For nearly 30 years, the Bears-Packers rivalry has come down to a simple, yet enormous difference in favor of Green Bay: The team with the quarterback beats the team that has everything but a quarterback.
Between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have repeatedly outclassed the Bears at the most important position on the field. Those two have dominated against the likes of Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Kordell Stewart and Cade McNown.
Either of the Green Bay legends has had a better chance with no help than Mitch Trubisky has with tons of it.
It’s the biggest reason the Packers are 40-15 in this series with Favre or Rodgers as they prepare to host the Bears on Sunday. And they’re about to go to the playoffs for the 20th time in 28 seasons.
Rodgers and Favre have given the Packers a chance regardless of whether they had top-shelf receivers or a viable defense.
Favre went to a Super Bowl with the 17th-ranked defense. The Packers went 15-1 in 2011 despite sitting dead last in total defense thanks to an MVP season by Rodgers, and he got them to the NFC title game with a bad defense three years ago. A star quarterback can cover a litany of roster flaws.
They’re 10-3 this season and closing in on the NFC North title with a defense that is 25th against the run and 21st against the pass. And Rodgers has exactly one receiver that the rest of the league covets: Davante Adams.
Meanwhile, across the state line, the Bears have stumbled to 7-6 and are on the verge of mathematical elimination from the playoffs even though their defense has allowed the fourth-fewest points. Trubisky is 20th in passer rating and his numbers are down across the board.
Trubisky got the better of Rodgers a year ago and knocked the Packers out of the playoff race by completing 20 of 28 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, but posted a combined rating of 77.3 in his three losses. Rodgers has a 105.2 against the Bears for his career has beaten them 17 of 22 times.
“There’s nothing you can really put your finger on,” Rodgers said when asked to explain his success in the rivalry. “It just means a lot, and sometimes those types of environments can bring out the best in you.”
The Bears played him as well as any defense could in the season opener, but he escaped with a 10-3 win on a night when Trubisky completed 26 of 45 passes for 228 yards and threw an interception from the Green Bay 16-yard line at the end.
Trubisky’s first three years haven’t been great or terrible. He’s certainly not an absolute bust like Grossman or McNown — what a relief. He’s been OK.
But the Bears should’ve gotten the point by now, after Favre and Rodgers have beaten into their heads for nearly three decades, that OK isn’t enough at quarterback. The Bears led this series 80-56 (they’ve had six ties) before Favre’s arrival and now trail 98-95.
How much different would the rivalry feel if they were sending out Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson to meet Rodgers at midfield for the coin toss? At least it would be a fair fight.
It’s great that general manager Ryan Pace went all-in to land Khalil Mack and brought in stars like safety Eddie Jackson and wide receiver Allen Robinson, but he whiffed on a chance to flip this rivalry on its head with a quarterback who could trade punches with Rodgers.
It won’t matter how many smart moves Pace makes if he can’t get it right at quarterback. And the Bears are yet again chasing the team that always gets it right.
