Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has delivered a blunt assessment regarding rivalry between the Packers and the Chicago Bears.
Wearing a different team’s jersey now, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback and future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, consistently dismantled the notion of a true Bears-Packers rivalry throughout his career by consistently defeating the Bears. Even after Rodgers departed in the offseason, his successor, Jordan Love, continued the trend, making this supposed rivalry decidedly one-sided. As Green Bay prepared for the Week 18 game against Chicago, Rodgers expressed on the Pat McAfee Show why the Bears-Packers matchup shouldn’t be regarded as a true rivalry.
Aaron Rodgers, the ex-Green Bay Packers quarterback and anticipated Hall-of-Famer, delved into the significance of Sunday’s game for the Chicago Bears.
In his 15-year tenure as the starting quarterback for Green Bay, Rodgers secured an impressive 26-5 record, which notably includes two playoff victories against the Chicago Bears. Over the last decade, the two teams have followed divergent paths, with Green Bay embodying consistency while the Bears have faced challenges, often characterized by obscurity and dysfunction.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Rodgers raised doubts about the authenticity of the rivalry between the two franchises, stating, “This is their Super Bowl. If they can’t beat us, is it a rivalry?”
Is it justified for the former standout quarterback of the Green Bay Packers to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the rivalry?
Rodgers is justified in questioning the rivalry. The Chicago Bears haven’t demonstrated much to elevate the oldest rivalry beyond being a game that often serves as a stepping stone for the Green Bay Packers. The Bears have been mired in a prolonged period of ineffectiveness for more than a decade, while Green Bay successfully transitioned to another franchise quarterback.
Annually, the Chicago Bears and their fan base eagerly prepare for this matchup, yet consistently, the Packers demonstrate their superiority on the field and as a franchise. The Green Bay Packers must secure a victory on Sunday to clinch a postseason spot and effectively solidify the status of the “rivalry.” Until the Chicago Bears can demonstrate their capability to overthrow their long-standing adversary, the rivalry remains in a dormant state.