Chicago Bears

Packers vs. Bears: A Rivalry By the Numbers

The Packers currently hold a narrow 97-95-6 edge in the all-time series

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have been doing battle for nearly 100 years, and as a result there are some truly fascinating numbers that have come out of the league's most historic rivalry. 

Before the two teams tangle on Opening Night in Chicago, here are 16 (yes, we picked that number because there are 16 games in an NFL season), facts about the teams and their storied rivalry: 

1 – A total of 36 Bears players have made multiple interceptions against the Packers, but only one of those players turned at least two of those picks into touchdowns: Lance Briggs. The linebacker picked off three Packer passes in 22 career games, and turned two of those into touchdowns.  

2 – The Bears and Packers have played nearly 200 times over the years, but only twice in the playoffs. The Bears won a divisional playoff against the Packers en route to the 1941 NFL title, but the Packers returned the favor in 2011, beating the Bears in the NFC Championship game before beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

2 – It’s unusual to have two statistics with the same number, but the weather has always been such a big factor in this rivalry that we wanted to make an exception. The Bears and Packers played the coldest game in Soldier Field history in 2008 when the mercury hit a paltry 2-degrees above zero.

4 – Despite playing for 100 seasons, the Bears and Packers have only reached the playoffs in the same season on four occasions. In both instances where the two clubs didn’t end up playing in the postseason, they were eliminated in the same round in 1994 and 2001.  

8 – If the Bears could ever rely on a quarterback to beat the Packers, it was Jim McMahon, who despite throwing only six touchdowns against the Packers led the Bears to an 8-1 record in games he played against them. 

10 – The longest winning streak of the rivalry belongs to the Packers, who won 10 straight games against the Bears in the 1990s. The Packers swept the season series in five consecutive years against the Bears.

13 – Since 1940, the Bears and Packers have played in the season opener on 27 different occasions. The teams are dead even in those games, going 13-13-1.

15 – To the surprise of virtually no Bears fan, only one quarterback has thrown for at least 10 touchdowns while wearing a Bears uniform in games against the Packers. That honor goes to Jay Cutler, who also threw 22 interceptions in 12 career games. He had a 2-10 record in rivalry contests against Green Bay.

16 – Aaron Rodgers has been a Bears killer in his career. In fact, he’s won 16 of the 21 games he’s started against Chicago, throwing 45 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.

19 – Another player who was astounding against the Packers was none other than Sweetness himself, Walter Payton. The legendary running back rushed for 2,484 yards and 19 touchdowns against the Packers in 24 career games, with the Bears going 17-7 in those contests.

20 – In the first ever game contested between the teams, the Bears (then known as the Chicago Staleys) beat the Packers 20-0.

37 – The Bears and Packers have combined for 37 divisional titles, with the Bears holding the narrow edge with 19 in their history.

53 – The number of touchdowns Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw in 32 career games in the rivalry. He went 22-10 in those contests.

54 – The Bears have lost some real clunkers to the Packers, but they do hold the edge for biggest blowout victory ever, beating the Packers 61-7 in a 54-point drubbing in 1980.

61 – The record for career receptions by a Bears player against the Packers belongs not to Walter Payton, but to Matt Forte, who racked up 61 catches for 563 yards in 15 career games against the Packers. That didn’t help his team win many games, as the Bears went 4-11 against Green Bay during Forte’s tenure.

198 – The number of games the Bears and Packers have played against one another in rivalry history. The Packers hold a slight edge, with a 97-95-6 record.

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