Packers grab lead from the Bears in a major NFL category

CHICAGO – It’s always painful to lose to the rivals from up north, but Sunday’s was especially difficult.

That’s because the Bears lost the lead in an NFL category that they’d had at least a share of for over 100 years.

With a 28-19 victory on Sunday at Soldier Field, the Packers won their 787th game, passing the Bears on the NFL’s all-time team wins list.

Green Bay initially tied the Bears in that category back in Week 4 when they defeated the Patriots at home and the Bears lost to the Giants at Met Life Stadium. But after that, the Packers lost five-straight games and the Bears’ Week 7 win over the Patriots gave them a one-game advantage.

It stayed that way until Green Bay won their 786th game against the Cowboys in Week 10 to tie things back up. The Packers rallied from nine points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Bears on Sunday and took over the lead for NFL victories as their opponent’s losing streak was extended to six.

The last time the Bears didn’t have the lead in league wins, per NFL Research, was December 3, 1921. On that day, the Buffalo All-Americans defeated the Akron Pros 14-0 to get the lead in victories in the league, which was then known as the American Professional Football Association.

But the Bears, then known as the Staleys, would finish the year 2-0-1, including a victory over Buffalo to grab the lead by the end of the season. For the next 101 years, the Bears held the lead until they lost it to their biggest rival on Sunday.

Green Bay now leads the series against the Bears 105-95-6 and has won the last eight meetings in the rivalry.