Aaron Rodgers humorously doubted the Packers-Bears rivalry's legitimacy due to Green Bay's nine-game winning streak, asking, "Is it even a rivalry if they can't beat us?"
The upcoming Sunday afternoon showdown between the 8-8 Green Bay Packers and the 7-9 Chicago Bears holds more significance than the typical rivalry clash, as it carries the weight of historical bragging rights in the NFL's longest-running rivalry. These two storied teams have faced off 207 times, including postseason matchups, with the Green Bay Packers holding the edge in the all-time series at 106-95-6.
If the Packers manage to secure a victory at Lambeau Field on Sunday, they will clinch a spot in the NFC playoffs in a season that marked Jordan Love's debut as their starting quarterback. Love assumed the mantle from four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers, who was traded to the New York Jets during the past offseason.
Green Bay's current nine-game winning streak against Chicago began in 2019, coinciding with current head coach Matt LaFleur's inaugural season in charge of the Packers. A win on Sunday would see the Packers tie their longest winning streak in the history of this rivalry, matching the 10 consecutive victories achieved with Hall of Famer Brett Favre at quarterback during the 1990s.
Rodgers reflected on the significance of this matchup, stating, "It's the Super Bowl for the Bears just about every year because they haven't been to the playoffs for so long [since the 2020 season]. We've won, [Packers head coach] Matt [LaFleur] has never lost to them, so nine in a row... Is it a rivalry anymore? If they can't beat us, is it a rivalry? Every coach that gets hired in Chicago, his first goal is to beat Green Bay."
The Packers' recent dominance against their NFC North rival can largely be attributed to their last two starting quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. In the 2022 season's Week 13, Rodgers surpassed Favre for the most regular-season wins (24) by a quarterback against the Bears since at least 1950, as Green Bay secured a 28-19 victory at Soldier Field. During his 15 seasons as the Packers' starting quarterback from 2008 to 2022, Rodgers posted a remarkable 25-5 record against the Bears. This period included the 2010 season's NFC Championship Game, which the Packers won 21-14 before claiming Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of the nine wins in the current streak for Green Bay, eight occurred with Rodgers at the helm, explaining his use of the term "us" when discussing the Packers' recent success in this rivalry.
Rodgers remarked, "It's been a challenging 30-plus years... There were many doubters when Favre left, questioning whether this young kid would be any good. Then we had our era. After that, it was 'the old guy is gone, this young kid won't cut it.' Now, it's 'oh, Jordan Love is pretty darn good.'"
As for Jordan Love, he had an impressive outing in the Packers' Week 1 victory over the Bears this season, throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns on 15 of 27 passing in just his second career NFL start. Love has since accumulated 30 passing touchdowns in his debut season as a full-time NFL starting quarterback, ranking third in the league in this category heading into the final week of the regular season. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is the best in the league over the last seven games, and he is tied for the most touchdown passes in the same span.
Despite Love's recent success, he faces a formidable Bears defense that has excelled since Week 12, leading the league in scoring defense by allowing only 15.2 points per game during that period. The Packers have secured seven consecutive home victories against the Bears, with their last home loss to Chicago occurring on Thanksgiving during the 2015 season when Jay Cutler was the Bears' starting quarterback.
| POLL | ||
3 JANVIER | 59 ANSWERS Aaron Rodgers humorously doubted the Packers-Bears rivalry's legitimacy due to Green Bay's nine-game winning streak, asking, "Is it even a rivalry if they can't beat us?" Is Aaron Rodgers the best QB of our generation? | ||
| yes | 9 | 15.3 % |
| no | 50 | 84.7 % |
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