Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur reveals why he does not trash talk like Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson

The Green Bay Packers are 2-2 on the season and are looking ahead to a big showdown on Sunday afternoon. Fans, of course, have had this particular game circled on their calendar ever since the schedule was released.

Obviously, this is because the Packers are taking on the hated Chicago Bears for the first time this season. Led by head coach Ben Johnson, Chicago is 3-1 this season and are feeling confident regarding their chances against Green Bay after going 2-1 against them last year (including playoffs).

For fans who were hopeful that last season’s failures against the Bears would motivate Packers head coach Matt LaFleur to match Johnson’s energy in the media, well, he just will not.

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts after calling a time out during the third quarter of their game Sunday, November 17, 2024 at Solider Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 20-19.

Last year, in his first year as the Bears head coach, Johnson consistently poked at LaFleur and the Packers during his press conferences. On one occasion, he said he took the Chicago job because he “enjoy kicking LaFleur’s a– twice every year” as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.

For his part, LaFleur has always taken the proverbial high road. Unfortunately, the play of his Green Bay players did not do the talking for him last season, though he is hopeful that it will this year.

When asked by reporters why he does not play media games like his rival in Chicago, LaFleur said, “Because this game is about players and so we’ll keep it about the players. I’m not the one out there they’re playing … don’t get me wrong. I love the rivalry. It’s awesome. It’s great. It’s intense. You can feel it on gameday. You can feel it throughout the course of the week and also the significance, I mean, they’re the defending North champions. So what a great opportunity, great challenge for us in our home stadium to play against the defending champs.”

The sentiments LaFleur shared, while true, do not give fans who were hoping for a little bit more fire from their head coach much to hang their hat on. Indeed, there have been grave concerns with the level of quality coaching Packers players are receiving, especially since they oftentimes do not appear to be playing with the fire those fans want to see.

Meanwhile, the Bears are consistently chirping about Green Bay and how they enjoy beating them.

Hopefully 2026 will be different. Up until 2025, the Packers had an 11-1 record against Chicago. It would be nice to see them return to that level of dominance against their oldest rivals.

They have a golden opportunity on Sunday as the Bears are starting backup Tyson Bagent at quarterback as Caleb Williams recovers from a strained hamstring. That being said, Chicago won with Bagent this past Sunday against the New York Jets.
from Wisconsin Sports Heroics

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur talks with quarterback Jordan Love (10) during the second quarter of their game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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