David Banks-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson addresses his chilly handshake with Matt LaFleur

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jan 12, 2026 1:00 PM ET

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson certainly is not hiding the lack of warmth in his postgame interaction with Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

Johnson garnered attention for his extremely brisk handshake with LaFleur following the Bears’ 31-27 win in the NFC Wild Card round on Saturday. When asked about it on Monday, Johnson certainly indicated that he was mostly in a hurry to get it over with, and did not shy away from what he feels is a significant rivalry.

“This is a rivalry. The city of Chicago, Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry,” Johnson said.

#Bears HC Ben Johnson on if there's something personal between him and Matt LaFleur:

“This is a rivalry. The city of Chicago, Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry.” https://t.co/R5z3HmENnV pic.twitter.com/9GK6PTyZxa
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 12, 2026

Johnson, at the very least, has leaned into the rivalry from the moment he became the Bears’ coach. He made that very clear at his introductory press conference, and has kept playing it up ever since.

For a while, it looked like Johnson was going to have to eat crow on Saturday, and some of the problems were his own doing. His team wound up backing him up, though, and after winning two of three against the Packers this year, he can claim bragging rights. That is especially true since he won the most important one of all.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: