Ben Johnson was six minutes into his introductory news conference as the Bears’ head coach when he turned his attention to the NFC North and its coaches.
‘‘[The Lions’] Dan Campbell, [the Vikings’] Kevin O’Connell — talk about two guys who are up for coach-of-the-year awards as the season ends here,’’ he said in January. ‘‘To be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating [the Packers’] Matt LaFleur twice a year.’’
On Monday, Johnson — who helped the Lions sweep the Packers as their offensive coordinator last season — was asked why he felt so compelled to poke at the Packers on his first day on the job.
‘‘It’s a big week,’’ he said. ‘‘We know how important this rivalry is, so [I] just wanted to address that.’’
LaFleur didn’t. When he was asked Monday whether he had given any thought to Johnson’s comments, he demurred.
‘‘Not really, no,’’ he said.
Johnson’s first Packers Week with the Bears — and first of two in a three-week span — comes at a critical moment for his team. For the first time since the end of the 2006 regular season, the Bears are the top team in the NFC. If they lose Sunday, however, they won’t even be the top team in the NFC North.
Johnson, who went shirtless after the Bears’ victory Friday against the Eagles, is one of the NFL’s most captivating characters. Beating the Packers, however, would do more to build his legacy — and for his ability to win the division — than almost anything he could do while wearing the script ‘‘B’’ hat.
Chairman George McCaskey certainly believes that. He spent the rookie meeting Monday teaching newcomers the history of the rivalry.
‘‘It’s one of those that lives in NFL history,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘It goes back for a long time. Two of the most winning franchises in the NFL. . . . It’s a big one.’’
LaFleur is 11-1 against the Bears, losing the season finale last year when quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson went down with injuries.
Johnson’s first head-to-head matchup against LaFleur is one of the compelling aspects of the game Sunday at Lambeau Field. Their budding rivalry might dictate the course of the NFC North for a decade.
For the first time since 2020, there’s more than just pride at stake for the Bears.
‘‘I think it’s cool for the fans, certainly, when you have two good teams,’’ LaFleur said.
Publicly and privately, LaFleur was annoyed by Johnson’s initial comments. This wasn’t a case of casual friends or even acquaintances who had become friendly rivals. The two practically had no relationship.
LaFleur theorized that Johnson was pandering to his new bosses and fans. At the NFL’s annual meeting, where the two briefly shook hands, he said he wasn’t going to lose any sleep over the comment. On the second day of the NFL Draft, however, he took a subtle shot at Johnson’s cockiness, telling ESPN host Pat McAfee that the Bears ‘‘got a good football coach — as he said himself.’’
LaFleur might have been annoyed, but the Bears’ players weren’t.
‘‘We loved that,’’ defensive end Austin Booker said. ‘‘That’s a head coach that we all love playing for. He has a great mindset, just like us. A killer mindset, just like us. That’s something we respect. We play even harder for a head coach like that.’’
Tight end Cole Kmet was sitting just feet from Johnson when he swiped at LaFleur in January. He was in a players section next to wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore and quarterback Caleb Williams.
‘‘Obviously, it gets you pumped up,’’ Kmet said. ‘‘That’s the big rivalry here, not only in the NFC North but, I think, leaguewide. If you look across sports in general, this is a huge rivalry and a game that means a lot to a lot of people. I think Ben understood that coming in and taking the job.’’
He won’t truly understand it, however, until he runs onto Lambeau Field on Sunday.