Some fans around the NFL respect Bears coach Ben Johnson for his football intellect. Others love him for his fiery brand of leadership. And still others adore him for the way he shakes his rival coaches’ hands at midfield after exciting playoff wins.
Johnson’s fly-by handshake with Packers’ Matt LaFleur was the shake seen ‘round the world after the Bears stunned their NFC North rivals in a comeback thriller in the wild-card round. On Sunday, however, the Rams played spoiler to the “Cardiac Bears,” shutting down Caleb Williams & Co.’s formidable efforts to win yet another playoff matchup in the late stages.
After the Rams scored the game-winning field goal in the 20-17 overtime victory, a mic’d up Johnson and Sean McVay met up for the traditional postgame coaches handshake on the field.
Johnson decided to be a tad more civil this time around and went so far as to embrace the Rams coach for a brief hug. He then imparted a classy message to his NFC adversary:
“Hell of a job, man,” Johnson told McVay as he pulled him in for the embrace. “Go win one.”
“Yup, appreciate it, man,” McVay replied.
Sean McVay made sure to give props to the @ChicagoBears @insidetheNFL NFL Playoffs Mic'd Up on X pic.twitter.com/TWzYr5Rwvy
— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2026
McVay saved his compliments for Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, whom he also embraced. “Unbelievable job. You kicked our a--,” McVay told Allen.
Johnson’s trolling antics after the Bears-Packers game reportedly didn’t sit well with McVay’s coaching tree, which includes the likes of LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell and Liam Coen. McVay had every opportunity to give the Bears coach a taste of his own medicine Sunday night, but he didn’t seem interested in partaking in that drama—instead, he appeared content to let his Rams team do the talking on the field.
In the end, the Rams booked their spot in the conference title game against the Seahawks, while Johnson and the Bears ended their season on a bittersweet note that somehow included both the most famous and infamous moments in recent franchise history: on one hand, Williams’s absurdly clutch touchdown pass on the final play of regulation against the Rams. On the other hand, a notorious and forever iconic shake.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mics Caught Ben Johnson’s Classy Line to Sean McVay During Their Very Nice Handshake.
