Here we go - Packers coming into Soldier Field to play the Bear for the NFC Championship on Sunday. You could argue (I certainly would) that this is probably the biggest, most meaningful game in the history of the oldest and most storied rivalry in the NFL.
So here’s the question: If your team wins this game and goes on to win the Superbowl, which win will give you more satisfaction? To my mind if my beloved Bears win this game and go on to win in Dallas, I’ll still look back at this game as the absolute high point of the season. I’m going to be a total wreck on Sunday afternoon one way or another…
I am mainly a **Giants **fan, **Bears **are only my #2 team. So to me this is secondary to the Superbowl but I don’t feel the Green Bay rivalry the way a real Bears fan would.
As a Packer fan, no. And its not even the biggest non-Super Bowl game in Packers history. Unless something crazy happens on Sunday, I can’t imagine it will top the Ice Bowl for lore and history. But it’s clearly the biggest Packers-Bears game ever, and that is saying something.
Teams are measured (now) by Super Bowl wins, not NFC Championships. The Super Bowl will always be be a bigger game to my mind. Rivalries are great and all, but nobody really cares who won the NFC.
That said, this game will be the biggest NFC Championship game in the last 30 years, and likely for quite awhile after it. When the Packers beat up on the Bears, it will be very sweet indeed, but the Super Bowl will always matter more.
My wife was born in Chicago, I grew p in Wisconsin. Lucky for me she isn’t a football fan at all (and she grew up in SoCal so she really has no Chicago affinities).
They’re disgusted, but rooting against the Packers. They’re not rooting for the Bears exactly, but there’s no way for both teams to lose. The hope is that the Bears will eliminate the Packers then lose to the AFC team in the Superbowl.
My friend told me that ticket prices back home for this game will rival ticket prices for the Super Bowl.
I’m a lifetime Bears fan and I definitely think this is huge game for us in more ways than one. I think the only thing holding this back from being the end-all-be-all of NFC conference championships is the fact that Aaron Rogers is so much better, and consistent, than Cutler. I’m hoping that Chi doesn’t get blown out by GB, but I won’t be surprised if we lose. We’ve had alot of lucky breaks that helped get us here (I mean, Christ, Seattle beat NO just for us). I think the luck has run out and now it will just be straight up football.
Hopefully our defense can shut these guys down.
Also, now that NE has lost I think the SB becomes a whole lot more interesting and anyone could win it.
This is typically ridiculous, Packer fan self-importance. It’s no “bigger” than any other Conference championship game. It’s actually one of the more mediocre NFC Chamionship matchups in recent memory because neither team is especially good. It was just a very weak conference this year. There have been several other conference championship games between better teams in the last 30 years. All the Cowboys-Niners matchups, for instance. Those games were between elite, superstar laden teams which basically decided who would win the Superbowl. This game will only determine who will get to lose the Superbowl.
I said it in the weekly NFL thread and I’ll repeat it here. This game blows the Super Bowl out of the water. If we win this game and lose the Super Bowl it’ll still provide me with endless joy and happiness and the bragging rights will be utterly priceless. If the Bears and Packers develop a habit of meeting in the playoffs like the Ravens and Steelers seem to have done then I might eventually change that view, but this hasn’t happened in 70 years and for teams and rivals this steeped in history hoisting the Halas trophy is the only thing that matters right now.
Lovie had one thing right. The goals, in order, are 1) Beat the Packers, 2) Win the Division, 3) Win the Super Bowl.
Even though Bears vs. Packers has a long history the simple fact is Rodgers vs. Cutler don’t. These guys just haven’t played against eachother enough to have any type of rivalry. It’s not like a Brady/Manning type of showdown.
The history/rivalry is more between the fans than it is between the players.
I’m saying what they’re saying. I actually don’t hate the Bears and wouldn’t be bothered if they won the Superbowl. I don’t know why you would doubt that Vikings fans want the Packers to lose, though. Packer fans sure as hell wanted the Vikings to lose when they got to this game last year.
Yea, I was really speaking more of his opinion…I realize not ALL Viking fans start frothing at the mouth and go into fits at the mention of the Packers
I agree with Omniscient entirely. Also, as a Chicagoan and UW-Madison alum, I have a lot of friends who are Packer fans (they’re otherwise good people). This game is very, very important to me.
