Bears and Packers Clash in NFL’s Oldest Rivalry 4 Ravens and Steelers Battle for the North 6 Bad Blood Flows between Patriots and Jets 8 Chiefs and Raiders Clash out West 10 Seahawks and 49ers Are New-School Foes 12 No Love Is Lost Between Dallas and Washington 14 Vikings Crowd in on Packer Territory 16 Superstar Passers Fuel Colts-Patriots Matchups 18 Denver and Oakland Don’t Pretend to Like Each Other 20 Giants and Eagles Rivalry Built on Long History 22 Deep South Pride Defines Falcons-Saints Series 24 Dynasties Collide as Cowboys and 49ers Clash 26 Fun Facts and Stories 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chicago and Green Bay It’s the oldest rivalry in the National Football League NFL The Bears and Packers have been butting heads since 1921 That was only the NFL’s second season The Bears were still known as the Chicago Staleys It’s also a classic border battle These cold-weather foes are just over 200 miles 322 km apart Both play in outdoor stadiums Snow wind and bitter cold often play a role when they meet BEARS AND PACKERS CLASH IN NFL’S OLDEST RIVALRY The Bears Vic Zucco tackles Packers wide receiver Billy Howton in a 1958 game 1 4
The bad blood between these teams started early In 1924 Chicago’s Frank Hanny and Green Bay’s Tillie Voss got into a fight They became the first players ever ejected for fighting The Bears often beat the Packers in those early years In 1941 the teams finished tied atop the NFL’s West Division It was playoff time The Bears crushed the Packers 33 14 The Packers took charge in the 1960s Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi led the team to five NFL titles Among those wins were the first two Super Bowls The Packers went 15 5 against the Bears during that decade The teams met again after the 2010 season It was their first playoff meeting in almost 70 years Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers took charge The Packers surged to a 21 14 win That sent them to the Super Bowl 190 Games between the Bears and Packers through 2014 including playoffs Chicago leads the all time series 93 91 6 including playoffs The 2010 playoffs marked only the fourth time that both teams were in the postseason together The teams did not meet in 1982 A players strike shortened that NFL season 5 The Packers Clay Matthews top tackles the Bears Matt Forte in a 2014 game
