The Bears–Giants rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. The rivalry was notable for the six NFL championship games between the two teams before the creation of the Super Bowl, and the two subsequent Super Bowl-era playoff meetings that involved two of the NFL's greatest defensive units: the Bears' 46 defense crew helmed by Buddy Ryan, and the Giants' Big Blue Wrecking Crew mentored by Bill Belichick.
The Bears lead the overall series, 37–25–2. The two teams have met eight times in the playoffs, with the Bears holding a 5–3 record.
History 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. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. Seven years later, the Giants and Bears met for a sixth time to decide the 1963 NFL Championship. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Season-by-season results
| rowspan="2"| | style="| Bears 19–7 | Polo Grounds | Bears 1–0 | Giants' inaugural season. First meeting at Polo Grounds. |- | style="| Giants 9–0 | Wrigley Field | Tied 1–1 | First meeting at Wrigley Field.
| style="| Bears 7–0 | Wrigley Field | Bears 2–1
| style="| Giants 13–7 | Polo Grounds | Tied 2–2 | Giants win 1927 NFL Championship.
| style="| Bears 13–0 | Wrigley Field | Bears 3–2
| rowspan="3"| | style="| Giants 26–14 | Wrigley Field | Tied 3–3
| style="| Giants 34–0 | Polo Grounds | Giants 4–3 | Giants take first lead in the series. |- | style="| Giants 14–9 | Wrigley Field | Giants 5–3
| rowspan="2"| | style="| Giants 12–0 | Wrigley Field | Giants 6–3
| style="| Bears 12–0 | Polo Grounds | Giants 6–4
| rowspan="3"| | style="| Bears 6–0 | Wrigley Field | Giants 6–5
| style="| Bears 12–6 | Polo Grounds | Tied 6–6
| style="| Giants 25–6 | Wrigley Field | Giants 7–6
| rowspan="2"| | style="| Bears 28–8 | Polo Grounds | Tied 7–7 | rowspan="2"| After the loss to the Bears, the Giants went on a 13-game home winning streak.Bears won 1932 NFL Championship. |- | style="| Bears 6–0 | Wrigley Field | Bears 8–7 |- | rowspan="2"| | style="| Bears 14–10 | Wrigley Field | Bears 9–7
| style="| Giants 3–0 | Polo Grounds | Bears 9–8
! 1933 playoffs ! style="| Bears 23–21 ! Wrigley Field ! Bears 10–8 ! First scheduled NFL Championship game in league history. |- | rowspan="2"| | style="| Bears 27–7 | Wrigley Field | Bears 11–8 | Bears' win snapped the Giants' 13-game home winning streak. It would also be the Giants only home loss in the 1934 season. |- | style="| Bears 10–9 | Polo Grounds | Bears 12–8
! 1934 playoffs ! style="| Giants 30–13 ! Polo Grounds ! Bears 12–9 ! 1934 NFL Championship Game. Popularly known as the Sneakers Game.Giants denied the Bears a perfect season by handing them their first and only loss after going undefeated in the regular season. |- | rowspan="2"| | style="| Bears 20–3 | Polo Grounds | Bears 13–9 | rowspan="2"| Giants lose NFL Championship. |- | style="| Giants 3–0 | Wrigley Field | Bears 13–10
| style="| Bears 25–7 | Polo Grounds | Bears 14–10
| Tie 3–3 | Polo Grounds | Bears 14–10–1 | Bears lose NFL Championship.
| style="| Giants 16–13 | Polo Grounds | Bears 14–11–1 | Giants lose NFL Championship.
| style="| Bears 37–21 | Polo Grounds | Bears 15–11–1 | Bears' win snapped the Giants' 15-game home winning streak.Bears win NFL Championship. |- ! 1941 playoffs ! style="| Bears 37–9 ! Wrigley Field ! Bears 16–11–1 ! 1941 NFL Championship Game
| style="| Bears 26–7 | Wrigley Field | Bears 17–11–1 | Bears lose NFL Championship.
| style="| Bears 56–7 | Polo Grounds | Bears 18–11–1 | Most lopsided Bears victory and highest-scoring game in the rivalry. Bears win NFL Championship.
| style="| Giants 14–0 | Polo Grounds | Bears 18–12–1
! 1946 playoffs ! style="| Bears 24–14 ! Polo Grounds ! Bears 19–12–1 ! 1946 NFL Championship Game
| style="| Bears 35–14 | Wrigley Field | Bears 20–12–1
| style="| Giants 35–28 | Polo Grounds | Bears 20–13–1 | Final meeting at Polo Grounds.
| Tie 17–17 | Yankee Stadium | Bears 20–13–2 | First meeting at Yankee Stadium. |- ! 1956 playoffs ! style="| Giants 47–7 ! Yankee Stadium ! Bears 20–14–2 ! 1956 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship Game. Giants' largest margin of victory in the rivalry.
| style="| Giants 26–24 | Wrigley Field | Bears 20–15–2 | Giants lose NFL Championship. |- ! 1963 playoffs ! style="| Bears 14–10 ! Wrigley Field ! Bears 21–15–2 ! Sixth and final NFL Championship Game between the two teams. The Bears finished with a 4–2 record in NFL Championship Games against the Giants. Last playoff meeting until 1985.
| style="| Bears 35–14 | Yankee Stadium | Bears 22–15–2
| style="| Bears 34–7 | Wrigley Field | Bears 23–15–2 | Final meeting at Wrigley Field.
| style="| Giants 28–24 | Yankee Stadium | Bears 23–16–2
| style="| Bears 24–16 | Yankee Stadium | Bears 24–16–2 | Final meeting at Yankee Stadium.
| style="| Bears 24–16 | Soldier Field | Bears 25–16–2 | First meeting at Soldier Field.
| style="| Bears | Giants Stadium | Bears 26–16–2 | First meeting at Giants Stadium. Chicago's victory clinched their first post-season appearance since 1963.
! 1985 playoffs ! style="| Bears 21–0 ! Soldier Field ! Bears 27–16–2 ! NFC Divisional Round. Bears win Super Bowl XX.
| style="| Bears 34–19 | Soldier Field | Bears 28–16–2
! 1990 playoffs ! style="| Giants 31–3 ! Giants Stadium ! Bears 28–17–2 ! NFC Divisional Round. First meeting in New York since 1977. Giants win Super Bowl XXV. Most recent playoff meeting between the two teams.
| style="| Bears 20–17 | Soldier Field | Bears 29–17–2
| style="| Giants 27–14 | Soldier Field | Bears 29–18–2
| style="| Giants 26–20 | Soldier Field | Bears 29–19–2
| style="| Bears 27–24 | Giants Stadium | Bears 30–19–2
| style="| Giants 14–7 | Soldier Field | Bears 30–20–2 | Giants lose Super Bowl XXXV.
| style="| Bears 28–21 | Giants Stadium | Bears 31–20–2
| style="| Bears 38–20 | Giants Stadium | Bears 32–20–2 | Final meeting at Giants Stadium. Bears lose Super Bowl XLI.
| style="| Giants 21–16 | Soldier Field | Bears 32–21–2 | Giants win Super Bowl XLII.
| style="| Giants 17–3 | MetLife Stadium | Bears 32–22–2 | First meeting at MetLife Stadium.
| style="| Bears 27–21 | Soldier Field | Bears 33–22–2
| style="| Giants 22–16 | MetLife Stadium | Bears 33–23–2
| style="| Giants | MetLife Stadium | Bears 33–24–2
| style="| Bears 19–14 | Soldier Field | Bears 34–24–2
| style="| Bears 17–13 | Soldier Field | Bears 35–24–2 | No fans in attendance for game due to COVID-19 pandemic.
| style="| Bears 29–3 | Soldier Field | Bears 36–24–2 | Bears hold Giants to -10 net passing yards, the worst in team history. Giants coach Joe Judge goes on epic 11-minute rant in postgame interview.
| style="| Giants 20–12 | MetLife Stadium | Bears 36–25–2
| style="| Bears 24–20 | Soldier Field | Bears 37–25–2 | Bears overcame a 20–10 fourth-quarter deficit in the final six minutes. Giants fire coach Brian Daboll after game.
| Regular season | style="|
| Postseason | style="| | Bears 4–0 | Giants 3–1