Ben Johnson’s Savage Line About Matt LaFleur Resurfaces After Bears Send Packers Home

The Bears took down the Packers in a stunning 31-27 upset in Saturday’s wild-card round matchup, pulling off the unlikely victory over their NFC North rivals after overcoming a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

As with any NFL regular season or playoff game, coaches from each team met on the field for the customary postgame handshake—only this one was a tad shorter than most. Bears coach Ben Johnson could be seen going up to Matt LaFleur with an absolutely exhilarated look on his face before shaking his hand for just barely a second. LaFleur looked back at Johnson with an icy expression, clearly disappointed with how the end of the game played out.

Johnson and LaFleur’s midfield link-ups this past season haven’t featured very much banter, with the coaches choosing instead to let their teams do most of the talking. And if we’re keeping score in 2025, Johnson’s Bears are up on the Packers, 2-1 (one regular season and one playoff win).

After the Bears sent the Packers packing, NFL fans dug up an old quote from Johnson’s introductory press conference when he was hired by Chicago last offseason in which the ex-Lions OC took a ruthless shot at LaFleur:

“I know this is the toughest division in football right now,” Johnson said. “There are three teams that made the playoffs this year. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and players in this league having competed with them for the last six years. ... And to be quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”

#Bears HC Ben Johnson when he was hired: “To be quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”

The Bears beat Green Bay twice this season. pic.twitter.com/qfny13ZCWT https://t.co/QcwTYzqFCm
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 11, 2026

Johnson reiterated that sentiment in, er, a more hostile manner when he was seen celebrating the Bears’ playoff win in the locker room on Saturday. “F--- THE PACKERS! F--- THEM!” Johnson shouted as Bears players hooted and cheered.

The Bears and Packers split their regular season series (Packers won 28-21 in Week 14, Bears won 22-16 in Week 16) but Chicago ultimately got the last laugh by eliminating their division foes in an all-time classic wild-card stunner. The Bears, who are playing in the postseason for the first time since 2020, will host either the Rams or the Eagles in the divisional round.

It sure looks like this is only the beginning of a very entertaining rivalry between Johnson and LaFleur, though the latter is facing looming questions about his job security following the Packers’ latest deflating loss.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ben Johnson’s Savage Line About Matt LaFleur Resurfaces After Bears Send Packers Home.

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here