2018: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
To get the best idea of what this rivalry really means to both teams, rewinding to 2018 is a good place to start. The Chicago Bears were, for lack of a better term, bad for a long time before this, so this is the best place to start when looking at the series between two competitive teams. In fact, before 2018, the Packers had won eight of the last 10 encounters.
But things changed in 2018. From the get-go, you could tell that Chicago was getting something together against Green Bay as soon as Week 1. With a new combination of Matty Nagy and Khalil Mack, it looked like the Bears were in control of this game for the first time in a long time.
Mitchell Trubisky and his Chicago squad quickly got out to a 20-3 lead and looked like they wouldn’t turn back. Then, they turned back. The Packers came charging at Chicago and would end up winning this game 24-23. But even in a loss, the Bears felt like the more talented team. The loss was more of a loss of focus than it was a lost performance.
In the second meeting between Chicago and Green Bay, the Bears would get off to another quick start, taking a 14-3 lead by halftime. This time, they wouldn’t let off the gas and would come home with a victory just a couple weeks before earning an NFC North title.
These two games exemplified everything that would be showcased by Chicago in 2018. Their peaks on offense and defense were on full display and each game was a great example for how the rest of the season would go.