Seven moments in which Aaron Rodgers ripped out the hearts of the Chicago Bears

JR Radcliffe
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) scores the game-winning touchdown on a 48-yard touchdown reception during the fourth quarter of their game Sunday, December 29, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 33-28 to win the NFC north division. Covering Cobb was Chicago Bears cornerback Zack Bowman (38).

Thursday night marks another opportunity for Aaron Rodgers to thwart the Chicago Bears on a national stage.

The Packers' neighbor to the south woke up after the 2018 opener wondering how a 20-0 lead evaporated, especially at the hands of a quarterback who looked like a surefire bet to miss the rest of the game with a knee injury. It's certainly one of the great chapters in the Packers-Bears rivalry, but there have been many times Rodgers has given the Bears grief.

Here's a ranking of the seven best times Aaron Rodgers ripped out the hearts of the Bears.

RELATED:Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers on comeback win over Bears

7. Dec. 25, 2011: Merry Christmas 

There’s a brief flicker where you think the Bears might have a chance to topple the Packers, who came into the penultimate battle of the 2011 season with just one loss. The Bears pulled to within 14-10 with 11:35 to go, and less than a minute and a half later, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson for a 55-yard score – the first of three touchdown passes on consecutive drives. Ultimately, the Packers won, 35-21, and Rodgers finished with five touchdown passes. Nelson later caught a 2-yard score.

The Christmas spirit didn't last into the playoffs, when the Packers were upset by the Giants, but their 15-1 team is still perhaps the best regular-season squad in Packers history.

6. Nov. 9, 2014: Sunday Night Smackdown 

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb  reaches to haul in a touchdown catch at the end of the second quarter during the Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears NFL football game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, November 9, 2014.

Lambeau Field hosted a similar battle between these two teams on Sunday Night, but this one had no need for drama. Rodgers threw for six touchdown passes – in the first half – to lead the Packers to a 55-14 shellacking of the Bears. After Mason Crosby kicked a field goal to start the second half, the Packers had a 45-0 lead. Rodgers finished with 18 of 27 completions for 315 yards.

Randall Cobb – oh, that guy – made a crazy one-handed catch for the sixth score (check out video here), which tied an NFL record for touchdown passes in the first half. The last to do it: Daryle Lamonica of the Raiders in 1969.

5. Sept. 13, 2009: Jennings just before the buzzer

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings reels in the game-winning touchdown in front of Chicago Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher during the fourth quarter of their game at  Lambeau Field,  Sunday, September 13, 2009.

The Packers also opened the 2009 season with an exciting win in a night game at Lambeau Field, winning a 21-15 battle. With 1:18 to go, Rodgers found Greg Jennings on a third-and-1 play for a 50-yard score (see video), then found him again for the 2-point conversion to pull the Packers in front.

Al Harris intercepted Jay Cutler on the next series to cement the crazy victory.

4. Dec. 18, 2016: Jordy Nelson for 60

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) reels in  60-yrd pass while being covered by Chicago Bears cornerback Cre'von LeBlanc (22) during the fourth quarter of their game Sunday, December 18, 2016 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 30-27. The reception set up a 32-yard field goal by kicker Mason Crosby to win the game.

Connor Barth’s 22-yard field goal with 1:23 to go capped a 17-point comeback as the Bears tied Green Bay, 27-27, in the final stages of the 2016 season.

LOL, that’s too much time for Aaron Rodgers, particularly after he found Jordy Nelson on 3rd and 11 for a 60-yard pass play that led into Mason Crosby’s game-winner with 3 seconds left. Rodgers lofted the ball into the chilly Chicago air and found Nelson, who had gotten a step on his man and hauled in the catch as he fell to the ground (see video).

The Packers, with a record of 7-6 at the time, badly needed to win to make the playoffs and win the North, which they did before falling to Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game.

3. Sept. 9, 2018: The Resurrection

Sep 9, 2018; Green Bay, WI, USA;  Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates after beating the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears established their biggest lead in the Packers-Bears rivalry since 1948, 17-0, and the lead grew to 20-0 before the Packers mounted a comeback for the ages. As Packers nation held its collective breath with Aaron Rodgers sustaining a knee injury in the first half that put him on a cart to the locker room and took him out of action, the Bears seemed to be enjoying a coronation-like moment in a huge first game for prized offseason acquisition Khalil Mack.

But Rodgers came back. The Packers came back. The comeback was completed on a 75-yard touchdown with 2:13 to go (see video). Bananas.

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2. January 23, 2011: The NFC Championship Game

Green Bay Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji scores a touchdown on a interception in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 23, 2011. The victory put the Packers in Super Bowl XLV.

Let’s be honest, this wasn’t Aaron Rodgers’ best game by a long shot. But he was quarterbacking a team that won the NFC Championship Game against the Bears and advanced to the Super Bowl (which the Packers eventually won, you might recall).

Rodgers completed 17 of 30 passes for 244 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the 21-14 win. But he did rush for a 1-yard touchdown after passing for 76 yards on the opening drive, giving the Packers an early lead.

The biggest play of the game, of course, was a B.J. Raji interception return for a touchdown (see video) that gave the Packers the points they would need to prevail in the monumental battle at Soldier Field.

1. Dec. 29, 2013: Rodgers to Cobb (Part I)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates with wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, in Chicago. Cobb made the game-winning touchdown reception in the Packers' 33-28 win to capture the NFC North title.

Sunday night’s game was a little bit like the acclaimed television show “Better Call Saul.” Everyone acknowledges the sequel is a technical marvel, but it’s still not going to match the all-time greatness of the show from which the story originates – “Breaking Bad”

“Cobb!” Part I is an all-timer.

Rodgers fractured his collarbone earlier in the season against the Bears, and the Packers held together their season with Scotch tape and backup quarterback Matt Flynn. The Packers endured five straight weeks without a win, starting with that first Bears game, but did manage to tie the Vikings, then eke out a pair of crazy nail-biting wins against Atlanta and Dallas – both of which were remarkable in their own right.

Still, Green Bay needed to beat the Bears in the regular-season finale in a winner-take-all battle for the NFC North. And Aaron Rodgers was going to try and play.

The Packers pulled to within 28-27 on an Eddie Lacy run early in the fourth, but the lasting image of the game is a 48-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with 38 seconds to go on 4th and 8. Rodgers quickly escaped pressure from Julius Peppers and lofted a ball into the freezing cold air at Soldier Field. Cobb was wide open (see video).

Joe Buck’s call – “Floats it … COBB!” -- was cemented into history and the Packers prevailed, 33-28, winning the division en route to a playoff loss at the hands of San Francisco.

The first version of this story appeared Sept. 10, 2018.