No one needs to tell us that this upcoming edition of the Bears-Packers rivalry is huge. For one thing, it’s a new chapter in its long history, with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams hoping to reverse the fortunes of the recently one-sided beef.

But this game and the one that will take place two weeks after will have massive implications for both teams and could decide who wins the NFC North or sits atop the NFC. 

In token of that, a tweet from 670 The Score’s Mully and Haugh show dropped a stat that might blow Bears fans’ minds a bit.

According to the show’s research, the Bears and Packers haven’t faced each other this late in the season with both teams being at least five games over .500 since December 9, 2001—almost exactly 24 years ago. For those who need a memory job, 2001 was the year Jim Miller took over as the team’s starter and led Chicago to a 13-3 record, and it was also running back Anthony Thomas’ broke out for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns, earning Rookie of the Year honors. 

The bad news: the Bears got swept by the Packers that year, which obviously includes the Week 13 matchup where 8-3 Packers clipped the 9-2 Bears 17-7. (The symmetry in the time and records of each team is a little close for comfort there.)

On the bright side, the Bears still won the then-NFC Central, with the Packers finishing 12-4 just behind them. Both teams get washed in the Divisional Round, though, so no one got bragging rights beyond that.

That bit of nostalgia speaks once more to just how one-sided this matchup has become since the Bears’ glory days. Since winning the first game of their 1992 series 30-10, the Bears have gone on to lose 39 of the 49 contests with Green Bay.

There have been some big games in relatively recent history between the two squads, including the Week 17 season finale and playoff game in the 2010-11 season, of course. But as far as the regular season goes, it’s been a long time since they faced each other when they were both this good.

Now, it’s time to see if the upstart Chicago Bears have a little surprise for their neighbors to the northwest.

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