There was no love lost on Sunday between Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and his Green Bay Packers counterpart Matt LaFleur.
The two had faced off several times before when Johnson was still the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. The Lions had dominated their matchups under Johnson’s offense, going 5-1 against the Packers from 2022 to 2024.
Johnson didn’t have the same success on Sunday in his first game versus the Packers as a head coach. Green Bay beat Chicago 28-21 in a contest that had serious implications on the divisional race.
The tension was palpable as LaFleur and Johnson shook hands after the game. There were no pleasantries exchanged as the coaches quickly parted ways.
LaFleur on this: “It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in 2 weeks.”
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 8, 2025
When asked if there was personal satisfaction after what Ben Johnson said about beating him 2x a year, LaFleur said: “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”
pic.twitter.com/ySNYfZYp0D
LaFleur had a succinct message when asked about the moment after the game.
“It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in 2 weeks,” LaFleur said.
LaFleur wisely refused to spark any additional controversy when asked if he felt any personal satisfaction over the victory, responding with “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”
While LaFleur stayed quiet about feeling any animosity toward Johnson, the Packers coach was fully aware of the comments his Bears rival made earlier this year. In January, Johnson boldly stated that he “enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” as a reason for taking a job that kept him in the NFC North. LaFleur was reportedly caught off guard by Johnson’s comments, as the two are not said to be close friends.
Unless the two teams meet in the playoffs, Johnson will have to wait until next season to get a chance to beat LaFleur twice.
