Bears–Lions rivalry
The Bears–Lions rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. The franchises first met in 1930 when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans and based in Portsmouth, Ohio. They moved to Detroit for the 1934 season. The Bears and Lions have been division rivals since 1933 and have usually met twice a season since the Lions franchise began. The two teams play in the two largest metropolitan areas in the Midwest. Chicago and Detroit's home stadiums, Soldier Field and Ford Field, are 280 miles apart and  both are easily accessible from I-94. This rivalry is the longest-running annual series in the NFL as both teams have met at least once a season since 1930. (Due to the 1982 strike, the Bears–Packers rivalry, which began in 1921, was not played that season.) The Bears dominated the rivalry in the early days from the 1930s to the 1950s, when they were a perenniel powerhouse team under head coach George "Papa Bear" Halas. However, since 1966, the first year the Super Bowl was played, the series has been subsequently more even, with Chicago going 55-52-1  since that time. This is despite the fact that the Bears have been far more successful than the Lions since that season, reaching the NFC Divisional Playoffs twelve times (winning five of those playoff games, two NFC titles, and a Super Bowl) while the Lions have only reached the Divisional Playoffs three times, winning just one of those games, and have not won an NFC title. The Bears won the only playoff meeting between the two teams, the 1932 NFL Championship Game, 9–0. Chicago leads the overall series 104–75–5. See also. Other sports rivalries involving the same cities: Other rivalries  involving the two teams: