Bears–Cardinals rivalry

The Bears–Cardinals rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals. It is the oldest rivalry in the NFL and features the only two teams that remain from the league's inception in 1920. At that time, the Bears were known as the Decatur Staleys, and the Cardinals were the Racine Cardinals. (Though they were known as the "Racine" Cardinals, the Cardinals were based in Chicago, on Racine Street. In 1921, the Staleys moved to Chicago, and the matchup between the teams became known as "The Battle of Chicago" for 38 years, making it the first true rivalry in the league's history.

Chicago Bears–Arizona Cardinals rivalry

Chicago Bears Arizona Cardinals
First meeting	November 28, 1920 Cardinals 7, Staleys 6
Latest meeting	November 3, 2024 Cardinals 29, Bears 9
Statistics
Meetings total	96
All-time series	Bears, 60–30–6
Largest victory	Bears, 53–7 (1941)
Longest win streak	Bears, 9 (1940–1943)
Current win streak	Bears, 1 (2023–present)

The rivalry diminished after the 1959 NFL season, when the Cardinals relocated to St. Louis. After the re-location, the NFL treated the Cardinals and Bears like any other inter-divisional pairing for scheduling purposes, resulting in the teams playing much less frequently. With the completion of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the enlarged NFL seriously considered (in addition to at least four other possible solutions) an alignment for the new National Football Conference that would have placed the Cardinals and Bears in the same division. Ultimately, this alignment was not chosen, and instead the Bears were placed in the NFC Central and the Cardinals in the NFC East. When the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, the rivalry was further diminished.

Under the current NFL scheduling formula, the Bears and Cardinals play at least once every three years. The Bears currently lead the all-time series 60–30–6.

History

The first meeting

The Decatur Staleys and Racine Cardinals met for the first time on November 28, 1920 at Normal Park. Around 5,000 fans showed up to watch the Cardinals defeat the Staleys, 7–6. The loss was the only blemish in the Staleys record that season (ties were disregarded), and cost them the first American Professional Football Association title.

Grange's debut and 0–0 games

Shortly after finishing his college career at the University of Illinois, Red Grange made his NFL debut with the Bears on Thanksgiving against the Cardinals in 1925. Around 36,000 fans showed up at Cubs Park to see the Bears tie the Cardinals 0–0. In fact, this was one of 17 consecutive games after their first meeting which ended in a shutout for either or both teams, with four 0–0 scores. The Cardinals would win their first (and highly disputed) of two NFL championships that season.

The Ernie Nevers Game

The Cardinals' Ernie Nevers scored a still-standing NFL record of 40 points in a single game, doing so with six touchdowns and four extra points. Nevers scored all of the points in the Cardinals' 40–6 victory over the Bears on November 28, 1929. It was also the first game between the two teams since their inaugural game that did not end in a shutout.

Pat Coffee's 97-yard touchdown

The Cardinals' 42–28 loss to the Bears at Wrigley Field in 1937 was mostly remembered for Pat Coffee's then-record 97-yard touchdown pass to Gaynell Tinsley, one of ten combined touchdown passes in the game.

1950s: Realignment and the last decade of the local rivalry

The Cardinals won their second (and most recent) NFL championship in 1947. After the 1949 NFL season, owners agreed to absorb the remnants of the All-America Football Conference. As part of this process, the enlarged league adopted a division alignment ostensibly to be based less on geography, in part with a view of ensuring all NFL franchises would have equal exposure in the two-team cities of New York and Chicago. The divisions were re-branded "American" (East) and "National" (West) with the Cardinals making the move to the American Division.

Despite being in separate divisions, the Chicago teams nevertheless continued to play each other twice per year until 1953, when the divisions reverted to their traditional "Eastern" and "Western" names and the "Battle of Chicago" was reduced to a once-per-year affair.

By this time, the Cardinals were struggling on the field and at the gate. Nevertheless, in the 13 meetings between the Bears and Cardinals during the decade, the Bears only won seven of them. The Cardinals' last victory as a Chicago team over the Bears was a memorable one, as they won 53–14 at Comiskey Park in 1955 behind Ollie Matson's two touchdowns, including a 77-yard punt return. The Bears finished with a 47–19–6 all-time record against the Chicago Cardinals.

Even after moving to St. Louis and then much further west to Arizona, the Cardinals remained an "Eastern" team. It was not until the major realignment of prior to the 2002 NFL season (the Cardinals' fifteenth season in Arizona) that they finally became members of the NFC West.

1960–1987: Chicago vs. St. Louis

In the 1960 season, the Cardinals moved to St. Louis, with the Bears helping facilitate the move by paying $500,000 as "moving expenses", as they were now the sole owners of the expanding TV rights in Chicago (they would later start using the "Wishbone-C" in their logo, which the Cardinals used since the 1920's, and was first used in 1898 by the University of Chicago football team). The Cardinals successfully kept its the team name despite the existence of the baseball Cardinals in the city. Coincidentally, both Cardinals franchises shared the same building during the football Cardinals' 28 seasons in St. Louis: Busch Stadium I from 1960 to 1965, and Busch Memorial Stadium from 1966 to 1987.

The two teams met only eleven times during the Cardinals' tenure in St. Louis, with the Cardinals amassing a 6–5 record. The Bears never played at Busch Stadium I. In the teams' first-ever meeting in St. Louis during the 1966 season, Cardinal defensive back Larry Wilson intercepted three passes, including a game-winning pick-six in St. Louis' 24–17 victory. Despite the Cardinals' success in St. Louis against the Bears, they only made four playoff appearances, and would once again be on the move after the 1987 season. The last-ever meeting between the Bears and St. Louis Cardinals came in the 1984 season, a game which saw Neil Lomax gash Buddy Ryan's 46 defense for six completions and 166 yards to Roy Green, and Ottis Anderson score two touchdowns in the Cardinals' 38–21 victory.

1988–present: Chicago vs. Phoenix/Arizona

The Cardinals moved further west to the Phoenix metropolitan area in 1988, becoming the Phoenix Cardinals. They then changed their name to the Arizona Cardinals in the 1994 season. As of 2021, the Bears won seven of 11 meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, but to this day, the teams have yet to face each other in the NFL playoffs.

The Dennis Green Game

Main article: 2006 Chicago Bears–Arizona Cardinals game

The most memorable game of the rivalry took place on Monday Night Football during the 2006 season. The then-undefeated Bears (5–0 heading into the game) trailed the 1–4 Cardinals by 20 points at halftime. The Cardinals also held Bears quarterback Rex Grossman at just 144 yards passing while picking off Grossman four times while also recovering two fumbles from Grossman at the end of the game. However, the Cardinals still didn't win the game. At the end of the third quarter, Bears edge rusher Mark Anderson fumbled the ball out of Matt Leinart's hand and was recovered by Mike Brown for a touchdown and the Bears trailed 23–10 heading into the fourth quarter. However, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman returned a fumble by Edgerrin James that was forced out by Brian Urlacher 40 yards for a touchdown, and returner Devin Hester gave the Bears the lead with a 83-yard punt return touchdown. However, the Cardinals still had a chance to win. Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart attempted a comeback drive where he drove the Cardinals from their own 38 to the Bears 23 yard line. They had a shot to win but kicker Neil Rackers missed a 40 yard field goal with 52 seconds left to secure the Bears comeback victory. The final score was 24–23 Bears. After the loss, Cardinals head coach Dennis Green made a memorable post-game rant with the media, screaming "The Bears are what we thought they were. They're what we thought they were. We played them in preseason—who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it's bullshit? Bullshit! We played them in the third game—everybody played three quarters—the Bears are who we thought they were! That's why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they (the Bears) are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!" The game made NFL Top 10 Meltdowns where it landed at #7 on the list and also made Top 10 Greatest Comebacks landing at #6.

Game results

Decatur Staleys/Chicago Bears vs. Racine/Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals Season-by-Season Results
1920s (Bears, 9–6–4) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1920 Cardinals 7–6 Normal Field Cardinals 1–0 The APFA's first season. First meeting at Normal Field. Staleys 10–0 Cubs Field Tied 1–1 First meeting at Cubs Field. 1921 Tie 0–0 Cubs Field Tie 1–1–1 First home game of the matchup for the Staleys. First matchup with the Staleys as a Chicago-based team. tied for the lowest scoring matchup in league history. Staleys win 1921 APFA Championship 1922 Cardinals 6–0 Comiskey Park Cardinals 2–1–1 The APFA renames itself as the National Football League (NFL). Cardinals' first season being called "Chicago." "Staleys" rename themselves as the "Bears." First game in Comiskey Park. Thanksgiving Day game. Cardinals 9–0 Comiskey Park Cardinals 3–1–1 1923 Bears 3–0 Cubs Field Cardinals 3–2–1 Thanksgiving Day game. 1924 Bears 6–0 Cubs Park Tie 3–3–1 Bears 21–0 Comiskey Park Bears 4–3–1 Thanksgiving Day game. Bears take the lead in the rivalry 1925 Cardinals 9–0 Comiskey Park Tie 4–4–1 Tie 0–0 Cubs Park Tie 4–4–2 Thanksgiving Day game. Cardinals win 1925 NFL Championship. 1926 Bears 16–0 Cubs Park Bears 5–4–2 Bears 10–0 Soldier Field Bears 6–4–2 First game at Soldier Field Tie 0–0 Cubs Park Bears 6–4–3 Thanksgiving Day game. 1927 Bears 9–0 Normal Park Bears 7–4–3 Cardinals 3–0 Wrigley Field Bears 7–5–3 Cubs Field is renamed Wrigley Field. Thanksgiving Day game. 1928 Bears 15–0 Normal Park Bears 8–5–3 Final game at Normal Field Bears 34–0 Wrigley Field Bears 9–5–3 Thanksgiving Day game. 1929 Tie 0–0 Wrigley Field Bears 9–5–4 Cardinals 34–0 Comiskey Park Bears 9–6–4 Thanksgiving Day game.
1930s (Bears, 17–1–2) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1930 Bears 32–6 Comiskey Park Bears 10–6–4 Bears 6–0 Wrigley Field Bears 11–6–4 Thanksgiving Day game. 1931 Bears 26–13 Wrigley Field Bears 12–6–4 Cardinals' first home game at Wrigley Field Bears 18–7 Wrigely Field Bears 13–6–4 Thanksgiving Day game. 1932 Tie 0–0 Wrigley Field Bears 13–6–5 Bears 34–0 Wrigley Field Bears 14–6–5 Thanksgiving Day game. Bears win 1932 NFL Championship 1933 Bears 12–9 Wrigley Field Bears 15–6–5 Bears 22–6 Wrigley Field Bears 16–6–5 Final Thanksgiving Day game to date for the matchup. Bears win 1933 NFL Championship. 1934 Bears 20–0 Wrigley Field Bears 17–6–5 Bears 17–6 Wrigley Field Bears 18–6–5 Bears lose 1934 NFL Championship. 1935 Tie 7–7 Wrigley Field Bears 18–6–6 Latest tied game in the matchup Bears 13–0 Wrigley Field Bears 19–6–6 1936 Bears 7–3 Wrigley Field Bears 20–6–6 Cardinals 14–7 Wrigley Field Bears 20–7–6 1937 Bears 16–7 Wrigley Field Bears 21–7–6 Bears 42–28 Wrigley Field Bears 22–7–6 Bears lose 1937 NFL Championship. 1938 Bears 16–13 Wrigley Field Bears 23–7–6 Bears 34–28 Wrigley Field Bears 24–7–6 1939 Bears 44–7 Wrigley Field Bears 25–7–6 Bears 48–7 Wrigley Field Bears 26–7–6
1940s (Bears, 14–6) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1940 Cardinals 21–7 Comiskey Park Bears 26–8–6 First season back at Comiskey Park for the Cardinals, Wednesday game Bears 31–23 Wrigley Field Bears 27–8–6 Bears win 1940 NFL Championship. 1941 Bears 53–7 Wrigley Field Bears 28–8–6 Bears 34–24 Comiskey Park Bears 29–8–6 Bears win 1941 NFL Championship. 1942 Bears 41–14 Wrigley Field Bears 30–8–6 Bears 21–7 Comiskey Park Bears 31–8–6 Bears go 11-0 in the regular season. Bears lose 1942 NFL Championship. 1943 Bears 20–0 Wrigley Field Bears 32–8–6 Bears 35–24 Comiskey Park Bears 33–8–6 Bears win 1943 NFL Championship. 1944 Bears 34–7 Wrigley Field Bears 34–8–6 Cardinals temporarily merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the season and was known as "Card-Pitt" Bears 49–7 Forbes Field Bears 35–8–6 Only matchup at Forbes Field 1945 Cardinals 16–7 Wrigley Field Bears 35–9–6 Bears 28–20 Comiskey Park Bears 36–9–6 1946 Bears 34–17 Comiskey Park Bears 37–9–6 Cardinals 35–28 Wrigley Field Bears 37–10–6 Bears win 1946 NFL Championship. 1947 Cardinals 31–7 Comiskey Park Bears 37–11–6 Cardinals 30–21 Wrigley Field Bears 37–12–6 Cardinals win 1947 NFL Championship. 1948 Bears 28–17 Comiskey Park Bears 38–12–6 Monday night game. Cardinals 24–21 Wrigley Field Bears 38–13–6 Cardinals lose 1948 NFL Championship. 1949 Bears 17–7 Comiskey Park Bears 39–13–6 Bears 52–21 Wrigley Field Bears 40–13–6 Final matchup as a Western Division rival.
1950s (Bears, 7–6) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1950 Bears 27–6 Wrigley Field Bears 41–13–6 Cardinals 20–10 Comiskey Park Bears 41–14–6 1951 Cardinals 16–7 Comiskey Park Bears 41–15–6 Cardinals 28–20 Wrigley Field Bears 41–16–6 1952 Cardinals 21–10 Comiskey Park Bears 41–17–6 Bears 10–7 Wrigley Field Bears 42–17–6 1953 Cardinals 24–17 Wrigley Field Bears 42–18–6 1954 Bears 29–7 Comiskey Park Bears 43–18–6 1955 Cardinals 53–14 Comiskey Park Bears 43–19–6 1956 Bears 10–3 Wrigley Field Bears 44–19–6 Bears lose 1956 NFL Championship. 1957 Bears 14–6 Comiskey Park Bears 45–19–6 1958 Bears 30–14 Wrigley Field Bears 46–19–6 1959 Bears 31–7 Comiskey Park Bears 47–19–6 Cardinals play their final game in the matchup as a Chicago-based franchise.
1960s (Tie, 2–2) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1965 Bears 34–13 Wrigley Field Bears 48–19–6 First matchup as a Chicago-St. Louis rivalry. 1966 Cardinals 24–17 Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium Bears 48–20–6 First game of the matchup in St. Louis. 1967 Bears 30–3 Wrigley Field Bears 49–20–6 Final game of the matchup at Wrigley Field 1969 Cardinals 20–17 Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium Bears 49–21–6 Final matchup before the NFL-AFL merger
1970s (Bears, 3–2) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1972 Bears 27–10 Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium Bears 50–21–6 1975 Cardinals 34–20 Soldier Field Bears 50–22–6 1977 Cardinals 16–13 Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium Bears 50–23–6 1978 Bears 17–10 Soldier Field Bears 51–23–6 1979 Bears 42–6 Soldier Field Bears 52–23–6
1980s (Cardinals, 2–0) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1982 Cardinals 10–7 Soldier Field Bears 52–24–6 1984 Cardinals 38–21 Busch Memorial Stadium Bears 52–25–6 Final matchup as a Chicago-St. Louis rivalry
1990s (Bears, 2–1) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 1990 Bears 31–21 Sun Devil Stadium Bears 53–25–6 First time in the matchup where the Cardinals are a Phoenix-based franchise. First matchup at Sun Devil Stadium. 1994 Bears 19–16 Sun Devil Stadium Bears 54–25–6 1998 Cardinals 20–7 Sun Devil Stadium Bears 54–26–6 Final time in the matchup at Sun Devil Stadium.
2000s (Bears, 3–1) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 2001 Bears 20–13 Soldier Field Bears 55–26–6 2003 Bears 28–3 Soldier Field Bears 56–26–6 2006 Bears 24–23 University of Phoenix Stadium Bears 57–26–6 First game in the matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium. Bears overcome 20-point deficit. This led to Dennis Green's infamous post-game quote, "The Bears are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook." Bears lose Super Bowl XLI. 2009 Cardinals 41–21 Soldier Field Bears 57–27–6
2010s (Bears, 2–1) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 2012 Bears 28–13 University of Phoenix Stadium Bears 58–27–6 2015 Cardinals 48–23 Soldier Field Bears 58–28–6 2018 Bears 16–14 State Farm Stadium Bears 59–28–6 Cardinals turn the ball over four consecutive possessions in the second half as Bears come back from 14–3 halftime deficit.
2020s (Cardinals, 2–1) Season Results Location Overall series Notes 2021 Cardinals 33–22 Soldier Field Bears 59–29–6 2023 Bears 27–16 Soldier Field Bears 60–29–6 2024 Cardinals 29–9 State Farm Stadium Bears 60–30–6
Summary of Results Season Season series at Decatur Staleys/Chicago Bears at Racine/Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals Notes Regular season Bears 60–30–6 Bears 32–13–5 Bears 28–17–1 Postseason No postseason meetings as of 2023 Regular and postseason Bears 60–30–6 Bears 32–13–5 Bears 28–17–1

Players who played for both teams

Name	Pos.	Years with Bears	Years with Cardinals
Jeff Blake	QB	2005	2003
Kevin Butler	K	1985–1995	1996–1997
Guy Chamberlin	End	1920–1921	1927
Chris Chandler	QB	2002–2003	1991–1993
Marcus Cooper	CB	2017–2018	2016
Dave Duerson	S	1983–1989	1991–1993
Ted Ginn Jr.	WR	2020	2014
Mike Glennon	QB	2017	2018
Brian Hoyer	QB	2016	2012
Thomas Jones	RB	2004–2006	2000–2002
Walt Kiesling	G	1934	1929–1933
Dave Krieg	QB	1996	1995
Cassius Marsh	LB	2021	2019
Wilber Marshall	LB	1984–1987	1994
Josh McCown	QB	2011–2013	2002–2005
Jim McMahon	QB	1982–1988	1994
Mike Nugent	K	2017	2009, 2020
Ricky Proehl	WR	1997	1990–1994
Antrel Rolle	CB	2015	2005–2009
Chester Taylor	RB	2010	2011
Javon Wims	WR	2018–2020	2022

See also

Other Chicago vs. Chicago rivalries

• Cubs–White Sox rivalry (MLB)

Other Chicago vs. St. Louis rivalries

• Cardinals–Cubs rivalry (MLB)
• Blackhawks–Blues rivalry (NHL)