About the only thing colder in Green Bay on Dec. 7 was that handshake between Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Following the Packers’ 28-21 win over their rivals at Lambeau Field, LaFleur and Johnson had as quick of a meet-up as you’ll see after a game.
No bro hugs. No “good game.” No “good luck the rest of the way.” None of that.
But none of that is surprising.
These two teams, of course, are fierce foes and first place was at stake in the NFC North in the first of two matchups. You don’t expect the Packers and Bears to like each other.
But this goes beyond that.
When Johnson was introduced as the Bears’ head coach in January after several years as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, the 39-year-old called out LaFleur by name.
“To be quite frank with you,” Johnson said in why he didn’t want to leave the NFC North, “I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”
Months later when asked about Johnson’s comment and whether he had any “beef” with his new coaching counterpart, LaFleur took the high road.
“I don’t know Ben Johnson,” LaFleur said on “The Bussin with the Boys” podcast. “I respect him as a football coach.”
LaFleur had to wait three months into the season before seeing Johnson on the opposing sidelines. And after the Packers took Round 1, Johnson won’t be beating LaFleur twice.
But LaFleur, who isn’t one to give anyone bulletin-board material, downplayed the post-game interaction with Johnson.
“Just a quick handshake,” LaFleur said. “We’ll see them in two weeks.”
They will indeed.
The Packers, 9-3-1, and Bears, 9-4, will go head-to-head again in 13 days in primetime at Soldier Field. And for LaFleur, it’s not about him or Johnson. This is about two teams fighting for a division title and securing a playoff spot.
“No, absolutely not,” LaFleur said, while keeping the focus on the “great rivalry” that is the Packers and Bears. “Certainly with what was at stake, positioning in the NFC North, that’s the only thing that matters.”
Watch Matt LaFleur and Ben Johnson postgame handshake
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Matt LaFleur and Ben Johnson have icy handshake after Packers-Bears game
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
