The Green Bay Packers’ preseason was full of surprises both good (third-string rookie quarterback Brett Hundley threw for 551 yards and six touchdowns in two games) and bad (All-Pro wide receiver Jordy Nelson tore his ACL against Pittsburgh in August and will be out all season).
Now with Green Bay’s final 53-man roster set, the team will play its archrival, the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field in Sunday’s regular season opener. The two teams will be meeting for the 191st time — the latest chapter in an iconic history dating back 94 years to 1921.
Collectively, Green Bay and Chicago have won 22 NFL championships and five Super Bowls. Green Bay has the edge in both categories, although Chicago has three more members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bears (barely) lead the series, too, 93-91-6.
With numbers like those, it’s no surprise there have been many memorable meetings between the teams. For nostalgia’s sake, here are three of them — one from each of the past three decades:
Nov. 5, 1989: Dubbed the “Instant Replay Game,” this thriller at Lambeau Field came down to the final minute, when Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski was penalized for stepping over the line of scrimmage on a touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe that would have tied the game at 13. After a delay of several minutes, the call was reversed, and Chris Jacke kicked the extra point for a 14-13 win — the Packers’ first against the Bears in five years.
Oct. 31, 1994: The Halloween night temperature at Soldier Field was 44 degrees, winds gusted up to 45 miles per hour, rain was gushing down and the Packers — wearing their yellow-and-white throwback uniforms from the 1960s — dominated, 33-6, in a fun one to watch on TV. Brett Favre, by the way, rushed for a career-high 58 yards.
Dec. 22, 2008: Christmas came early for the Bears in the coldest game ever played in Chicago (2 degrees, with a minus-13 wind chill). California boy Aaron Rodgers proved he could play in frigid weather, throwing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. But a blocked Mason Crosby field goal attempt helped give Chicago a 20-17 win.
