The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have one of the oldest and most heated rivalries in football over their 96 year existence. The Packers have a large fan base in the school, which some may find surprising considering we’re in Illinois and are so close to Chicago. This is often attributed to Rockford being close to the state line of Wisconsin and the Bears’ sub-par record as of recent years. Many students here are diehard fans of their team and have been for generations.

“My entire family has always been Packers fans, we watch every single game,” said Garrett Gustafson, junior. “My grandpa was at the very first Super Bowl back in 1967. He even got a signed football from the game.”

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers met for the very first time on November 27^th, 1921 in a 20-0 Bears victory. The game took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, where the Bears played their home games until 1970. The two teams have been in the same division ever since, playing each other at least two times a year, and have met for a total of 196 times including two playoff games, which is an NFL record. In this series the Packers hold a slight advantage at 96-94-6.  As of recent games the Green Bay Packers have dominated the matchup winning 15 of the last 18 games since 2010.

“It’s definitely been a tough matchup for the Bears as of recent years, but I think we’re trending in the right direction,” said Jeremiah Oudomsouk, freshman.

The most recent meeting took place on November 12^th  in a 23-16 Packers victory at Soldier Field. This game saw two unfamiliar quarterbacks start, as this was the first game since 2009 that Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers did not play in a meeting between the two teams. Jay Cutler was cut by the Bears earlier this year while Aaron Rodgers was sidelined with a broken collar bone in week six.

“I think at least 80% of our recent success has been due to Aaron Rodgers,” said geometry teacher Nathan Johnson. “With his injury everybody else has had to step up and I think it’s going to make us stronger in the end.”

Brett Hundley started at quarterback for the Packers, while Mitchell Trubisky started for the Bears. Trubisky was drafted in 2017 in the second overall pick. The rookie played his first game five games into the season, after the Bears benched Mike Glennon, and has started ever since. Tribusky has widely been considered a vital part of the team’s future by most fans.

“I think he has potential to be a great quarterback for the Bears,” said Jack Holmstrom, sophomore, “I’m really excited to see what he can do for our future.”