Ben Johnson doubles down on Bears-Packers rivalry after wild-card win: 'I don't like that team'

by
News PRO
2026-01-13

Copied!

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson isn’t done stoking the flames of the rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. He’s just getting warmed up.

Following Saturday’s monumental comeback win over the Packers, Johnson underscored the importance of beating the rival as the Bears marched over Green Bay and into the Divisional Round.

“This is a rivalry. The city of Chicago, the city of Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry,” Johnson said Monday.

Before Johnson took over this season, the rivalry was lopsided — to put it kindly. Prior to 2025, the Bears had won just one of the previous 12 tilts — a Week 18 matchup in 2024, when the Packers had already clinched a playoff spot and rested players for much of the contest. Over the previous 10 seasons, the Bears were 3-17 against Green Bay.

In walked Johnson.

Related Links

The first-time head coach, upon being hired, prodded the Packers, saying at his introductory press conference that he “kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” with the Lions.

With Chicago authoring two epic comebacks in their past two games against the Pack, Johnson can still use that line. The wins over Green Bay in Week 16 and the Wild Card Round marked the first time Chicago has bested its rival in back-to-back meetings since 2007, when Lovie Smith ran the show.

Since then, Chicago has twisted in the wind, going from failed coach to failed coach. Marc Trestman begot John Fox, followed by Matt Nagy, then the Matt Eberflus disaster. Johnson has breathed life into the Bears offense, the fan base and the rivalry with their neighbors to the north.

There is clearly zero love lost between Johnson and LaFleur, whose three post-game handshakes were, combined, quicker than a single hiccup.

During Saturday night’s locker room celebration, Johnson shouted “F— the Packers! F— the Packers!” as part of his postgame speech, shared by the team’s social media squad.

Johnson continued to lean into it Monday.

“Like I said before, there’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams, something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of,” he said. “I mean, I just… I don’t like that team. So, [owner] George [McCaskey] and I have talked, and we’re on the same page.”

They’re on the same page, and a one-sided rivalry finally has life once again.