Why Did Bears Coach Ben Johnson Take Shot at Packers’ Matt LaFleur?

As offensive coordinator in Detroit, Ben Johnson and the Lions swept the Packers in 2022 and again in 2024. He is taking over a Bears roster that is “stocked and loaded.”

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson answers questions during a introductory press conference at PNC Center. / David Banks-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFC North could be extra spicy in 2025 and beyond with the Chicago Bears hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach.

Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions' offensive juggernaut the past three seasons, made it a point to call out Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur during his introductory news conference on Wednesday..

Johnson's comments added an additional layer to a historically strong division and an ancient rivalry.

Not only do the Packers have to catch up with the Lions, who went 15-2 to earn the No. 1 seed, and the Minnesota Vikings, who went 14-3 and had a chance to earn the No. 1 seed, they must hold off Johnson’s Bears.

While the Packers became just the fourth team in the last 100 years to win 11 games but finish in third place, they lost to the Bears (5-12) in Week 18 at Lambeau Field.

Johnson was the architect of the Lions’ offensive powerhouse. The Lions swept the Packers this season.

“I wanted to stay in this division,” Johnson said during his opening statement. “I know this is the toughest division of football right now. There are three teams that made the playoffs this year.

“I've got tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this division having competed against them for the last six years. (Lions coach) Dan Campbell, (Vikings coach) Kevin O'Connell, you're talking about two guys that are up for Coach of the Year awards as the season ends here.”

And then came the crowd-pleaser:

“To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”

It's possible Johnson was just trying to win the press conference by taking a jab at the Bears' hated rival, but LaFleur and Johnson have no connections, as pointed out by Peter Schrager.

"Ben Johnson went out of his way to say Matt LaFleur's name in his introductory press conference. You'd think they are old friends or have at least crossed paths somewhere or have some coaching connection. Guess what? They're not pals. They don't have any history together. This… pic.twitter.com/dUEn6XIzvv

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) January 23, 2025

Johnson said he is inheriting a roster that “is stocked and loaded.”

“Going into this season, I thought this place was a sleeping giant,” he said. “I was more concerned about the Chicago Bears than any other team in the division.”

The 38-year-old Johnson, whose start in the NFL was on Joe Philbin’s staff in Miami in 2012, was the Lions’ passing-game coordinator in 2021 before being promoted to offensive coordinator the past three seasons. The Lions swept the Packers in 2022 – including keeping Green Bay out of the playoffs in Week 18 – and again this season.

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The Packers’ 11-6 record was good for only third place in the division this year. Combined, the four teams went 45-23 this season. A dozen of those losses came against each other.

Since the advent of the four-team, eight-division format in 2022, this year’s NFC North ranked first in winning percentage, point differential and turnover differential. The Lions were plus-33 in touchdowns, with the Packers at plus-13, the Vikings at plus-10 and the Bears – despite their losing record – at minus-1.

Under Johnson, Lions quarterback Jared Goff averaged about 4,550 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons. In 2024, Goff finished second in passer rating (111.8), second in yards (4,629), second in completion percentage (72.4) and fourth in touchdowns (37).

Now, Johnson will get his hands on last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Caleb Williams, who struggled through his rookie season but completed almost three-fourths of his passes with zero interceptions in two games against Green Bay.

“Having a quarterback helps,” Johnson said of why he chose the Bears.

“It's clear that modern football in the NFL is quarterback driven,” he said. “That is no secret. You can look at analytics. Right now, quarterback success is a higher predictor of winning and losing than turnover ratio, which has been for 20-plus years. So, there's no doubt (that) Caleb played a large component into my decision. He is a phenomenal talent that had as many quarterbacks do an up and down rookie year.”

Johnson will not just run Detroit’s system. Rather, he said, it will be “calibrated” around Williams’ strengths.

“There’s no question this guy’s talented,” Johnson said of Williams before the Lions played at Chicago a few days before Christmas. “I remember standing on the sideline [when the Lions beat the Bears on Thanksgiving] and you can hear the ball whistle by you. He has quite a fastball. And he has some creativity to him. He can extend plays and is accurate down the field, as well.”

While the addition of Johnson should help the Bears, it will be interesting to see how much the Lions are impacted by the losses of Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was named head coach of the Jets on Wednesday.

“I’m back on my feet, ready to roll,” Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters in Detroit this week, a few days after their season ended with a loss at home to the Commanders. “I can look in the mirror and say, ‘You know what? You failed, man. What are you going to do about it?’ So, that’s where we’re at and move forward, man.”

The Lions joined the 2011 Packers as the only teams to win 15 games in the regular season but failed to win even one in the playoffs.

“We absolutely do [have a window to win the Super Bowl],” Campbell said. “And I think the most important thing is you’ve got your culture, you’ve got your identity and you’ve got players that fit into that, and we’ve got that. We’ve got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success. And those guys are made the right way so, absolutely, our window is open.”

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