It didn’t take long for up-to-date Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson to take a not-so-subtle hit at the Green Bay Packers.
More specifically, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
During his introductory press conference during a meeting with the Bears on Wednesday, Johnson talked about his respect for the NFC North – which he called the toughest division in the NFL – and mentioned all three coaches in the division by name. But while he mentioned Dan Campbell and Kevin O’Connell as potential Coach of the Year winners, he had a different dialogue when it came to Matt LaFleur.
“And honestly, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year,” Johnson joked.
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Johnson was the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions from 2022-2024. The Lions have defeated the Packers 5-1 in six games over three seasons, including the 2022 and 2024 seasons.
Instead of leaving the division, Johnson opted to stay in the NFC North and take over the only team that failed to advance to the postseason in 2024.
He’ll have a gigantic task ahead of him, no matter how hopeful he is about Caleb Williams and the Bears’ lineup. Since 2011, Chicago has advanced to the postseason only twice and has not recorded a playoff victory since 2010.
Speaking of LaFleur, he won 11 straight games against the Bears to start his coaching career with the Packers. Can Johnson begin to reverse the trend in the rivalry? We’ll see. The next era of the Packers-Bears rivalry is officially here.
