The 10 Greatest Games In The History Of The Bears-Packers Rivalry

The Chicago Bears. The Green Bay Packers. It is a rivalry that runs parallel to the birth of the National Football League. You can’t tell its story without mentioning these two iconic franchises. They were there in the beginning and have been there ever since, serving as the bedrock of the league’s booming success. While many may not consider it the best rivalry in pro sports, it is certainly one of the most enduring. People also can’t say it lacks heat. These two teams have hated each other for a long time.

Two things we know about rivalries are that they bring lots of animosity and lots of memorable moments. The Bears and Packers have played each other 213 times. More than any other two franchises in American football history by a wide margin. Even today, there is a mystique about it whenever these teams play. Crazy stuff always seems to happen, which begs the question. What are the best games in the history of this rivalry? Let’s find out, shall we?

When was the Chicago Bears vs. the Green Bay Packers at its best?

#10. Lombardi Vs. Halas – 1961 Regular season, November 12th, Week 9

George Halas had dominated the NFL zeitgeist for 40 years by 1961, winning several championships. However, it was only a matter of time before somebody stepped up to challenge his crown. That man was Vince Lombardi. The future Packers icon had fallen short in the NFL championship game the year prior and was determined to right that wrong in 1961. He would have to get through the Bears to do it. That didn’t seem to be a problem as Green Bay trampled their way to a 31-7 lead by the 3rd quarter.

Chicago was undaunted, though. Led by rookie tight end Mike Ditka, the Bears stormed back with three unanswered scoring drives. Ditka had two of those touchdowns to make it 31-28. Green Bay was reeling. Sadly, there wasn’t enough time left. The Packers escaped with the victory and went on to win their first of five championships during the decade.

#9. Halas Gets Revenge – 1963 Regular season, September 15th, Week 1

Things were great for Green Bay by the start of 1963. After winning the title in ’61, they went right back to the championship game in 1962 and won it again. That meant they were in position to do something no franchise had ever done: win three in a row. Chicago didn’t appear to be a challenger anymore after a frustrating 5-6-1 record the previous year. Halas didn’t agree. He felt he’d assembled a strong enough roster to make a run. There was one problem. If that were to happen, the Bears would have to beat the Packers twice. He told that to his players before the opener that season.

The game was as tough and physical as expected. Both teams traded field goals in the 1st quarter before settling into a defensive slugfest. The Packers appeared to have the Bears at a standstill, but that quickly changed as Chicago’s defense kept intercepting Bart Starr. They would rob him four times in that game, and this helped the offense just enough to produce a touchdown drive in the 3rd quarter. That proved the difference in a 10-3 victory in Green Bay, ruining their rival’s championship celebration. The Bears would beat them again two months later, fulfilling Halas’ prophecy by winning the title at year’s end.

#8. The Thanksgiving Game – 2015 Regular season, November 26th, Week 12

The mid-2010s were the peak of Aaron Rodgers’ dominance in the rivalry. Going into this game, the Bears had lost 10 of their last 11 games against the Packers. Their only victory was one where Rodgers left early with a shoulder injury. Everything lined up for another beatdown. It was Thanksgiving night. It was at Lambeau Field and it was even Brett Favre Appreciation Night. If ever there was a game that signaled misery was looming for Bears fans, that was the one. Then? Things got weird.

For once, it was Green Bay’s running game that had the big night while Rodgers looked uncharacteristically off. The Bears’ defense was giving him some problems, and quarterback Jay Cutler played probably one of his best games against the Packers. He didn’t turn the ball over and led three critical scoring drives. Rodgers tried to steal the game with a late drive in the final seconds. Instead, he threw four straight incompletions from the 8-yard line to hand Chicago a monumental upset.

#7. The Chester Marcol Game – 1980 Regular season, September 7th, Week 1

Even when both teams weren’t good, some wild games tended to happen. This was a perfect example. The Chicago Bears had made the playoffs in 1979 and were hoping to build on that momentum in 1980. It had to start with a win in Green Bay on opening day. As has been the case many times with these two teams, it became a defensive struggle. Neither side could find the end zone and were forced to trade field goals. The game was 6-6 at the end of regulation.

Chicago won the coin toss to start overtime. They could win it with a field goal. The problem is they couldn’t get out of their own way. The Bears’ offense committed three penalties on the drive, forcing them to punt. Green Bay immediately got into field goal range on a 32-yard completion to James Lofton. This set up kicker Chester Marcol for a 35-yard attempt to win it.

The kick was blocked.

Yet inexplicably, the ball bounced right back into the arms of Marcol, who took off running down the sideline for a game-winning touchdown. That 12-6 loss set the tone for Chicago’s season as they finished 7-9.

#6. The Instant Replay Game – 1989 Regular season, November 5th, Week 9

By the end of the 1980s, the Bears had owned most of the decade, both in the rivalry and the wider NFL. They’d made the playoffs five years in a row, reached three NFC Championships, and won the Super Bowl. Everybody expected that trend to continue in ’89. They were 5-3 going into Lambeau Field for this matchup. The thing was so were the Packers. This was a big game with tons of divisional implications. Unsurprisingly, it was close and low scoring. Green Bay grabbed a 7-0 lead, but Chicago posted 13 unanswered points to take control.

That score held deep into the 4th quarter. All the Bears needed was one more stop. With 41 seconds left, the Packers faced 4th and goal from the 14-yard line. Quarterback Don Majkowski escaped to his right and bought enough time to find Sterling Sharpe for the game-winning touchdown. However, a flag was thrown on the play with a referee calling Majkowski for an illegal pass beyond the line of scrimmage. It looked like Chicago one. Then, a long four-minute review reversed the decision, upholding the score. The Bears were livid, feeling the game had been stolen from them. Green Bay rode that victory to its first winning record in seven years.

#5. The Walter Payton Game – 1999 Regular season, November 7th, Week 9

By the end of the 1990s, the balance of power had shifted dramatically in the rivalry. Brett Favre had ascended to the NFL mountaintop, well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. In the midst of that, he’d begun beating up on the Bears regularly. By the time of this game at Lambeau Field, he had beaten them ten times in a row. Favre was truly the boogeyman by that point. Nobody gave Chicago a snowball’s chance in this game either. Not on the road with a rookie quarterback (Cade McNown) starting.

However, the tone of the game took on new meaning six days prior. Franchise legend Walter Payton had died from liver disease at the age of 46, much to the shock and dismay of the organization and fans. Feeling a new sense of purpose, the Bears threw everything they had at Green Bay. It was an ugly game. Both offenses played poorly. Still, Chicago moved in front with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Green Bay, trailing 14-13, moved into range for a chip shot 28-yard field goal with seven seconds left. Then, defensive end Bryan Robinson blocked the kick, stunning the crowd and setting the Packers on a path to miss the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

#4. The B.J. Raji Game – 2010 Playoffs, January 23rd, NFC Championship

Throughout almost a century of history between the two teams, somehow, the Bears and Packers had only met once in the playoffs. That was way back in 1941. So you can imagine the media hype ahead of the NFC championship. The second-ever postseason meeting between these eternal rivals. They’d traded victories at home during the regular season. Chicago had reasons to feel confident with the game being at Soldier Field. The stakes had never been higher in any meeting between the two teams.

What followed was an emotional back-and-forth battle. Aaron Rodgers staked Green Bay out to a 14-0 lead before a Brian Urlacher interception seemed to turn the tide. Jay Cutler, who was trying to play through a knee injury, was benched in favor of Caleb Hanie, who cut the deficit to 14-7. The Bears got the ball back with a chance to tie the game midway through the 4th quarter. What followed was one of the most backbreaking moments in franchise history as Hanie threw a pass directly to Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji, who returned it for a touchdown.

That play pretty much sealed the game as Green Bay held on 21-14, going on to win their fourth Super Bowl.

#3. The Comeback – 2025 Playoffs, January 10th, Wild Card Weekend

There is no way another playoff game between these two teams could somehow top the drama of that one 15 years ago, right? Well, they found a way. The Chicago Bears again hosted the Packers at Soldier Field, this time in the wild card round. Again, the two teams had traded victories at home during the regular season. Again, Green Bay stormed out to a big early lead. This time it was 21-3 by the end of the first half. Bears fans’ worst fears were coming true again.

Except this time, things were different.

This time, Chicago had a quarterback. Caleb Williams had already shown he was unimpressed by the Green Bay mystique, beating the Packers in two of the previous three meetings going into this game. What followed was a second half for the ages. Williams threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Bears to 28 points, including 25 in the 4th quarter. The Bears went ahead 31-27 with 1:47 left in the game, marking one of the largest comebacks in postseason history. Green Bay couldn’t muster a final response, handing Chicago their long-awaited revenge.

#2. The Randall Cobb Game – 2013 Regular season, December 29th, Week 17

If there was a moment that could be called the one that sent the Bears into a tailspin for the better part of a decade during the 2010s and early 2020s, it took place in this game. Chicago hosted Green Bay in the season finale. The team had split the series, meaning the winner of this game would claim the NFC North division title. It became one of the great shootouts in the rivalry’s history. Rodgers and Cutler traded shots in a contest that would feature five lead changes by the end of regulation.

After going down 13-7 at the half, the Bears surged in the 3rd quarter to go up 21-20. Five seconds into the 4th, Cutler hit Brandon Marshall for a touchdown to make it 28-20. Rodgers answered to make it 28-27. The Bears almost got into field goal range on the next series, but fell short. Green Bay had six minutes left to make something happen. They converted on 4th down twice on the ensuing drive, but with 46 seconds remaining, they were too far outside field goal range. It was 4th and 8. One more stop would give the Bears the victory.

Everybody sees what happened next in their nightmares. A blitz narrowly misses sacking Rodgers, who scrambles to his left and hits a streaking Randall Cobb for a 48-yard touchdown. The Packers won the division while the Bears spiraled into irrelevance for most of the next 12 years

#1. The Iceman Game – 2025 Regular season, December 20th, Week 16

There are certain times in history when the complexion of the rivalry takes on a noticeable shift. You’ve seen it with a couple of the other games on this list. By this point, the Packers had owned the Chicago Bears. They were 28-4 from 2009 through December 15th, going into this game. It wasn’t even a rivalry at that point. Green Bay had already held serve at home a couple of weeks prior. That meant a victory at Soldier Field, something they were quite used to, would all but guarantee them the division. Everything unfolded as planned.

Their defense played great for most of the game while the offense put them up 16-6 with five minutes left. A Bears field goal made it 16-9 with 1:59 left. They would need an onside kick to have any hope of a comeback. Those prayers were answered. Josh Blackwell recovered the ball. Williams would hit five consecutive passes to reach Green Bay’s 6-yard line. Then on 4th down, he found undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker for the touchdown, forcing overtime.

The Packers still had a chance to save it. They won the toss in overtime and drove to Chicago’s 36 before a T.J. Edwards sack, and a botched Malik Willis snap ruined it. The Bears took over. Three plays later, Williams would fire arguably the most iconic pass in Chicago football history, hitting D.J. Moore 46 yards down the field for the winning touchdown, then debuting his now unforgettable “Iceman” celebration.

Chicago went on to win the division and beat Green Bay in the playoffs, finally erasing years of pain and suffering in the rivalry.