Bears–Lions rivalry


The Bears–Lions rivalry is a National Football League rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. The franchises first met in 1930 when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans and based in Portsmouth, Ohio. They moved to Detroit for the 1934 season. The Bears and Lions have been division rivals since 1933 and have usually met twice a season since the Lions franchise began. The two teams play in the two largest metropolitan areas in the Midwest. Chicago and Detroit’s home stadiums, Soldier Field and Ford Field, are 280 miles apart and both are easily accessible from I-94.
This rivalry is the longest-running annual series in the NFL as both teams have met at least once a season since 1930.
The Bears lead the overall series 101–74–5, however, the series since the beginning of the 1966 season is very close at 54–52–1 in their favor. This is despite the fact that the Bears have been far more successful than the Lions since that season, reaching the NFC Divisional Playoffs twelve times while the Lions have only reached the playoffs three times, winning just one of those games, and have not won an NFC title. The Bears won the only playoff meeting between the two teams, the 1932 NFL Championship Game, 9–0.

Notable rivalry moments