A rivalry reborn? Bears vs. Packers should really heat up in coming years
Anyone who says Bears vs. Packers is the oldest, nastiest and most intense rivalry in the NFL hasn't been paying attention for the past four decades.
Oldest, yes.
Nastiest and intense? Hardly.
The Bears dominated in the late 1980s and early ’90s, extending their series lead to a whopping 24 games after a 30-10 victory on Oct. 25, 1992.
Then came Brett Favre. And Aaron Rodgers. And results like Packers 33-6, 40-3, 37-6, and 55-14.
Heading into Sunday, the Packers had won 17 of 19 to open a 107-95-6 edge – their largest ever.
But now – even though Green Bay prevailed 17-9 at Lambeau Field to claim a playoff berth – it seems like we are about to get a taste of what this rivalry SHOULD be all about.
The Packers are the youngest team to EVER qualify for the postseason. The Bears, who finished 7-10 and went 5-3 down the stretch, are the third-youngest team in the league.
The Packers have an impressive young quarterback in Jordan Love and a dangerous receiving corps that includes Naperville native Jayden Reed.
The Bears have an improving defense led by Montez Sweat, the Nos. 1 and 9 picks in the NFL draft and an up-and-coming offense.
The first thing GM Ryan Poles ought to do is take some cues from Green Bay, which is far from perfect but averaged 25.5 points during a 6-2 run to end the season.
Love is a smart, accurate passer who never panics. He went 27-for-32 for 316 yards with 2 TD passes against the Bears. That 84.4% completion percentage is the second highest by a Packers QB since 1984.
Aaron Jones is a dynamic, game-breaking tailback. He touched the ball 27 times Sunday, racking up 141 yards.
Reed, a Matea Valley High School graduate, piled up 112 yards on 4 receptions. He finished with a team-best 64 catches for 793 yards and 10 total TDs. Romeo Doubs, the dangerous – but oft-injured – Christian Watson and rookie TE Luke Musgrave make this one of the toughest groups in the league to defend.
It won't take much for the Bears to close the gap on the Packers, but it's up to Poles to make the correct decisions to make sure the momentum gained from the last two months continues into next year and beyond.
He'll likely keep coach Matt Eberflus, he should fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and will no doubt add a defensive coordinator who can make that unit one of the best in the NFC.
The decision on Fields will be difficult, but if Poles can acquire a king's ransom for the No. 1 pick, then he should trade it. Beef up both lines and draft Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. or LSU WR Malik Nabers. Also bring in another top-notch wideout in free agency like 25-year-old Tee Higgins.
Then watch out.
Not only will the Bears finally be a force to be reckoned with – but we'll finally know what it means to get sucked into a true blood-and-guts rivalry.
It's about time.