the illustrious history from each team.

These two franchises first met on November 27, 1921, when the Chicago Staleys, coached by George Halas, defeated the Packers and head coach Curley Lambeau, 20 to 0, behind rushing touchdowns from Pete Stinchcomb and Pard Pearce, and a receiving TD by Halas from Chic Harley.

These two teams have played each other all but one year since, with the lone exception being the strike shortened 1982 season. That year the two teams were slated to play each other during week 5 and week 8, but the strike wiped them away.

The Packers have the all-time edge in the series with a 99-95-6 record, with Chicago going 53–49–3 in their home games and the Packers going 51–42–3 as the home team. Green Bay also the edge in NFL Championships with 13 to the Bears’ 9.

If we break up the Bears vs Packers rivalry by decade, the Bears held the edge during the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 70s, and 80s, with the Packers getting the better of the Bears in the 1960s, and then from the 1990s til today. Green Bay’s four decades of dominance came courtesy of Hall of Fame quarterbacks Bart Starr and Brett Favre, and someday Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers.

And speaking of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, no franchise has more enshrined in Canton that the Chicago Bears, but number two on that list is the Green Bay Packers.

For an incredible read on the rivalry, be sure to check out Jack M Silverstein’s Complete history of the Bears-Packers rivalry that he re-published March of 2019.