A little more Bears/Packers!

One of the reasons I wanted to bring up the Bears/Packers yesterday was to point out that the two teams have not met in the playoffs since....1941. Yeah. Wow. It's really odd seemingly until you look at how the playoffs were run throughout that timespan. From 1933 until 1966, there were only two divisions and the winners played each other for the championship and that was the only playoff game. The Bears and Packers were in the same division, so their one meeting was the result of being tied during the regular season of 1941 and so a playoff game was played to determine who would play for the championship (the Bears won and won the championship as well).

From 1967 through 1969, two conferences were created, each with two divisions. Again the Bears and Packers were in the same division and only the division winner's made the playoffs. From 1970 until 1978, a third division was added to each conference and a wildcard team was added in each conference to allow four teams to make the playoffs in each conference. Finally a chance for the Bears and Packers to meet in the playoffs. But it was made more difficult because if they both made it into the playoffs, the wildcard team would play another division winner, regardless of records, before they would play a team in their own division.

So now we're in 1978 and there's been very little chance to play each other. Now another wild card was added in each conference and the two wildcard teams played each other while the three division winners had a bye. The wildcard winner then played the #1 seeded division winner, again unless they were in the same division. So unless both the Bears and Packs were the wildcards, one team would have to win TWO playoff games while the other won one before they would play each other. Again, not great odds.

That lasted until 1990 when a third wildcard team was added in each conference and one division winner would lose their bye. Again, unless the Bears and Packers were both wildcards, they wouldn't play each other in the first or second round.

In 2002, the current system was put in place where there are four divisions in each conference and two wildcard teams. The wildcard teams no longer play each other, but instead play a division winner. There is no current regard though for a wildcard team playing their own division winner. So it's really only been since 2002 that it's even been reasonable for a Bears/Packer match-up to occur. Ironically enough, the Packers have won two games and the Bears won one to get the match-up, the exact situation that for 33 years made the tilt unlikely.