The Chicago Bears held the title of the winningest NFL franchise for decades, but the Green Bay Packers have recently taken the lead and show no signs of relinquishing it. Super Bowl victories remain the ultimate measure of NFL success, with Tom Brady and the Patriots setting the standard. While individual accolades like MVPs and conference championships hold some weight, the desire to avoid being remembered merely as a “conference champion” underscores the importance of the Super Bowl.
Beyond these classic achievements, “all-time wins” emerges as a key metric of franchise success in NFL history. A team’s weekly performance can significantly influence a fan’s mood, and cheering for a consistently winning team is undeniably more enjoyable than enduring constant losses.
As the NFL’s longest-serving franchise, the Bears were the first team to reach significant milestones in total victories, celebrating their 300th, 400th, 500th, 600th, and 700th wins long before any competitor. At the start of the 1996 season, when the Packers captured their third Super Bowl, the Bears celebrated their 600th victory, while the Packers lagged behind with only 529 wins—more than 70 games separating the two franchises.
Over the next nine years, Brett Favre’s Packers enjoyed consistent success, failing to have a single losing season, while the Bears endured a bleak stretch marked by just one winning record among several four-win seasons. By 2005, the Packers had narrowed the gap to 34 games, while the Bears briefly extended their lead during a couple of down years for Green Bay.
Unbeknownst to many, during this time, the Packers had acquired a transformative player: Aaron Rodgers. He is likely to be remembered for many accomplishments, but perhaps most significantly, he may be seen as the “owner” of the Chicago Bears. Rodgers seemed to grasp the importance of every matchup against the Bears, turning those games into pivotal moments in the ongoing race for the title of the winningest franchise in NFL history.
