Ben Johnson didn’t waste any time stoking the flames of the NFC North rivalry when he first took the reins in Chicago. But as the Bears and Packers prepare to square off for the second time in three weeks, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur is taking a different approach - offering a healthy dose of respect for what Johnson has built in his first year.
LaFleur, speaking from Lambeau Field ahead of practice, didn’t hold back in his praise for Chicago’s offensive turnaround under Johnson. And after watching his team narrowly escape with a win - thanks to a game-sealing interception in the end zone by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams - he knows just how dangerous this new-look Bears offense can be.
“I don’t want to get into comparisons, but what they do offensively is very sound and it’s a good scheme,” LaFleur said. “He’s done a great job of putting the quarterback in a lot of great positions, and then the quarterback has gone out there and executed.”
That’s been the story of Chicago’s resurgence: a smart, tailored scheme that plays to its strengths - and a young quarterback who’s steadily finding his rhythm. Williams, still in his rookie season, has shown flashes of growth week after week. And Johnson’s system isn’t asking him to do too much - it’s putting him in positions to succeed, leaning on a potent ground game and a physical offensive line that’s been upgraded across the board.
“Their run game has definitely been a catalyst,” LaFleur continued. “They do a great job with both those backs.
The offensive line, they come off the ball, they’re physical, they’ve upgraded the talent there. Then they’ve got weapons on the perimeter both at tight end and wide receiver.”
It’s a classic formula: improved personnel, a sharp scheme, and a quarterback who’s starting to figure it out. And when all those pieces come together, you get what LaFleur called “good results” - which, in this case, means a Bears offense that now ranks among the league’s top five in rushing and is playing with confidence.
For Green Bay, that means the defense - led by coordinator Jeff Hafley - will have its work cut out. Slowing down this Bears attack won’t be easy, especially with the way they’ve been leaning into their identity: run-heavy, physical, and opportunistic through the air. The Packers managed to survive the last meeting, but it took a last-second defensive stand to do it.
This time around, the stakes are even higher. A win would give Green Bay the season sweep over Chicago, vaulting them back into first place in the NFC North and potentially into the race for the conference’s top seed. But they’ll have to do it without Micah Parsons - a major blow to a defense that’s going to be tested in every phase.
LaFleur knows it. The Bears are no longer the team that could be pushed around.
Under Ben Johnson, they’ve found an edge - and a formula that’s working. Now it’s on the Packers to match it, or risk watching their division hopes take a serious hit.