No sport is rivalry free, and that is probably a good thing, because sport would be endlessly boring if there were no rivalries at all!
In the NFL there are so many teams between the two conferences and this means that there is even more space available for rivalries to take place, which is just what the fans want.
Rivalries can get hot and heavy, make things tense, and make fans a bit heated too. However, it would be a lie to say that NFL betting doesn’t get influenced by the heated antics of an NFL rivalry.
So, out of all the rivalries we know of in the NFL is the best one perhaps the Packers Vs Bears rivalry?
Let’s consider it a moment!
Two Of The Oldest
The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers are two of the oldest franchises in the NFL, they have a total of 22 Championships in the NFL between them, as well as 5 Super Bowls.
The Packers have racked up more success than the Bears have, but this just fuels the Bears fire.
In 1919 the Bears were founded, making them over 100 years old, they turned professional in 1920 and joined with the American Professional Football Association, which was essentially the prelude to the NFL.
After this the Bears moved to Chicago where they became the Bears exactly 100 years ago.
The Packers also came into being in 1919, and they joined the Association in 1921.
Both of these teams are well over 100 years old overall, making them veteran teams of the NFL in comparison to some teams which are much younger than.
Their rivalry is just as old, or at least nearly as old. They have had their rivalry fed in every year bar two years.
The Bears and the Packers were unable to play one another in 1922 and once again in 1982, which was due to the NFLPA strike.
This rivalry is the oldest of all time, however, it is not the most continuous rivalry in the NFL. The most continuous would be the Packers Vs Lions.
That being said, the Packers Vs Bears rivalry saw them play in the same division and conference since 1933. This makes the rivalry even hotter as they have such close grounding.
Every year they have played each other two times per year aside from 1982, when the strike happened.
Is It The Best Rivalry?
So, is it the best? That is really a matter of perspective. There have been many other rivalries in the NFL, in some cases brewed by individual players, such as the Manning vs Brady rivalry we saw in recent years.
Geographical rivalries are also a thing that occurs, such as the Browns vs Bengals rivalry.
Sometimes we see whole divisions form rivalries. The NFC East is one of the biggest culprits of this. Some teams just dislike each other, the biggest culprits of this would be the Steelers and Ravens.
So, the NFL is hardly short on rivalries, but none of these quite compare to the Packers Vs Bears Rivalry.
It’s the oldest, and they have seen their rivalry rekindled every year, two times a year except two years!
Something about this rivalry is somewhat romantic, it’s kind of love and hate.
It’s The Best Because It’s Long-Lived.
The biggest reason that people love this rivalry and say that it is the best is all down to how long it has lasted. When teams play one another on repeat for a long time, it is hardly a difficult thing to get all wrapped up in the chaos and the excitement when they come together.
If you think of it relative to how long it has gone on for, it’s actually impressive, how many players have come and gone that have kept the rivalry hot to trot and heated on both sides.
This rivalry outlived the 2nd World War, the Great Depression, Vietnam, 9-11, The Gulf War, Covid-19, and so much more.
Of course, these two teams are also two of the teams who have seen the most success in the NFL as well. Both have many Super Bowl titles, as well as a load of Championships as well.
It’s no secret that two high-performance teams, who do well, and who have a long term rivalry are going to be highly enjoyed by fans.
So, are they the best? We would say yes, they are, simply because they have every factor that makes a rivalry epic!
For More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
