Ben Johnson has been fueling an apparent rivalry between him and Matt LaFleur in his first year as the Chicago Bears head coach. He threw even more fuel on the fire after they defeated the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. He made his feelings about the opposing head coach clear following the game.
Ben Johnson Fuels Rivalry With Matt LaFleur After Bears Beat Packers in NFL Playoffs
Johnson wasted no time creating a public beef with LaFleur after being hired as the Bears head coach. His introductory press conference included him commenting on his enjoyment of beating the Packers head coach, doing so as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions previously. LaFleur has somewhat denied any beef between them, but has also been dismissive of Johnson whenever asked about their history.
Their NFC North ties apparently run deep, which added to the grudge match between the Packers and Bears in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs for the 2025 season. Chicago came out victorious, and when LaFleur approached him with a handshake, Johnson quickly exited with essentially no words exchanged between the head coaches. He directly responded to it in his postgame press conference.
“This is a rivalry. The city of Chicago, Green Bay, it needs to be a rivalry,” stated Johnson.
#Bears HC Ben Johnson on if there’s something personal between him and Matt LaFleur:
“This is a rivalry. The city of Chicago, Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry.” 🔥 https://t.co/R5z3HmENnV pic.twitter.com/9GK6PTyZxa
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 12, 2026
Johnson fueled the rivalry even further when he reportedly started a “F**K the Packers” chant in the locker room following their victory. Bears insider Courtney Cronin quoted the head coach responding to being asked about this specific situation, and he solidified his stance with a blunt statement.
“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams. Something that I fully recognize and am a part of … I don’t like that team,” added Johnson.
Ben Johnson on his ‘F— the Packers’ comment from the postgame locker room: “There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams. Something that I fully recognize and am a part of…I don’t like that team. [Chairman] George [McCaskey] and I have talked and we’re on the same…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) January 12, 2026
This potentially creates an intriguing annual showdown between the two head coaches for as long as they remain with their current teams. The Bears and Packers meet twice every year during the regular season, and like this year, a third matchup is always possible in the playoffs. With Chicago advancing to the second round, and also winning the NFC North title this year, it’s fair to say they won the first season of this renewed rivalry with Green Bay.
Perhaps one silver lining for LaFleur is that his offense finished three spots higher in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for this year. Both of them are offensive specialists, so at least he has bragging rights in this category for now, though he would likely trade that in for the Bears’ spot in the Divisional round rather than watching them from home.
