Ben Johnson, the fiery head coach of the Chicago Bears, has been poking Green Bay Packers boss Matt LaFleur for 21 months straight, and LaFleur? He’s taken every body blow without throwing a single punch back. This ain’t just trash talk, folks; Johnson has gone full nuclear on this rivalry, and LaFleur’s silence is getting louder than any scream.
This Ain’t Your Grandpa’s Rivalry… Or Maybe It Is?
You think rivalries are new? Nah. This Packers-Bears thing is ancient. We’re talking George Halas and “Curly” Lambeau refusing to shake hands, Lambeau even saying, “If I lost, I wanted to punch Halas in the nose.” Then there was Packers coach Forrest Gregg telling his players to “take care of the Bears” while he handled Mike Ditka. And who can forget Aaron Rodgers screaming “I’ve owned you all my f***ing life! I own you. I still own you” at Bears fans in 2021? This feud has history, genuine dislike, and now, a new chapter written by Ben Johnson.
Johnson came into the Bears head coach job 21 months ago, fresh off being the offensive coordinator in Detroit, and immediately started swinging. At his introductory press conference, he literally said, “To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.” That was just the warm-up, apparently.
Ben Johnson’s Greatest Hits (So Far)
Since that first jab, Johnson has backed up a lot of his talk. He’s won two of his three meetings with LaFleur, and believe me, they weren’t boring.
Remember Week 16 of 2025? Chicago was down 16-6 with only two minutes left, and they rallied to win 22-16 in overtime. Wild. Then, in the NFC Wild Card round, the Bears were trailing Green Bay 21-3 at halftime and somehow stormed back to win 31-27. This dude doesn’t just talk, he delivers.
And when he wins? He lets you hear it. After that playoff victory over Green Bay, Johnson screamed, and I quote, “F*** the Packers. F*** them.” The guy literally said “Who likes the Packers?” at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Plus, there were three brief, icy handshakes with LaFleur in 2025. This isn’t just a coach, it’s a supervillain in the making, and he’s living rent-free in Green Bay’s head.
LaFleur’s Silence and the Locker Room Echoes
So, what’s LaFleur doing through all this? He’s got all the chances in the world to punch back, to throw some shade, but he’s kept the gloves off. He insists worrying about Johnson’s chatter is “wasted energy” and “accomplishes nothing come kickoff.” LaFleur just keeps saying, “This game is about players. And so we’ll keep it about the players.” Is that clever? Or is it letting Johnson get under everyone’s skin without consequence?
His players definitely aren’t amused. Green Bay left tackle Jordan Morgan put it simply: “I mean, he’s dissing us. He’s dissing the Packers. A lot of people in here, I’m pretty sure, take that to heart. And we got a chance to prove to everybody on Sunday that we the best team.” Tight end Tucker Kraft, asked if Johnson screaming “F*** the Packers” bothered him, gave a quick: “Yes. Yeah. I guess. I talk with my pads, so I’ll just wait ’til Sunday.” Even linebacker Zaire Franklin, a newcomer to Green Bay, gets it: “It’s a lot of bad blood. A lot of bad blood. A lot of genuine dislike.”
Not everyone agrees with the “talk with your pads” mentality. Defensive tackle Karl Brooks brought some old-school wisdom: “My dad always told me, man, the loudest ones in the room, don’t be scared of them. They always be the quiet ones that get you.” He adds, “So if you’re the loudest in the room talking, just… we just got to go out there and play. It’s not about” (and then the quote just cuts off, classic).
The Packers host Chicago this Sunday at noon (CST). With LaFleur keeping quiet, the players are clearly ready to do the talking. Sunday is gonna be wild, can you feel that tension?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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