Matt LaFleur has perfect chance to silence Ben Johnson after brutal dig and prove he’s the better coach

Matt LaFleur hasn’t forgotten.

Back in January, the Chicago Bears hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach, in what emerged as the hire of the year outside of New England.

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During his introductory press conference, Johnson took a shot at the Bears’ most hated rival, the Green Bay Packers, or more specifically, their head coach, Matt LaFleur.

“To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year,” Johnson said, as the Lions notably had the Packers’ number over the past few seasons.

It was a playful and harmless jab that, apparently, LaFleur hasn’t forgotten, as his 8-3-1 Packers are set to host the NFC-leading 9-3 Bears in a game with massive playoff implications.

NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales revealed that Johnson’s comment has stuck with the Packers.

“I was at training camp, and trust me when I tell you guys,” Dales said on 670 the Score. “That comment, including what do the Bears look like, was brought up all the way back to training camp.

“So, while it’s being deflected this week by both coaches, and maybe Ben wants to go back and bury it a little bit, it’s very much present.

“And they will use every tactic this week, both teams will, to get these men ready to play violently on Sunday.”

There will be no love lost at Lambeau Field come Sunday afternoon.

While the Packers have controlled the NFL’s longest-running rivalry for much of the past few decades, Johnson got his share of victories over Green Bay during his time with Detroit.

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From 2019 to 2024, the Lions went 5-1 against the Packers during his three seasons as Dan Campbell’s offensive coordinator, including sweeps in 2022 and 2024.

However, the Bears themselves are just 5-28 in their last 33 games against their rival, and beyond that, were just 5-25 when Aaron Rodgers was at the helm in Green Bay.

In other words, the Packers have dominated the Bears for much of the century.

LaFleur has a chance to make Johnson eat his words with another win on Sunday, but it won’t be easy. The first-year Bears head coach has his team playing like one of the best in the NFL and riding one of the hottest streaks in the league.

They’ve won five straight and nine of their last ten games, and a sense of belief is beginning to take hold within the normally downtrodden organization.

“I would say the confidence is a lot higher in the locker room, in the building, and just what we can do when you put it on tape, it gives you more confidence,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said this week.

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“I think for us going into this game, we have more belief than what we’ve had previously before because we’ve put in the work and we’ve seen the results come from it and you gain confidence from that.”

To be fair to LaFleur, Johnson’s comments wouldn’t have rattled him anyway, as the Packers’ head coach owns an 11–1 record against Chicago in his six seasons in Green Bay.

But that one loss? Courtesy of Caleb Williams in Week 18 last season in front of the home crowd at Lambeau.

Can Williams do it again? Can Johnson both walk the walk and talk the talk?

Or can LaFleur stick it to his rival?

Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, these two teams will meet again in two weeks, this time in Chicago, with presumably just as much, if not more, on the line.

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