The head coaches of the NFL’s most heated rivals barely broke stride in the moments after the Packers’ 28-21 victory Sunday against the Bears at Lambeau Field, slowing their jogs to three quick walking steps to give each other a passing handshake.
The Bears’ Ben Johnson and the Packers’ Matt LaFleur said they would see each other Dec. 20 at Soldier Field.
What was left unsaid was what stoked the rivalry: Johnson declared in January that he enjoyed beating LaFleur twice a year as an assistant coach with the Lions, a shot LaFleur found odd coming from someone he didn’t know well.
On Monday, Johnson claimed his postgame handshake was no different than any other.
‘‘That feels like every handshake I have at the end of a game,’’ he said.
That’s not the case, however. He has lingered longer with other counterparts this season.
LaFleur tried to downplay the quick exchange, too, saying Sunday that ‘‘it was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in two weeks.’’ He said he took no extra satisfaction in beating Johnson because of his comments.
That seems hard to believe, whether in Chicago, Green Bay or around the NFL. On the Fox broadcast, analyst Tom Brady said the handshake was ‘‘as icy as the temperature’’ at Lambeau Field.
‘‘Both teams had to go out and buy extra bulletin boards going into the week,’’ Brady said. ‘‘There was a lot of material both ways. You’ve got coaches talking smack. It’s just the way it’s gonna go. Those two young coaches are going to be in these programs for a while.’’
The Bears only can hope. LaFleur is only in his seventh season but already has shaken hands with four Bears head coaches: Matt Nagy, Matt Eberflus, Thomas Brown and Johnson. While the others offered typical Bears platitudes about wanting to beat the Packers, none targeted their counterparts with Johnson’s specificity. Before taking a shot at LaFleur in January, he praised his other two NFC North rivals, the Lions’ Dan Campbell and the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell, as ‘‘two guys who are up for coach of the year.’’
In April, LaFleur joked to ESPN’s Pat McAfee that the Bears ‘‘got a good football coach — as he said himself.’’ The football world since has taken notice of Johnson’s confidence. When he ripped off his shirt to celebrate a victory Nov. 28 against the Eagles, it went viral.
And the head coaches weren’t the only ones at Lambeau Field quick to circle the rematch. Kickoff for the game Dec. 20 at Soldier Field will come 13 days — almost to the minute — from the end of the game Sunday.
‘‘We’ll have a chance to get at ’em again in two weeks,’’ right tackle Darnell Wright said.
The Bears entered Lambeau Field as the top team in the NFC. Beating the Packers at Soldier Field, however, might be what gets them into the playoffs.
The Bears consider 11 victories to be the entry point for a postseason berth. Presuming they handle the three-win Browns on Sunday, they will be 10-4 with three games to play — starting with the home game against the Packers.
Bears players were quick to say they can’t overlook the Browns, despite their 3-12 record, but it’s clear the game against the Packers already has cast its shadow.
‘‘Our focus is getting into the [playoffs],’’ tight end Cole Kmet said. ‘‘To do that, it looks like we’ll probably need at least two [more victories] to feel good about where we’re at.
‘‘Our focus will be [on the Browns]. I know how I feel about it. I’m excited to get these guys at home again in a few weeks.’’
LaFleur on this: “It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in 2 weeks.”
When asked if there was personal satisfaction after what Ben Johnson said about beating him 2x a year, LaFleur said: “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 8, 2025
The Packers’ victory Sunday puts them in the driver’s seat to win the NFC North, but their game Sunday in Denver is a tougher test than what the Bears will face. The Bears hold the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC right now and have a 64% chance of making the postseason, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. The Lions are eighth and visit the Rams, the top seed in the NFC, on Sunday.
The Bears left the game Sunday feeling as though there wasn’t as much distance between the rivals as a potential playoff bracket would indicate. Johnson, however, said it ‘‘didn’t take that game for me to know’’ whom the Bears were.
‘‘I know we’re a physical unit,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘We’re resilient. I know that we played hard for each other for 60 minutes. And I think we’re going to make things very interesting when it’s close in the fourth quarter each and every week.
‘‘Unfortunately, we didn’t come through with the win there. But I feel really confident in our group finding a way to pull through these games.’’
The Bears are used to winning games in the final minutes. Linebacker D’Marco Jackson didn’t find solace in playing the Packers close.
‘‘We didn’t get the job done,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m still frustrated with that game. I don’t think anyone needs to take this as a moral victory. When we look at the scoreboard, we lost. We ain’t where we want to be. There ain’t no moral victories.’’
The Bears will have a second chance soon enough. When the head coaches meet at midfield afterward, the NFL world will be watching.
