Examining Ben Johnson-Matt LaFleur Postgame Handshake After Packers Beat Bears in Week 5

Here's a look at the long-awaited postgame handshake between Bears coach Ben Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur after the Week 5 game.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during warmups before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ever since Ben Johnson took over as head coach of the Chicago Bears, the postgame handshake between he and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur have been must-see.

That's because there appears to be no love lost between the two head coaches, and we've seen them have icy handshakes on more than one occasion, which only feeds into the narrative that they have beef.

On Sunday in Week 5, the Packers absolutely crushed the Bears, 31-7, and the two coaches once again met at midfield for their typical postgame handshake.

This time around, it might have been the most cordial one we've seen between the two coaches. Check it out below.

Ben Johnson And Matt LaFleur Handshake Was A Little More Civil This Time.

They Kept It Chill. 😬 pic.twitter.com/b4i6Hvw98M

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 11, 2026

Eye contact, a head nod and a semi-smile from Johnson? What a development!

In all seriousness, it's nice to see the two coaches having such a cordial handshake, although it's certainly not as interesting as the icy ones from the past, that's for sure.

Explaining the Ben Johnson-Matt LaFleur beef

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The two coaches have beef by default because they are the head coaches of division rivals, so there's that. However, Johnson has no doubt poked LaFleur and the Packers more than once.

As soon as he took over the Bears head coaching job, Johnson said in his postgame press conference that he enjoyed beating LaFleur and the Packers during his time with the Detroit Lions.

"And to be quite frank with ya, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year," Johnson said.

A few months after that, LaFleur said on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast that he doesn't have beef with Johnson.

"I don't know Ben Johnson," LaFleur said. "Do I have beef? I don't know Ben Johnson. I respect him as a football coach, he did a nice job (with the Lions)... The press conference was interesting, but I don't have beef with him... I don't get all into that stuff."

Then, there was the infamous “f*** the Packers” Johnson fired off in a postgame speech following a win over Green Bay last season.

To his credit, LaFleur has never really tried to fire back at Johnson, with the Packers coach saying in the week leading up to the Week 5 contest that he wants games to be about the players.

"Because this game is about players and so we’ll keep it about the players. I’m not the one out there they’re playing," LaFleur said. "Don’t get me wrong. I love the rivalry. It’s awesome. It’s great. It’s intense. You can feel it on gameday. You can feel it throughout the course of the week and also the significance, I mean, they’re the defending North champions. So what a great opportunity, great challenge for us in our home stadium to play against the defending champs."

Publicly, neither coach has said they have beef with the other, so it's really more perceived than anything else. However, their icy handshakes suggest they don't exactly love each other, either.