‘I still own you’: List of Chicago Bears QBs Aaron Rodgers has beaten
GREEN BAY, Wis. (BVM) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers notched another victory over the Chicago Bears with a 24-14 win at Soldier Field on Oct. 17, much to the chagrin of Bears fans. Prior to the game, Rodgers went viral when he was asked to list all the quarterbacks the Bears had started since he became the Packers starting QB in 2008. The list, which is 16 players long, was too much for Rodgers who gave up rather quickly.
“Counting playoffs? Yeah, I could come close probably,” Rodgers said during his press conference. “Jay Cutler. Kyle Orton. Rex Grossman. Mitch [Trubisky]… I’m giving up, I got a meeting to go to…can’t wrack the memory banks.”
While the Bears have started a total of 16 QBs since 2008, including the likes of Jason Campbell, Jimmy Clausen and Todd Collins to name a few, A-Rod has only faced eight in his Packers career, each with varying degrees of success against him. However, with a 22-5 record and a .815 winning percentage against the NFC North rivals, good for the third highest percentage for a QB against any one opponent all-time, Rodgers is still the king of this rivalry.
1. Kyle Orton (2008)
One of the few Chicago signal-callers to say they have beaten the two-time NFL MVP, Orton is also the lone quarterback Rodgers faced in the rivalry who also played head-to-head against his predecessor Brett Favre. Though Orton would only play one season against Rodgers in Chicago before being shipped in the package that brought Jay Cutler to the Bears from the Denver Broncos, he would go 1-1 thanks to an overtime game-winning kick by Robbie Gould on Dec. 22, 2008 in Soldier Field against a 5-10 Packers team. This would be considered the highlight of the rivalry for Bears fans that year as the Packers handily beat them earlier in the season, 37-3 at Lambeau.
2. Jay Cutler (2009-2016)
The best known and longest-tenured Bears quarterback since Rodgers was handed the reins in Green Bay, Cutler became one of the best quarterbacks statistically in Bears history. However, he failed to produce against the team’s biggest rival as he went 2-11 against the Pack over his eight seasons in Chicago, including a 21-14 loss in the 2010 NFC Championship Game in Soldier Field, the only playoff matchup in the century-old conflict. In those 13 matchups, Cutler seemed to have his worst performances, to the delight of the green and gold faithful, as he had a 15-23 touchdown-to-interception ratio and was sacked 36 times when he was under center. It was never a great time for “Smokin’ Jay” when the Pack were on the other side of the field.
3. Josh McCown (2011-2013)
Another QB with a 1-1 record in two starts against the Packers, McCown caused quite the stir in 2013 due to his success under then-head coach Marc Trestman. He was so successful, including during a 27-20 win over Green Bay in Lambeau on Nov. 5, that Bears fans were clamoring for him to be named the starter when the Bears played the Pack with the NFC North on the line at Soldier Field on Dec. 29. Instead, Trestman went with Cutler, Rodgers found Cobb deep on fourth down with 46 seconds left in the game and the rest is history. McCown wouldn’t play another snap in a Bears uniform and instead would have varying degrees of success with five teams over seven seasons before retiring.
4. Brian Hoyer (2016)
Here come the one-timers. Hoyer only played one season in Chicago and during that small amount of time started one game in the legendary rivalry. It was a game to forget for Hoyer as the Bears got trounced at Lambeau, 26-10 on Oct. 20, 2016. Hoyer was injured in the second quarter when he broke his left arm, but he wasn’t having a strong game up to that point. He finished the game just 4-of-11 for 49 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. His replacement, Matt Barkley, didn’t fare much better as he went 6-for-15 for 81 yards with two interceptions. A-Rod meanwhile set the then-franchise record for completions in a game with 39 while throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns.
5. Matt Barkley (2016)
Speaking of Barkley, here he is again, this time getting the start in the rivalry in place of an injured Hoyer. Once again, it wouldn’t end well for the Bears in a 30-27 loss on Dec. 18, 2016 at Soldier Field in Chicago, but Barkley played his heart out and almost brought the Bears from behind for a win. Tied 10-10 at the half, the Pack would own the third quarter with 17 unanswered points. Though trailing 27-10, Barkley brought the Bears all the way back 27-27 with 1:19 left in the fourth, however as many Bears and Packers fans know, that left too much time for Rodgers. The former MVP would lead the Pack down the field to set up a 32-yard game-winning field goal for Mason Crosby as time expired. Mark another win for Rodgers.
6. Mike Glennon (2017)
The last of the one offs (so far), Glennon played one game against the Packers and surprise, surprise it was a loss. Glennon was easily outdueled by the “Discount Double-Check” as he went 21-for-33 for 218 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while Rogers went 18-for-26 with 179 yards and four touchdown passes. In the Sept. 29, 2017 matchup, the Packers won easily 35-14 as the Bears floundered to a 1-3 start. The game would mark the last start for Glennon in his short Bears career and usher in the start of the next QB on the list.
7. Mitchell Trubisky (2017-2020)
It may sound surprising to fans of the rivalry to hear that, to date, Mitchell Trubisky is the second-longest tenured Bears QB to go against an Aaron Rodgers-led Packers team. Over his four seasons as the signal caller for the Bears, Trubisky had the same issues his fellow Chicago QBs had: not being able to beat Rodgers. Trubisky went 1-5 as a starter against Green Bay, his only win coming on Dec. 16, 2018 at Soldier Field during the last season where the Bears won the NFC North. In his six starts against the Packers, Trubisky went 178-for-284 with 1,759 yards, seven touchdown passes to go along with 120 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown. However, he also threw six interceptions and was sacked a total of 24 times in those matchups.
8. Justin Fields (2021)
The newest member of the rivalry to don the Bears uniform under center, 2021 first round pick Justin Fields got his first taste of Bears-Packers in Soldier Field on Oct. 17. He played well enough, going 16-for-27 for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception as well as six carries for 43 yards. However, it wasn’t good enough to beat Rodgers who once again gave Bears fans nightmares, going 17-for-23 with two touchdown passes and no interceptions as well as seven carries for 19 yards including a game-sealing six-yard touchdown scramble in the fourth quarter to help the Pack win 24-14. It was after the rushing touchdown that Rodgers said the now popular quote, “I still own you,” to booing Bears fans. Based on the facts, it’s hard to argue with him.
BAD MAN. @AaronRodgers12
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