Bears' Ben Johnson Explains Matt LaFleur Handshake, 'F--k The Packers' Viral Videos

It appears Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson was very intentional with his postgame handshake and his locker room message following the team's 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round.

Asked Monday about the moment, the first-year head coach made it clear he's fully embracing Chicago's longstanding rivalry with Green Bay:

Johnson and the Packers' Matt LaFleur barely had enough time to exchange any pleasantries, and Johnson's giddiness with the outcome was evident:

In the locker room, he also said "F--k the Packers!" and "I f--king hate those guys" during the speech to his players:

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more straightforward example of a coach trying to reset the internal culture.

The Packers have dominated the Bears in recent years. Prior to the 2025 season, they prevailed in 26 of the last 30 head-to-head encounters.

Going further back than that, Green Bay was a regular playoff contender in the 1990s and 2000s with Brett Favre under center. That continued after Aaron Rodgers replaced Favre in 2008 and again when Jordan Love succeeded Rodgers in 2023.

Chicago, meanwhile, was mostly mediocre and cycled through the likes of Erik Kramer, Jim Miller, Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jay Cutler, Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields at quarterback.

Set aside a history dating back to 1921 and this wasn't much of rivalry.

Now, the Bears may have found a coach (Johnson) and quarterback (Caleb Williams) who can turn the tables on Green Bay, both tangibly on the field and more symbolically in the minds of the respective fanbases.

Johnson is setting himself up for a bigger fall if the Packers restore business as usual in 2026. Should Chicago's success prove to be more sustainable, last Saturday's comeback will take on mythic proportions.