The Bears–Giants rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. The rivalry was notable for the six

NFL championship games The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

between the two teams before the creation of the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

, and the two subsequent Super Bowl-era playoff meetings that involved two of the NFL's greatest defensive units: the Bears'

46 defense The 46 defense is an American football defensive formation, an eight men in the box defense, with six players along the line of scrimmage. There are two players at linebacker depth playing linebacker technique, and then three defensive backs. T ...

crew helmed by

Buddy Ryan James David "Buddy" Ryan (February 17, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of the ...

, and the Giants'

Big Blue Wrecking Crew The Big Blue Wrecking Crew was the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl Championships and three NFC East Titles, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. A 3-4 defense, it ...

mentored by Bill Belichick.

History

Pre-Super Bowl era

The Bears and Giants met in six NFL championship games, more than any common matchup in either the NFL Championship or Super Bowl. Between 1933 and 1946, the Bears and/or the Giants appeared in 12 of 14 NFL championship games, and combined to win seven championships in that span. Their first meeting came in the first-ever NFL Championship Game that concluded the 1933 season. In a close-knit affair, the Bears won the game and the championship 23–21 by scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. It was Chicago's second consecutive championship, having previously won in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

when the league awarded the title to the team with the best regular season winning percentage. However, the Giants returned the favor in the

1934 NFL Championship Game The 1934 NFL Championship Game, also known as the Sneakers Game, was the second scheduled National Football League (NFL) championship game. Played at the Polo Grounds in New York City on December 9, it was the first title game for the newly c ...

, winning 30–13 by outscoring the Bears 27–0 in the fourth quarter. The game was forever immortalized as the Sneakers Game, as the Giants switched to basketball sneakers at the half due to the slick frozen conditions that affected the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

field. The Bears and Giants met for a third time in the

1941 NFL Championship Game The 1941 NFL Championship Game was the ninth annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), held at Wrigley Field in Chicago on December 21. Played two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the attendance was 13,341, ...

. This game was notable as it happened two weeks following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; as a result, only 13,341 fans attended the game at Wrigley Field, the lowest of any NFL championship game. The Bears dominated the Giants 37–9 to win their fifth NFL title, thanks to four unanswered touchdowns in the second half. A fourth meeting took place in the

1946 NFL Championship Game The 1946 NFL Championship Game was the 14th annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), played December 15 at the Polo Grounds in New York City, with a record-breaking attendance of The game matched the New York Giants (7� ...

, in which a then-record 58,346 fans witnessed the Bears defeat the Giants 24–14 in New York. The game was tied 14–14 after three quarters before the Bears scored ten unanswered points. The victory was marred, however, by a bribery scandal involving two Giants players. In the

1956 NFL Championship Game In the 1956 NFL Championship Game was the league's 24th championship game, played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx in New York City on December 30. The New York Giants (8–3–1) won the Eastern Conference title and hosted the Chicago Bears (9� ...

, the Giants routed the Bears 47–7 at Yankee Stadium to win the championship. It was the team's last title until

Super Bowl XXI Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

. Similar to the 1934 title game, the Giants wore sneakers in order to gain traction on an icy field. Seven years later, the Giants and Bears met for a sixth time to decide the

1963 NFL Championship The 1963 NFL Championship Game was the 31st annual championship game, played on December 29 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game pitted the visiting New York Giants (11–3) of the Eastern Conference against the Chicago Bears (11–1� ...

. In a low-scoring affair, the Bears prevailed 14–10 to win their eighth NFL championship, their last until

Super Bowl XX Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. It was also the final meeting between the Bears and Giants that decided the NFL championship.

Super Bowl era

The two teams underwent lengthy rebuilding periods following the 1963 title game, but in the 1980s, the Bears and Giants reemerged into title contention, thanks to two of the greatest defensive units in NFL history. Chicago's

, coached by Mike Ditka and

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

, featured Hall of Fame linebacker

Mike Singletary Michael Singletary (born October 9, 1958), also known by his nickname Samurai Mike, is an American professional football coach and former middle linebacker. After playing college football for the Baylor Bears, Singletary was drafted by the Chi ...

, and defensive ends Richard Dent and

Dan Hampton Daniel Oliver Hampton (born September 19, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive lineman for twelve seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1990 in the National Football League (NFL). He was elected to ...

. New York's

, on the other hand, were coached by Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, and featured Hall of Fame linebackers

Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants ( 1981–1993) in the National Football League (NF ...

, Carl Banks and Harry Carson. The two teams first squared off in the 1985 NFC Divisional Round, in which Chicago's defensive crew outplayed their Giant counterparts in a 21–0 shutout. The tone of the game was set when a punt attempt by Giants punter Sean Landeta was muffed in the strong winds and Shaun Gayle returned it five yards for a touchdown. The Bears went on to win the Super Bowl that season. A rematch then took place in the 1990 NFC Divisional Round, which also ended in a blowout. This time, however, the Giants dominated Chicago in a 31–3 rout, and went on to win Super Bowl XXV. To date, this was the most recent meeting in the playoffs between the Bears and the Giants.

Recent years

After the 1990 playoff meeting, the rivalry cooled off a bit, though games between the two teams remained highly competitive. However, there were some notable moments that took place since then. During Week 10 of the 2006 season, Bears returner Devin Hester returned a missed field goal a then-record 108 yards for a touchdown, culminating in the Bears' 38–20 victory. The win proved crucial for the Bears as they went on to finish with the NFC's best record at 13–3, en route to a

Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

appearance. The Giants, on the other hand, turned a 6–2 start into a 2–6 finish, ending with an 8–8 record and losing in the

Wild Card Round A wild card (also wildcard or wild-card and also known as an at-large berth or at-large bid) is a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that fails to qualify in the normal way; for example, by having a high ranking or winnin ...

to the rival Philadelphia Eagles. Then in Week 4 of the 2010 season, the Giants defense sacked Bears quarterback Jay Cutler nine times in the first half en route to a 17–3 victory, dealing Chicago its first loss of the season. In a Week 13 game in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, the Bears trailed the Giants 27–17. With 1:15 left in regulation, Bears kicker Cody Parkey kicked a field goal which made it 27–20. The Bears recovered the onside-kick with 1:13 left which was recovered by Daniel Brown. The Bears drove from their own 44 to the Giants' 1 with 3 seconds left. On a last ditch play, quarterback

Chase Daniel William Chase Daniel (born October 7, 1986) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted f ...

handed it off to Trey Burton who tossed the ball back to

Tarik Cohen Tarik Cohen (born July 26, 1995) is an American football running back who is a free agent. Cohen played the same position for North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University before being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Dra ...

and Cohen threw the ball for a touchdown to Anthony Miller with no time on the clock. The extra point by Parkey was good which sent the game to overtime tied at 27. The Giants won the overtime coin toss and received the ball. The Giants drove from their own 25 to the Bears' 23. They got backed to the 26 where they would kick a field goal to take a 30–27 lead with 5:57 left in the game. But the Bears failed to respond after Daniel fumbled 3 times and failed a last ditch pass deep down the field that was broken up to preserve a 30–27 Giants win.

Game results

, - , rowspan="2", , style=", Bears
19–7 ,

, Bears
1–0 , Giants' inaugural season. First meeting at

. , - , style=", Giants
9–0 , Wrigley Field , Tied
1–1 , First meeting at Wrigley Field. , - , , style=", Bears
7–0 , Wrigley Field , Bears
2–1 , , - , , style=", Giants
13–7 , Polo Grounds , Tied
2–2 , Giants win 1927 NFL Championship. , - , , style=", Bears
13–0 , Wrigley Field , Bears
3–2 , , - , rowspan="3", , style=", Giants
26–14 , Wrigley Field , Tied
3–3 , , - , style=", Giants
34–0 , Polo Grounds , Giants
4–3 , Giants take first lead in the series. , - , style=", Giants
14–9 , Wrigley Field , Giants
5–3 , , - , - , rowspan="2", , style=", Giants
12–0 , Wrigley Field , Giants
6–3 , , - , style=", Bears
12–0 , Polo Grounds , Giants
6–4 , , - , rowspan="3", , style=", Bears
6–0 , Wrigley Field , Giants
6–5 , , - , style=", Bears
12–6 , Polo Grounds , Tied
6–6 , , - , style=", Giants
25–6 , Wrigley Field , Giants
7–6 , , - , rowspan="2", , style=", Bears
28–8 , Polo Grounds , Tied
7–7 , rowspan="2", Bears won 1932 NFL Championship. , - , style=", Bears
6–0 , Wrigley Field , Bears
8–7 , - , rowspan="2", , style=", Bears
14–10 , Wrigley Field , Bears
9–7 , , - , style=", Giants
3–0 , Polo Grounds , Bears
9–8 , , - ! 1933 playoffs ! style=", Bears
23–21 ! Wrigley Field ! Bears
10–8 ! First scheduled NFL Championship game in league history. , - , rowspan="2", , style=", Bears
27–7 , Wrigley Field , Bears
11–8 , , - , style=", Bears
10–9 , Polo Grounds , Bears
12–8 , , - ! 1934 playoffs ! style=", Giants
30–13 ! Polo Grounds ! Bears
12–9 ! 1934 NFL Championship Game. Popularly known as the Sneakers Game. , - , rowspan="2", , style=", Bears
20–3 , Polo Grounds , Bears
13–9 , rowspan="2", Giants lose

NFL Championship Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...

. , - , style=", Giants
3–0 , Wrigley Field , Bears
13–10 , - , , style=", Bears
25–7 , Polo Grounds , Bears
14–10 , , - , , Tie
3–3 , Polo Grounds , Bears
14–10–1 , Bears lose

. , - , , style=", Giants
16–13 , Polo Grounds , Bears
14–11–1 , Giants lose

. , - , - , , style=", Bears
37–21 , Polo Grounds , Bears
15–11–1 , Bears win

. , - ! 1941 playoffs ! style=", Bears
37–9 ! Wrigley Field ! Bears
16–11–1 ! 1941 NFL Championship Game , - , , style=", Bears
26–7 , Wrigley Field , Bears
17–11–1 , Bears lose

. , - , , style=", Bears
56–7 , Polo Grounds , Bears
18–11–1 , Most lopsided Bears victory and highest-scoring game in the rivalry. Bears win

. , - , , style=", Giants
14–0 , Polo Grounds , Bears
18–12–1 , , - ! 1946 playoffs ! style=", Bears
24–14 ! Polo Grounds ! Bears
19–12–1 ! 1946 NFL Championship Game , - , , style=", Bears
35–14 , Wrigley Field , Bears
20–12–1 , , - , , style=", Giants
35–28 , Polo Grounds , Bears
20–13–1 , Final meeting at Polo Grounds. , - , - , , Tie
17–17 , Yankee Stadium , Bears
20–13–2 , First meeting at Yankee Stadium. , - ! 1956 playoffs ! style=", Giants
47–7 ! Yankee Stadium ! Bears
20–14–2 ! 1956 NFL Championship Game, NFL Championship Game. Giants' largest margin of victory in the rivalry. , - , - , , style=", Giants
26–24 , Wrigley Field , Bears
20–15–2 , Giants lose

. , - ! 1963 playoffs ! style=", Bears
14–10 ! Wrigley Field ! Bears
21–15–2 ! Sixth and final NFL Championship Game between the two teams. The Bears finished with a 4–2 record in NFL Championship Games against the Giants. Last playoff meeting until

. , - , , style=", Bears
35–14 , Yankee Stadium , Bears
22–15–2 , , - , , style=", Bears
34–7 , Wrigley Field , Bears
23–15–2 , Final meeting at Wrigley Field. , - , , style=", Giants
28–24 , Yankee Stadium , Bears
23–16–2 , , - , - , , style=", Bears
24–16 , Yankee Stadium , Bears
24–16–2 , Final meeting at Yankee Stadium. , - , , style=", Bears
24–16 , Soldier Field , Bears
25–16–2 , First meeting at Soldier Field. , - , , style=", Bears
,

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

, Bears
26–16–2 , First meeting at

. Chicago's victory clinched their first post-season appearance since

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

. , - , - ! 1985 playoffs ! style=", Bears
21–0 ! Soldier Field ! Bears
27–16–2 ! NFC Divisional Round. Bears win

. , - , , style=", Bears
34–19 , Soldier Field , Bears
28–16–2 , , - , - ! 1990 playoffs ! style=", Giants
31–3 ! Giants Stadium ! Bears
28–17–2 ! NFC Divisional Round. First meeting in New York since 1977. Giants win Super Bowl XXV. Most recent playoff meeting between the two teams. , - , , style=", Bears
20–17 , Soldier Field , Bears
29–17–2 , , - , , style=", Giants
27–14 , Soldier Field , Bears
29–18–2 , , - , , style=", Giants
26–20 , Soldier Field , Bears
29–19–2 , , - , , style=", Bears
27–24 , Giants Stadium , Bears
30–19–2 , , - , - , , style=", Giants
14–7 , Soldier Field , Bears
30–20–2 , Giants lose Super Bowl XXXV. , - , , style=", Bears
28–21 , Giants Stadium , Bears
31–20–2 , , - , , style=", Bears
38–20 , Giants Stadium , Bears
32–20–2 , Final meeting at

. Bears lose

. , - , , style=", Giants
21–16 , Soldier Field , Bears
32–21–2 , Giants win

Super Bowl XLII Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. , - , - , , style=", Giants
17–3 , MetLife Stadium , Bears
32–22–2 , First meeting at MetLife Stadium. , - , , style=", Bears
27–21 , Soldier Field , Bears
33–22–2 , , - , , style=", Giants
22–16 , MetLife Stadium , Bears
33–23–2 , , - , , style=", Giants
, MetLife Stadium , Bears
33–24–2 , , - , , style=", Bears
19–14 , Soldier Field , Bears
34–24–2 , , - , - , , style=", Bears
17–13 , Soldier Field , Bears
35–24–2 , No fans in attendance for game due to COVID-19 pandemic. , - , , style=", Bears
29–3 , Soldier Field , Bears
36–24–2 , , - , , style=", Giants
20–12 , MetLife Stadium , Bears
36–25–2 , , - , - , Regular season , style=", , , , , - , Postseason , style=", , Bears 4–0 , Giants 3–1 , NFC Divisional Round: 1985, 1990. NFL Championship Game: 1933, 1934, 1941, 1946, 1956, 1963 , - , Regular and postseason , style=", , , , , -

Players who played for both teams

References

External links

The BEST Moments from Giants vs. Bears Rivalry History
at the

official YouTube channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Bears-Giants rivalry NFL rivalries Chicago Bears New York Giants New York Giants rivalries Chicago Bears rivalries