By Kevin Nielsen, Sportsnet.ca
With the Lions and Cowboys hosting their annual Thanksgiving matchups this Thursday (live on Sportsnet) we thought what better way to help celebrate the American Turkey Day than by looking at the top five rivalries in the NFL.
While there have been many classic rivalries in the NFL over the years, today’s 32 teams multiplied by a 16-game schedule means rivalries ebb and flow. In no particular order, here are what we think are the best five going right now.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
For the most part we have chosen to ignore ancient history in the NFL, but no history of feuds would be complete without the oldest continuous matchup in the history American football.
The NFC North Division rivals Bears first met in 1921 and have played a whopping 173 times since. The Bears hold a slim edge – 89-79-6 – in the series.
The most dubious incident in the storied history of these squads happened a year after the Bears’ most recent Super Bowl win in 1985. On Nov. 23, 1986, Packers’ defensive tackle Charles Martin carried a towel throughout the game with the numbers of Bears players he was going to hit. The hit list included Bears star running back Walter Payton (No. 34) and quarterback Jim McMahon (No. 9).
| Last five meetings: | |
| Oct 7, 2007 | Chicago 27, Green Bay 20 |
| Dec. 31, 2007 | Green Bay 26, Chicago 7 |
| Sept. 10, 2006 | Chicago 26, Green Bay 0 |
| Dec. 25, 2005 | Chicago 24, Green Bay 17 |
| Dec. 4, 2005 | Chicago 19, Green Bay 7 |
As the play turned back up the field after a McMahon interception, Martin tore through McMahon, leaving Chicago’s leader with a season-ending separated shoulder and earning Martin a two-game suspension.
Since 2001, each club has won the NFC North title three times. The Packers won three consecutive titles from 2002-04 and the Bears won in 2001 as well as the past two seasons.
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| Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre. (Getty) |
The Packers look set to win another title with a two-game lead over the Lions, but in the first meeting of the season the Bears were able to win on Green Bay’s home turf when Brett Favre threw two second-half interceptions allowing the Bears to claim a 27-20 victory at Lambeau Field.
The heated rivalry will resume on Dec. 21 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
