Lions–Packers rivalry
National Football League rivalry / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lions–Packers rivalry is an NFL rivalry between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. They first met in 1930 when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans and based in Portsmouth, Ohio. The team eventually moved to Detroit for the 1934 season.
The Lions and Packers have been division rivals since 1933, having both played in the NFL's Western Conference from 1933 to 1970 and in the NFC North since 1970 (known as the NFC Central from 1970 to 2001). They have met at least twice a season since 1932, without any cancelled games. This is therefore the longest continuously running rivalry in the NFL.[1]
Green Bay is one of four teams with a winning record against all of their divisional opponents with 100-plus head-to-head games played (along with the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Miami Dolphins), and the Pittsburgh Steelers joined them as one of five teams with a winning record in the same category with 50-plus head-to-head games. Conversely, Detroit is one of only three teams with a losing record against all of their divisional opponents with 100-plus head-to-head games played (along with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets). This holds as of the end of the 2022 season.
The rivalry is particularly important to football fans in the state of Michigan, and particularly the Upper Peninsula. Fans from the west of the peninsula tend to root for the Packers, whereas fans from the east of the peninsula, as well as the rest of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, tend to root for the Lions. Because of this, within Michigan, the rivalry is often known as the Yooper Bowl.[2][3]