It’s no secret Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson doesn’t like Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
Sure, they’re rival coaches within the NFC North division, but Johnson called LaFleur out during his introductory press conference after being hired from the Detroit Lions.
“To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year,” Johnson gloated to reporters after signing a five-year, $65 million contract to jump from the NFL’s top offensive coordinator to a highly paid head coach.
If that didn’t drive the point home, look no further than what Johnson said after the Bears’ 31-27 comeback win in the wild-card round of the playoffs last weekend.
“[Expletive] the Packers,” Johnson said during a fiery locker room speech after the win. “[Expletive] them. I [expletive] hate those guys.”
LaFleur-Johnson Rivalry Escalates
GettyChicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson
While Johnson may have gotten the last laugh — at least for now — LaFleur may just have one more trick up his sleeve despite his Packers being ousted from the playoffs at Chicago’s hands last week.
“Matt LaFleur, obviously being in Green Bay, and Mike (LaFleur) being on your staff, really close with Matt. He’s played Ben Johnson three times this year, have you been on the phone with Matt?” one reporter asked McVay earlier this week.
“What would you guess?” McVay replied with a smirk. “No, you know what — we watch the tape, we do our work, and Matt is a very close friend of mine.”
Some have stated the Bers-Packers series isn’t a true rivalry given Green Bay’s recent dominance. Since the 1990s, the Packers hold a 52-22 advantage during that span.
Heading into this season, the Packers had won 11 of the last 12 meetings. So, the fact that Chicago won two of three this year, including the last two in a row, is surely a big confidence boost for the team.
“This is a rivalry,” Johnson said. “And [for] the city of Chicago, Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry. … There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams, something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of. And, yeah, I just, I don’t like that team.”
Johnson Can’t Escape the LaFleur Family
LaFleur and McVay go way back.
The former was the Rams’ offensive coordinator back in 2017 during McVay’s first season as head coach. He left the next season to be the OC of the Tennessee Titans before landing the head coaching gig in Green Bay.
That year, the Rams ranked 10th in total offense (361.5 yards per game) and led the league in scoring (29.9 points per game). This year, with LaFleur’s brother Mike LaFleur as McVay’s offensive coordinator, the Rams lead the NFL in total offense (394.6 yards per game) and scoring (30.5 points per game).
Regardless of whether Matt is actually helping the Rams gameplan for the Bears or not, one can assume Johnson will do everything in his power not to lose to another LaFleur.
The bad news for the Bears — and silver lining for the Rams (and subsequently the Packers) — is that they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Chicago allowed the fourth-most yards per game during the regular season (361.8) and 10th-most points per game (24.4).
Rams’ Sean McVay Fuels Matt LaFleur-Ben Johnson Drama Before Facing Bears