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Ben Johnson Brushes Off Awkward Handshake Moment With Matt LaFleur

Ben Johnson addressed his brief handshake with Matt LaFleur after Packers-Bears.

Eva Geitheim

Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur had a very brief handshake following the Packers’ win over the Bears.
Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur had a very brief handshake following the Packers’ win over the Bears. / FOX sports.
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The biannual rivalry game between the Packers and Bears carried some extra weight to it when the two teams faced off on Sunday. While the Packers and Bears have one of the league’s oldest rivalries spanning over 100 years and 200 games, this matchup was especially important since the NFC North lead was on the line.

Beyond the gridiron, this rivalry game had some extra fuel behind it because it marked the first time the Packers and Bears faced off since Ben Johnson became Chicago’s coach, and made some notable comments about Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

Back when Johnson was introduced as the Bears head coach in January, the former Lions offensive coordinator said, “To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”

While Johnson has led the Bears to an impressive 9-4 start this season, he will not be beating LaFleur twice this year. LaFleur walked away with the win in their first matchup as head coaches after the Packers held off the Bears’ comeback attempt by intercepting Caleb Williams on their final drive. The Bears came close to tying the game and potentially coming out with the win, but the Packers stifling defense closed out the game.

After the game concluded, all eyes were on the two coaches as they exchanged a notably brisk handshake before going their separate ways.

While viewers were quick to make a big deal of the quick handshake, Johnson brushed it off. “That feels like every handshake I have at the end of a game,” he said.

LaFleur did similarly, telling reporters, “It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in two weeks.” When asked if the handshake had anything to do with Johnson’s prior comments, LaFleur said, “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”

The two coaches will get another crack at that postgame handshake when they face off in less than two weeks as the Packers take on the Bears in Chicago on Saturday Dec. 20 in prime time. May the best coach win.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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