GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The Packers and Bears rivalry was heating up long before either team took the field Sunday — and outside Lambeau Field, fans were already bringing the competition to the tailgate lots.
From fired-up grills and game day traditions to friendly trash talk, fans on both sides of one of football's oldest rivalries were making their team loyalty known.
For Green Bay native A.J. Dollinger, tailgating is an annual tradition that brings his friends and family together, whether they have tickets to the game or not.
"Some people go to the game. Some people don't, but we still all come out here as a big friend group slash family group, and it's really fun," Dollinger said.
This year, Dollinger even invited me to get in on the action, joining him for a tailgating game before kickoff.
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But while the games outside Lambeau were all in good fun, the competition between Packers and Bears fans was a different story.
Caden Menear made the trip from Valparaiso, Indiana, alongside his Packers fan friends. Despite cheering for opposing teams, the group came to Lambeau together — knowing the ride home wouldn't be quite as enjoyable for everyone.
"One of us is driving home four hours a loser today," Menear said.
And while the rivalry runs deep, some visiting Bears fans admitted the atmosphere in Green Bay was friendlier than they expected.
Ariel LaRocco traveled from Schaumburg, Illinois, to cheer on Chicago and said the welcome from Packers fans caught her by surprise.
"I thought the Packers fans were gonna be worse, but y'all are cool," LaRocco said.
Sunday's matchup also carried added significance following the passing of legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, whose impact on the game earned admiration well beyond Chicago.
Even among Packers fans, Ditka's legacy wasn't forgotten.
Ed Thompson, a member of the Green Bay Packers Board of Directors, said he hoped the longtime Bears coach would be recognized during the game.
"I hope they have a tribute today ... because he deserves it," Thompson said.
But while fans may share respect for the legends who helped shape the rivalry, that respect only goes so far when the Packers and Bears meet on the field.
For Menear, friendships can wait until after the final whistle.
"There's no love when it's game time. We'll talk about it afterwards, maybe tomorrow, but for today, there's no love," Menear said.
And with another chapter of the Packers-Bears rivalry underway, one thing was clear outside Lambeau Field: The competition started well before kickoff.
