When it comes to the Chicago Bears, you can’t count them out until there are officially zero seconds left on the clock. And they proved that on Saturday night in an impressive comeback win over the Green Bay Packers.
But, there was a moment after the game that truly had everyone talking and further emphasized the deep rivalry between these two teams.
As is customary after every single game, the head coaches meet in the middle of the field to shake hands, with it being a sign of good sportsmanship. And Bears head coach Ben Johnson did so with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur after the game, but the moment was very brief.
Johnson was still running as he shook LaFleur’s hand.
(📺 Prime)
And it had a lot of people talking, emphasizing that the Bears-Packers rivalry is back and better than ever.
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams Take Digs At The Packers After The Win
When addressing the team in the locker room after the game, Johnson gave a fiery speech.
“(expletive) the Packers! (expletive) them,” Johnson shouted. “I (expletive) hate those guys!”
He also emphasized the “noise” coming from the Packers ahead of this WildCard matchup.
“There was probably a little bit more noise coming out of their building up north to start the week, which we heard loud and clear, players and coaches alike,” Johnson said,(per NBC Sports). “So this one meant something to us.”
And then, after the game, NFL on Prime Video hosted Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver DJ Moore, and tight end Colston Loveland to celebrate the win. And that’s where they all put on cheese grater hats, with Williams being seen grating cheese on national television.
The Two Shared Another Postgame Handshake Earlier This Season That Turned Heads
In the Packers’ 28-21 victory over the Bears at the beginning of December, LaFleur and Johnson shared another tense handshake with LaFleur barely stopping this time.
“Just a quick handshake,” LaFleur said after the game after this moment turned heads. “We’ll see them again in two weeks.”
“It’s Packers-Bears. It’s a great rivalry,” he added. “Certainly, with what was at stake in regards to positioning in the NFC North, that’s the only thing that matters.”
Ben Johnson Says Comeback Wins Are Bears’ ‘Identity’
GettyJordan Love embraces Caleb Williams
The Bears pulled off a big win over the Packers despite being down by a lot heading into the fourth quarter. However, a 25 point performance in the final frame along with allowed just six points by the Packers allowed them to win in a way that has become familiar to them.
“I think it’s our identity here at this point,” Johnson said. “Some people say it’s not sustainable. I don’t know. The takeaways, that’s who we are on defense; and on offense, it’s explosive plays. That’s kind of what we’ve done all year long and coming up in big moments. As a team, it’s just resiliency and knowing that late in the fourth quarter, that’s really when we’re at our best as a football team.
“We’ll keep striving to be better earlier in games and starting faster and all that, but that gives us something to work towards. I can’t be any more proud of that crew than I am now.”
Caleb Williams agreed.
“It’s no fluke,” Williams said. “It’s no, ‘Oh, this happened; we’re lucky.’ We’ve done this multiple times this year. It’s been proven for us to be a great second-half team.
Bears Ben Johnson’s Quick Handshake With Matt LaFleur Draws Eyes After Comeback Win