The Bears and Giants met in six NFL championship games, more than any common matchup in either the NFL Championship or Super Bowl. Between 1933 and 1946, the Bears and/or the Giants appeared in 12 of 14 NFL championship games, and combined to win seven championships in that span. Their first meeting came in the first-ever
NFL Championship Game that concluded the
1933 season. In a close-knit affair, the Bears won the game and the championship 23–21 by scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.[2][3][4][5] It was Chicago's second consecutive championship, having previously won in
1932 when the league awarded the title to the team with the best regular season winning percentage. However, the Giants returned the favor in the
1934 NFL Championship Game, winning 30–13 by outscoring the Bears 27–0 in the fourth quarter.[6] The game was forever immortalized as the Sneakers Game, as the Giants switched to basketball sneakers at the half due to the slick frozen conditions that affected the
Polo Grounds field.[7]
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
Japaneseattack 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.[8][9][10] 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.[11][12]
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. [13][14][15] 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.[16]
Super Bowl era
The two teams underwent lengthy rebuilding periods following the 1963 title game, but in the 1980s, the Bears and Giants reemerged into title contention, thanks to two of the greatest defensive units in NFL history. Chicago's
46 defense, coached by
Mike Ditka and
defensive coordinatorBuddy Ryan, featured Hall of Fame linebacker
Mike Singletary, and defensive ends
Richard Dent and
Dan Hampton. New York's
Big Blue Wrecking Crew, on the other hand, were coached by
Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator
Bill Belichick, and featured Hall of Fame linebackers
Lawrence Taylor,
Carl Banks and
Harry Carson. The two teams first squared off in the
1985 NFC Divisional Round, in which Chicago's defensive crew outplayed their Giant counterparts in a 21–0 shutout. The tone of the game was set when a punt attempt by Giants punter
Sean Landeta was muffed in the strong winds and
Shaun Gayle returned it five yards for a touchdown.[17] The Bears went on to win the Super Bowl that season. A rematch then took place in the
1990 NFC Divisional Round, which also ended in a blowout. This time, however, the Giants dominated Chicago in a 31–3 rout, and went on to win
Super Bowl XXV. To date, this was the most recent meeting in the playoffs between the Bears and the Giants.[18]
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.[19] 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
rivalPhiladelphia Eagles.[1] 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.[20][1] 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.
Game results
Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants season-by-season results
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.