After the Bears' dramatic wild-card win over the Packers, head coach Ben Johnson didn’t just celebrate - he made a statement. And not the quiet kind.
In a postgame locker room erupting with emotion, Johnson was caught on camera delivering a profanity-laced tirade aimed squarely at Green Bay. “I fing hate those guys,” he said, followed by a loud and repeated “F the Packers.”
It was raw, unfiltered, and, depending on who you ask around the league, maybe a little too much.
The outburst came moments after Johnson shared a tense handshake with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur - a brief, stiff exchange that only underscored the animosity between the two NFC North rivals. But while the Bears were still basking in the glow of their comeback win, the reaction around the league was far less celebratory.
According to ESPN’s Peter Schrager, Johnson’s fiery comments didn’t sit well with several coaches, particularly Rams head coach Sean McVay. And there’s some history here worth unpacking.
McVay and LaFleur go way back - they worked together in Washington and again with the Rams. On top of that, McVay’s current offensive coordinator is LaFleur’s brother, Mike.
So when Johnson went scorched earth on the Packers and their staff, it didn’t just land in Green Bay - it echoed all the way to Los Angeles.
Now, as the Rams prepare to face the Bears in Sunday’s divisional-round showdown, this matchup has some serious edge to it. There’s already playoff intensity, but layer in personal connections, recent history, and a bit of bulletin-board material, and you’ve got a game that feels personal.
“McVay wants to kick the snot out of Ben Johnson,” Schrager said during a segment previewing the game. “And Ben Johnson, who’s beaten McVay the last two times when he was with Detroit, has no problem with that.
Two alpha offensive minds going at it. I can’t wait.”
It’s not just about the past meetings - though Johnson’s Lions offense did get the better of McVay’s Rams in their recent clashes. It’s about the tone Johnson set after last week’s win and the fact that the Bears didn’t walk it back.
In fact, they leaned into it. The team posted the video of Johnson’s outburst on social media, and when given the chance to clarify or soften his stance, Johnson stood firm.
According to Schrager, the Bears didn’t just tolerate it - they backed him.
“This is the WWE part of this,” Schrager said. “There’s actual personalities involved.
You’ve got a coach saying, ‘F the Packers. F that coaching staff,’ and the social media team hits send.
And 24 hours later, the coach says, ‘Yeah, I’m good with it. My owners have my back.’”
That kind of swagger - or depending on your perspective, that kind of disrespect - adds fuel to what’s already a high-stakes playoff matchup. McVay, for his part, kept it classy when asked about the situation and whether he’d spoken to LaFleur.
“What would you guess?” he said with a smile. “No, you know what - we watch the tape, we do our work, and Matt is a very close friend of mine.”
Translation: McVay’s not getting into a war of words. But make no mistake - he’s heard the noise. And come Sunday, his team will have a chance to respond the way that matters most: on the field.
So yes, this is a playoff game with all the usual implications. But it’s also something more. It’s personal, it’s layered, and it’s got two of the league’s brightest offensive minds - both with something to prove - squaring off in what’s shaping up to be one of the most compelling matchups of the postseason.