Aaron Rodgers questions whether Packers-Bears is even a rivalry anymore since Green Bay has owned matchup

When Aaron Rodgers' New York Jets finish what the quarterback called a "lost" season on Sunday against the New England Patriots it's a safe bet he'll make sure the TVs in the locker room and plane ride are tuned into one particular game.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears.

Rodgers' time in the rivalry is done and his place in it is secure. From the wins to trolling Bears fans over the years, the former Packers quarterback took it to Chicago during his 15 years as the starter in more than one way.

And the former self-proclaimed owner over the Bears was at it again when he showed that even though he's not part of Packers-Bears week anymore it's still top of his mind these days.

"Is it a rivalry anymore?" Rodgers surmised Tuesday during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."

Woah, did Rodgers just give the Bears some bulletin board material from inside his wide cellar, which served as his backdrop this week for his usual call into McAfee's show.

The Bears will look to play spoilers on Sunday when they come to Lambeau Field for the regular season finale. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. A victory for the 8-8 Packers puts them into the playoffs, while the 7-9 Bears were eliminated from playoff contention last week.

The Packers and Bears are one of the NFL's oldest and most storied rivalries but Green Bay has dominated the series in recent decades.

So does Rodgers, who played just four snaps this season for the Jets after suffering a torn Achilles in Week 1, have a point?

Packers vs. Bears rivalry

The Bears long held the lead in the rivalry but after a dominant run over the last 30 years by the Packers that was keyed by Rodgers, Green Bay has jumped well ahead in the series. The Packers finally surpassed the Bears in 2017 and haven't looked back, leading 106-95-6.

Green Bay enters the Week 18 matchup riding a nine-game winning streak in the rivalry and hasn't lost since the 2018 season, a game played two weeks after Mike McCarthy was fired.

"It’s the Super Bowl for the Bears just about every year (when they play the Packers)," Rodgers said. "This is their Super Bowl."

Matt LaFleur, who became the Packers' head coach before the 2019 season, has never lost to the Bears, something Rodgers highlighted.

During this nine-game winning streak, the Packers have defeated the Bears by an average of nearly two touchdowns (13.2 points per game). The difference in six of the last seven games have been in double figures.

A Packers victory on Sunday would tie the longest winning streak in the rivalry for either team. The Packers won 10 straight games from the start of the 1994 season through 1998.

"If they can’t beat us is it a rivalry?" Rodgers said again, referencing "us" as the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers record vs. Bears

Rodgers finished 25-5 against the Bears as starter of the Packers, a run that began in 2008. He had many noteworthy performances against the Bears at Soldier Field, from defeating them in the NFC title game in January 2011, to the dramatic last-second victory in the 2013 regular season finale to win the NFC North.

He also had several lengthy winning streaks in the series, with his longest reaching eight from 2019-22. It was during that stretch where Rodgers declared at Bears fans in 2021 that "I still own you."

His record was even better than Brett Favre's, his predecessor. Favre was 23-13 against the Bears, beginning in 1992. His best stretch was that five-season run of 10 straight victories in the 1990s.

Love picked up where Rodgers left off in his first start this season, throwing three touchdowns in the Packers' 38-20 win in Week 1. After that victory, Rodgers texted Love "on keeping ownership in place."

"Every coach that gets hired in Chicago (their) first goal is to beat Green Bay," Rodgers claimed. "It’s been rough the last 30-plus years. There was a lot of people like 'Favre’s out here this young kid ain’t going to be worth (s---).' We had our run. Then 'the old guy’s out of here this young kid isn’t going to be worth (s---).' 'Oh, (s---) Jordan Love’s pretty damn good.'"

Aaron Rodgers comments on Jordan Love's performance vs. Vikings

Throughout the season Rodgers has been complimentary of his successor. It continued on Tuesday as Love's star status keeps growing.

"Definitely the young guys have played really well and Jordan’s been excellent," Rodgers said while commenting on Love and the Packers following their 33-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Rodgers added that Love "made four or five incredible throws the other night."

Love finished 24 of 33 for 256 yards and three touchdown passes as he spread the ball out to eight different players as he displayed poise and confidence before a national audience.

That performance helped the Packers get within one win of a playoff berth.

"One more game to go," Rodgers said excitedly as a fan. "I think it’s going to be a good day for the g and g."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aaron Rodgers questions Packers-Bears rivalry on 'The Pat McAfee Show'