This one is going to be huge; a battle of epic proportions.
The Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears rivalry is the oldest and one of the premier rivalries in all of the NFL. The two teams have met 181 times, including once in the playoffs, but when they meet this Sunday the stakes will never have been higher.
Overall in the series the Bears have 92 wins, the Packers have 83 wins, and there have been 6 ties. However, Green Bay has won 26 of the last 37 meetings. On top of that, the two teams have combined for 21 NFL titles, 31 division titles, 52 playoff appearances, and 47 Pro Football Hall of Famers. Football legends like Vince Lombardi and George Halas are among the alums of this incredible rivalry.
The numbers, the stories, the history…it’s all staggering.
Vince Lombardi and George Halas (photo via GreenBayPackerNation.com)
More importantly though, the two cities absolutely hate each other. Fans of both teams can’t wait each year to face-off against each other, and beating their bitter rival is the most important thing to fans of both franchises, next to winning the Super Bowl.
This Sunday, the fans’ craving to beat each other will reach new heights. Win, and you get a trip to the Super Bowl. Lose, and you go home.
Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler have been basically perfect this postseason. Rodgers has been the NFL’s best as of late, and his postseason performance thus far has been the stuff of legend. In two postseason games, Rodgers has thrown for 6 touchdowns, he ran for another, passed for 546 yards, has a 77.8 completion percentage, and has an astounding passer rating of 134.5.
As for Jay Cutler, he’s come up big when he has needed to. He still made a plethora of bone-headed mistakes in the regular season, but he looked like a different man against the Seahawks. He threw for 2 touchdowns, ran for 2 more, threw for 274 yards ,and had a passer rating of 111.3. However, he’ll be facing a Packers defense that not only is astronomically better than Seattle’s D, but Dom Capers’ squad is one of the best in the NFL.
Last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, Charles Woodson, and this year’s front-runner for the same award, Clay Matthews, lead a defense that has been a force to be reckoned with this season. Despite having 3 defensive starters on injured reserve, Capers’ D has been lights out. In the playoffs, Tramon Williams has been to this defense what Aaron Rodgers has been to the offense. He has 3 interceptions, 2 of which have been game-changers. Against the Eagles, Williams intercepted a pass in the endzone with less than a minute left to clinch the win for Green Bay. Against Atlanta, he had a 70-yard pick 6 with no time left in the 1st half that gave Green Bay all the momentum. You can bet Dom Capers will have these guys ready to play.
In the 2010, the Bears’ defense has been, well, the Bears’ defense. Rod Marinelli has kept the Chicago D up its usual standard of being one of the best in the business. Offseason acquisition Julius Peppers has had an MVP-caliber season to go along with Brian Urlacher’s resurgence. There’s no doubt that Marinelli’s squad will be ready to protect their home turf on Sunday.
To put it briefly, the NFC Championship Game on Sunday will pit two of the most storied franchises in NFL history against each other. The emotions will be running high. Bragging rights and a shot at the Lombardi Trophy are on the line between two arch rivals, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, who square off at snowy Soldier Field.
Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a slobber knocker.
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