Ben Johnson has had plenty of time to build up animosity toward the Green Bay Packers, and the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator let it spill out after Saturday’s playoff win.
Johnson led the Chicago Bears to an unlikely victory in the wild-card against the Packers, leading the Bears to erase an 18-point deficit — including being down 15 points in the fourth quarter — to advance to the divisional round.
In a video posted by the Bears after the game, Johnson had an explicit message for his longtime division rival.
Ben Johnson Emotional After Win
In the video, the Bears coach could be seen getting emotional with his players.
“[Expletive] the Packers! [Expletive] them!” he said.
Johnson left the Lions last offseason to become the Bears’ head coach, leading the team to an NFC North title. Despite locking up the No. 2 seed, they came into Saturday’s game as underdogs to the No. 7 Packers.
Johnson said after the game that it meant more to beat his longtime division rivals.
“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. So this one meant something to us,” Johnson said.
Though there had been no open animosity between Johnson and the Packers, ESPN noted that Packers wide receiver Christian Watson and cornerback Keisean Nixon both said they wanted to meet the Bears in the postseason.
Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley also made a strong prediction that Green Bay would be pulling off the first-round upset, telling reporters, “I will see you guys next week.”
“It definitely got us riled up,” Bears safety Kevin Byard III said, via ESPN. “It got us amped up for the game. … I didn’t think that we were gonna be able to top some of the wins that we had earlier in this season, as far as the comebacks. But this one, this one was just the most special one.”
There has only been on No. 7 seed to win a playoff game since the NFL expanded the playoff field in 2020, with the Packers taking out the Dallas Cowboys in 2023.
Lions Already Finding New Offensive Coordinator
The Lions took a major hit last offseason when both Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to take head coaching jobs. Detroit took a major step back, struggling at times on offense and defense as they fell to 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
The Lions fired offensive coordinator John Morton, and could also lose another key member of the coaching staff. As Kory Woods of MLive.com noted, Detroit’s passing game coordinator could be in line for a job promotion with a new team.
“The Buccaneers announced Saturday that Detroit Lions passing game coordinator David Shaw is one of two individuals the franchise interviewed for its offensive coordinator vacancy,” Woods reported. “The other candidate is Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork.
“Both Shaw and Woolford interviewed with the Buccaneers remotely as the team looks to replace Josh Grizzard, with whom they parted ways earlier in the week.”
Ex-Lions Coach Ben Johnson Sends Explicit Message to Packers After Playoff Win