Matt LaFleur Doesn't View Bears-Packers Like Ben Johnson Does

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur isn't playing up the rivalry aspect of his team's historical NFC North rivalry with the Chicago Bears. Not like Ben Johnson has over the past year, anyway.

LaFleur shared an unpopular answer with his fanbase on why he isn't taking a similar approach to Johnson when asked by the media.

“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 … don’t get me wrong. I love the rivalry. It’s awesome. It’s great. It’s intense," LaFleur said.

"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.”

Johnson has had a much different approach about the game. After the Bears came back to win down 18 at halftime against the Packers in the NFC Wild Card game this past January, he swore about how he wanted to beat Green Bay. He furthered that sentiment at the NFL Draft Combine in February.

It's understandable why there is such a drastic difference between how LaFleur and Johnson view this game.

Nothing is Going Right For Matt LaFleur's Packers

2026 has seen a great start from the Packers — Oct 4, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur looks on during the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Packers may be the least convincing 2-2 team in the league. Owning one-score wins over the one-win New York Jets and winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay has hardly put a scare into the NFC North this season.

Atlanta Falcons running back tandem Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. ran over the injury-riddled defense to the tune of 244 rushing yards during the Packers' infamous 35-14 Thursday Night Football loss.

In Week 1, Carson Wentz took over the Minnesota Vikings' offense in the first quarter and game-managed a gem alongside a running back room that hardly carried the load themselves. Minnesota's defense put the offense in good spots to score by forcing mistakes from Jordan Love and Co., while the Packers gave up four touchdowns in the Vikings' four red-zone trips.

It's clear that EDGE Micah Parsons is missed. Parsons has no clear timetable to return just yet, putting the 2026 season in dangerous territory for the Pack.

Pretty much nothing is going right for Green Bay. LaFleur doesn't need to provide anymore ammo after losing to Chicago in two high-stakes matchups last December and January to squander the division away and get sent home from the playoffs.

Ben Johnson's Bears Are Hitting Every High Note Right Now

On the flip side, life is sweet for Johnson.

His Bears quarterbacks, all three of them through four games, and both of his running backs, D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, are contributing to the No. 1 offense in the league through four games. Dennis Allen's "no-name defense" is thriving despite the absences of slot corner Kyler Gordon and defensive tackle Shemar Turner, among others.

Johnson owns the upper hand in this rivalry, and may just own the upper hand on a division-wide scale despite Chicago's Week 2 loss to Minnesota. In year two, he already has a true contender on his hands.

Don't be surprised to see Johnson embrace the rivalry, while LaFleur continues to downplay the sky falling around him.

Good thing LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst were extended this past offseason, because being lame ducks with the chance to start 2-3 after a third straight loss to the Bears would be catastrophic for their careers.

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