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Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s little quip about enjoying his victories over Matt LaFleur seems to have touched a nerve with the Green Bay Packers.
Johnson had taken an unprovoked shot at LaFleur about their matchup history during his introductory press conference as the Bears’ new head coach in January, gloating about his success over LaFleur’s Packers during his three-season run as Detroit’s OC.
“To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year,” Johnson said with a grin after taking time to compliment the division’s other coaches.
Naturally, Johnson’s comments are back in the headlines as the Bears prepare to take on the Packers at Lambeau Field for the first of their two 2025 regular-season games. It only adds to it that the winner will take control of first place in the NFC North division.
While neither Johnson nor LaFleur took the bait when asked about Johnson’s previous comments leading up to the matchup, though, Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich made it clear he didn’t appreciate the Bears coach bad-mouthing their staff.
“Yeah, you take it personal, for sure,” Stenavich told reporters on Thursday, December 4. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
More Personal for Adam Stenavich After HC Interview?
Stenavich laughed off the question about Johnson’s dig at LaFleur, but was there maybe something a little more “personal” at play for the Packers’ fourth-year coordinator, too?
Before the Bears hired Johnson as their 19th head coach, Stenavich interviewed for the head-coaching position with a committee that included general manager Ryan Poles, team president and CEO Kevin Warren and chairman George McCaskey, among others. The team had to formally request permission from the Packers to interview Stenavich.
Two days later, though, the Bears announced their decision to hire Johnson, the fan-favourite candidate after his dominant three-year run as Detroit’s offensive coordinator.
Now, Stenavich had a pretty good fallback plan, returning to lead a Packers offense that had set its sights on competing for a championship early in the 2025 offseason. He will also most likely receive another head-coaching look during the 2026 hiring cycle, so his missing out on the Bears job likely isn’t weighing him down with heaps of regret.
Even still, it would be reasonable if it bothered Stenavich just a little bit more when the man who beat him out for the head-coaching job opened up by smack-talking his team.
Can Ben Johnson Back Up Words Against Packers?
Johnson understood his first assignment coming into his introductory talk as the new head coach of the Chicago Bears. He talked about rebuilding the offense, talked about the quarterback and his vast potential, and he fired a shot at the Packers right away.
Can Johnson back up his words and beat the Packers “twice a year” in Chicago, though?
Johnson won five of his six matchups with LaFleur during his three seasons as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, helping the Lions wrestle control of the division away from the Packers. His Bears have also been one of the NFL’s hottest teams in 2025, racing out to a 9-3 record and putting themselves in a position to control the NFC’s top playoff seed.
To beat the Packers in Week 14, though, the Bears must play much sharper than they have throughout their winning streak. Quarterback Caleb Williams has missed some throws that have put the Bears in bad situations and is completing roughly 58.1% of his passes this season. More consistency — and better completion percentage — would help the Bears stay ahead of the sticks and keep things moving on offense in Green Bay.
Whether Johnson’s offense can establish the run against the Packers, as it did against Philadelphia on Black Friday, is another major factor. Green Bay is one of eight teams that have allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards per game through the first 13 weeks, so it certainly presents a big challenge for D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai.
The Bears (9-3) will kick off against the Packers (8-3-1) at 4:25 p.m. ET today.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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