Bears–Giants rivalry

Pre-Super Bowl era

The Bears and Giants met in six NFL Championship Games, the most common matchup in either the NFL Championship or the Super Bowl. Between 1933 and 1946, the two teams appeared in 12 of 14 championship games, winning a combined seven titles during that period. Their first meeting occurred in the inaugural NFL Championship Game at the end of the 1933 season, in which Chicago defeated New York 23–21 by scoring the winning touchdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.^{[7][8][9][10]} It was the Bears’ second consecutive championship, following their 1932 title that had been awarded based on regular-season winning percentage. The Giants won the rematch in the 1934 NFL Championship Game, defeating Chicago 30–13 after outscoring them 27–0 in the fourth quarter.^[11] The game became known as the “Sneakers Game” after the Giants switched to basketball shoes at halftime to improve traction on the frozen field at the Polo Grounds.^[12][13]

The Bears and Giants met for a third time in the 1941 NFL Championship Game. 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.^[14][15][16] A fourth meeting took place in the 1946 NFL Championship Game, 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.^[17][18]

In the 1956 NFL Championship Game, 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 in 1986. Similar to the 1934 title game, the Giants wore sneakers in order to gain traction on an icy field.^[19][20][21] Seven years later, the Giants and Bears met for a sixth time to decide the 1963 NFL Championship.^[22] In a low-scoring affair, the Bears prevailed 14–10 to win their eighth NFL championship, their last until Super Bowl XX in 1985. It was also the final meeting between the Bears and Giants that decided the NFL championship.^[23]

Super Bowl era

Both teams entered rebuilding periods following the 1963 title game, but by the 1980s, the Bears and Giants had returned to championship contention, each led by two of the greatest defensive units in NFL history. Chicago’s 46 defense, coached by Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, featured Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary along with defensive linemen Richard Dent and Dan Hampton. New York’s “Big Blue Wrecking Crew,” coached by Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, included Hall of Fame linebackers Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, and Harry Carson.^[24][25][26]

The teams first met in the postseason in the 1985 NFC Divisional Round, where Chicago’s defense shut out New York 21–0. The game’s pivotal moment came when a punt attempt by Giants punter Sean Landeta was mishandled in the wind and returned five yards for a touchdown by Shaun Gayle.^[27] The Bears went on to win Super Bowl XX that season. The two teams met again in the 1990 NFC Divisional Round, which the Giants won 31–3 en route to a victory in Super Bowl XXV.^[5][28][29]

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 appearance.^[30] 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 to the rival Philadelphia Eagles.^[2] 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.^[31][2] In a Week 13 game in 2018, 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 handed it off to Trey Burton who tossed the ball back to Tarik Cohen 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.