The Chicago Bears lost a legendary member in franchise history on Friday, when Super Bowl winning head coach and former No. 5 overall pick, Mike Ditka passed away at the age of 86.
Ditka was a legendary member of the Bears, both as a player and as a head coach. Ditka was also instrumental in building the hatred rivalry between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers, where he had a coaching record of 15-5 over Green Bay during his tenure as the head coach in Chicago.
With several instances of bitter moments between Ditka and former Packers head coach Forrest Gregg, the rivalry has been cemented in the history of both franchises which should be more intense coming into this Sunday. During his coaching tenure in Chicago, Ditka was 15-5 against Green
Bay, and current head coach Ben Johnson is looking for a third consecutive win over the Packers as well.
Even without quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears are betting favorites heading into Lambeau Field, and now history is also on their side during tragic times. When legendary Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton passed away on Nov. 1, 1999, Chicago played Green Bay just six days later and came away with a 14-13 victory, and there's no denying that with Ditka will have a front and center seat on Sunday, bringing even more reason for Chicago to go in and beat their bitter rivals.
Since Ditka graced the sidelines for Chicago, there has not been another coach who raised a Super Bowl championship trophy, bringing the hunger and desire to greater lengths each passing year. While there have been many other coaches since Ditka in franchise history, all who embraced the rivalry, none have done so with intensity like Ditka, until Ben Johnson arrived.
Having complete understanding of the battle and wanting to change the narrative to one where Chicago has more success over their rival who dominated them for years, Johnson will not only have his team ready, but he'll step on those sidelines on Sunday knowing he's got a legend to honor with his coaching performance in Green Bay.
The Bears are headed in an upward trajectory while Green Bay is looking around for several answers across their football field, and with a win in enemy territory on Sunday, there will be no great sign of respect to Ditka than a dominant performance. Whether it's Mike Ditka's middle finger or Ben Johnson's cold-shoulder handshake, there are only a few coaches who truly embody the bitterness from Chicago to Green Bay, and that makes Sunday's showdown a can't miss event, for all NFL fans across the league.
This one is for Da Coach.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears must beat Packers to honor Mike Ditka in most fitting way
