What Is The Oldest Rivalry In The Nfl
Every family has that one uncle who shows up to Thanksgiving dinner determined to prove why their side of the family is better. The NFL has that too, except instead of passive...
Every family has that one uncle who shows up to Thanksgiving dinner determined to prove why their side of the family is better. The NFL has that too, except instead of passive-aggressive comments about undercooked turkey, they have a century-long feud that's been shaking the ground since before football even had television cameras.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the oldest rivalry in the National Football League: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers. These two teams have been throwing haymakers at each other for over a hundred years, and trust me, neither side is backing down anytime soon.
Where It All Began
The Bears and Packers first locked horns back in 1921, when the NFL was basically a weekend hobby for guys wearing leather helmets. Think of it like two neighbors who've been arguing over a property line since before anybody installed a fence — it just got personal and never stopped.
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The Packers were originally sponsored by the Indian Packing Company, which is a far cry from the billion-dollar franchises we see today. Meanwhile, George Halas had already built the Bears into a powerhouse that refused to let some upstart team from Wisconsin steal the spotlight.
What started as a scrappy little matchup quickly turned into a grudge match for the ages. These teams realized early on that beating the other guy didn't just mean two points on the scoreboard — it meant bragging rights for an entire year.
Cold Weather, Colder Heart
You want to know why this rivalry hits different? Ask anyone who's tried to breathe in Green Bay in January while watching a football game through chattering teeth. This isn't a rivalry you play in flip-flops; it's a battle fought in subzero wind chills where your hot chocolate goes cold before halftime.
"The Oldest Rivalry" Bears are 93 - 90 - 6 all time against the Packers
Some fans have joked that the Bears-Packers rivalry is basically a two-city agreement to keep the other one miserable year after year. It's like that friend who only hits you up when they need a favor, except the "favor" is a last-second field goal that ruins your entire weekend.
And let's be honest, the trash talk alone could fill a library. I've heard Packers fans call Chicago "soft" and Bears fans retort that Green Bay is "just a frozen cheese factory with a football team attached."
A Rivalry With Legs
These two teams have faced each other a staggering number of times — well over 200 matchups and counting. That's more encounters than some people have had with their own dentist, and honestly, some of these games feel about as painful.
Celebrity coaches, legendary quarterbacks, and heart-stopping finishes have all played their part in keeping this history alive. Names like Walter Payton, Brett Favre, Dick Butkus, and Aaron Rodgers have turned these meetings into must-watch TV that even non-football fans can't ignore.
Packers vs. Bears: "The oldest rivalry in the NFL" - YouTube
The Packers lead the all-time series, but Chicago fans will remind you that leads mean nothing until the clock hits zero. That's the kind of stubborn optimism that comes with rooting for a team that's been through decades of heartbreak.
Why It Matters Beyond the Game
This rivalry is living proof that some things in life are best experienced with a bitter rival standing right across from you. Just like how you need that competitive work buddy to push you harder or that sibling who always picks a bigger slice of pizza.
Bears and Packers fans sit in the same offices, attend the same schools, and probably married into each other's families at some point. It's the kind of friendly warfare that brings people together, even as it tries to tear them apart.
Every Historic NFL Rivalry Explained in 23 Minutes - YouTube
Every November and December, the NFL schedule circles one game in red ink and everyone knows exactly what it means. The living room TVs get prepped, the snacks get stocked, and the aunt or uncle who "works from home" suddenly has a very important "conference call" during kickoff.
The Beat Goes On
Over a century later, this rivalry shows no signs of cooling down, and honestly, we wouldn't want it to. The Bears and Packers are basically proof that some couples are designed to argue forever — and every fan is happily along for the ride.
Because at the end of the day, whether you're wearing orange or green, you understand one simple truth: the greatest joys in life come from caring deeply about something that makes absolutely no sense to anybody else.
So here's to the oldest rivalry in the NFL — may it never end, no matter how many heartbreaks it costs us. After all, without it, what would Packers and Bears fans even talk about on Mondays?
