Bears and Packers renew their rivalry with NFC supremacy on the line

Dan Powers - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 50 minutes ago

In case you are just joining us on the Chicago Bears and their season, where have you been? In all seriousness, though, this is a team that stumbled out of the gate to lose its first two games and has since ripped off nine wins in its last 10 games. That includes a current five-game winning streak that has pushed their season record to 9-3.

That not only pushes them to the top spot in their division but also to the top spot in the NFC, as the Bears are in a good spot right now. As good as things are in Halas Hall, all of that could go to waste depending on how the next few weeks go. In the midst of one of the more challenging stretches in the NFL this season, the Bears shocked the world by knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles on the road last Friday.

It was not only the statement that the Bears needed to turn some of the doubters into believers, but also the way they handled the Eagles, which certainly opened the eyes of a lot of teams. That was only the start of the gauntlet the Bears will be in, as things won't get any easier. To close out the season, Chicago will see the Green Bay Packers twice, the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit, and Cleveland.

That shows four of their final five games will be against playoff teams, so if the Bears want to make the playoffs, they will have to earn it. This week, and two of the next three weeks, will pit the oldest rivalry in the game against each other, as the Bears and Packers are set to tee off for the first of their two meetings.

Unlike in the past, when the Packers came into the game with playoff aspirations while the Bears were just looking to win, this isn't your typical Packers/Bears game, as plenty more is on the line this week. Not only is the top spot in the division on the line, but also the top spot in the NFC, as the stakes haven't been this high since these teams met in the NFC Title game in 2010.

The NFL has certainly taken notice as well, as this week's game was moved from a noon kickoff to 3:25, and the game at Soldier Field in two weeks has been flexed into Primetime and will now take place on Saturday night. This only happens when late-season matchups come together with high stakes, and the stakes haven't been this high in forever.

Granted, this has been a one-sided rivalry for the past 30 years, but Chicago ended some of that misery last season by defeating the Packers at Lambeau in week 18, breaking a massive losing streak in Green Bay. Chicago will now look to pick up their second consecutive win against the Packers, and it may have the secret weapon to get that done in head coach Ben Johnson.

Johnson may not have head coaching experience, but he was on a staff that seemed to have the Packers' number over the past few seasons. As the Lions' offensive coordinator, Johnson has continued to see the Packers up close and personal over the years, and the Lions are the only division team that has consistently beaten the Packers over the past few years.

Johnson used that to take a shot at Matt LaFleur and the Packers earlier this season, saying he really enjoyed beating them twice a year. Whether that was used more as a joke than anything, you can bet that the Packers haven't forgotten that quote and are going to use that as bulletin board material.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, these two will get very familiar with each other in the coming weeks, and that alone makes for some great football. This hasn't been the rivalry it once was for a while, but perhaps Johnson is the guy who can restore it. Playing high-stakes games with tons on the line is one way to bring the history of these teams back into the fold as the Bears look for another signature win this weekend.