Every NFL conference title game is a big deal, but this year’s NFC Championship has almost a century of history behind it. The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have met 182 times, with Chicago holding a 92-83-6 series lead (and a win in the only postseason meeting, in a game played only one week after Pearl Harbor). They first played in 1921, a game the Bears won 20-0. 1921!
Packers-Bears Rivalry Makes 2011 NFC Championship Game Special
Geography has lent itself well to the cultivation of the rivalry, with watering holes* near the Illinois-Wisconsin border becoming a popular target for reporters looking for local color. And of course the mayors have made bets. Like Jets-Patriots, Cowboys-Steelers, or Falcons-Saints, Packers-Bears has been made more spirited by cultural differences, as the big-city Bears contrast with the fan-owned Packers.
Considering the rivalry has turned out a long list of great moments and showdowns between two of the game’s greatest coaches, it’s hard to believe this game is the biggest in its history, but the winning team might be able to milk their bragging rights for decades. That 1941 game was played in a 10-team league that was only about 20 years old, after all.
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