After running for a touchdown against the Bears in Week 6, Aaron Rodgers yelled at some Bears fans who were giving him a one-finger salute and said, “All my f!@*ing life , I own you! I own you. I still own you!”
The moment was picked up by microphones on the field and then went viral across social media and the football world.
While the quote may provide the Bears with extra inspiration in this week’s rematch, the bottom line is that Rodgers was right.
In his NFL career, Rodgers has started 26 games against the Bears and he has been outstanding throughout. His regular-season record vs. Chicago is an impressive 21-5, an .808 winning percentage. He has won his last five starts against the Bears and 10 of the last 11 with the only loss coming in the second meeting of 2018.
For his career, Rodgers has completed 545-of-815 passes for 6,208 yards, 57 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions when playing the Bears. His passer rating against Chicago is an impressive 107.7. He has 11 games with three or more touchdown passes. Oh, and he has also run for another 299 yards and two scores.
Rodgers has helped the Packers pass the Bears in the all-time series between the NFL’s oldest rivals. Right now, Green Bay leads the all-time series between the team 101-94-6. Before 1992 when Brett Favre and then Rodgers became the Packers quarterback, Chicago held a significant lead in the series. As of the start of the 1992 season, the Bears held a seemingly commanding lead of 80-57-6. Since then, the Packers are 44-14 against Chicago.
Rodgers found success against the Bears right away. In his first start against the Monsters of the Midway, Rodgers threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers 37-3 thrashing of the visiting Bears.
He tossed five touchdown passes against Chicago for the first time in 2011 in a 35-21 win at Lambeau Field with two going to Jordy Nelson, two to James Jones and one to Jermichael Finley.
There have been dramatic comebacks and last minute victories as well. In 2013, the Packers needed a win in the season finale to clinch the NFC North and a playoff berth. The Packers trailed 28-20 early in the fourth quarter when Rodgers led the Packers back.
In the final minute, the Packers trailed 28-27 and faced 4th-and-8 at the Bears 48. Rodgers eluded a fierce pass rush, scrambled and found Randall Cobb for a 48-yard touchdown pass that gave the Packers a memorable 33-28 comeback win and another division title.
In the 2018 season opener, Rodgers and the Packers had a horrible first half and they trailed 17-0 at the break. In the second quarter, Rodgers suffered a knee injury and was replaced by backup DiShone Kizer. Kizer struggled and threw a pass that Khalil Mack turned into a pick-six.
But in the second half, Rodgers returned to the lineup and the crowd at Lambeau rose to its feet. Rodgers turned a 20-0 third quarter deficit into a 24-23 win. The winning points came on a 75-yard touchdown toss to Cobb with a little more than two minutes left in the game. Rodgers finished the game by completing 20-of-30 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 130.7. He played with the knee injury for the rest of the 2018 season.
Perhaps Rodgers’ most impressive game against Chicago came in 2014. In a Week 10 game at Lambeau Field, Rodgers threw six touchdown passes in the first half as the Packers crushed the Bears on Sunday Night Football 55-14.
The Packers led 42-0 at the half as Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to Nelson, one each to tight ends Brandon Bostick and Andrew Quarless, one to running back Eddie Lacy and one to Cobb. He finished the game with 18 completions in 27 attempts for 315 yards and six touchdowns.
In the first meeting between the teams six weeks earlier, Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, giving him 10 touchdown tosses against the Bears in that season alone.
Rodgers also defeated the Bears in Chicago in the 2010 NFC Championship Game. On a cold and windy day at Soldier Field, Rodgers didn’t put up impressive statistics, but he ran for a touchdown and made a shoestring tackle of linebacker Brian Urlacher who intercepted Rodgers deep in Bears territory and had an unimpeded path to the end zone if Rodgers didn’t stop him. The Packers won 21-14 and went on to win Super Bowl XLV two weeks later.
After the first meeting between the teams this season, Rodgers told reporters, “I love this rivalry. It’s been a lot of fun over the years. That’s what I told Justin Fields — to enjoy this. It’s a special rivalry, unlike any other in our game.”
It’s not hard to see why Rodgers loves the rivalry. The Bears bring out the best in him and has created many magic moments for Rodgers, the Packers and Packers fans.
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