If you blinked, you might have missed the postgame handshake between Bears coach Ben Johnson and his Packers counterpart Matt LaFleur in the aftermath of the Bears' stunning come-from-behind win over the Packers in the wild-card round on Saturday night.
The Bears erased a 21–6 fourth quarter deficit and stormed back to stun the Packers, resulting in a midfield encounter between Johnson and LaFleur, the rival coaches who aren't exactly big fans of each other, to put it mildly.
Those not-so-warm-and-fuzzy feelings were on full display in the form of an icy handshake that lasted approximately 1.3 seconds and saw a stone-faced LaFleur say “good job” to Johnson, who fleetingly shook the Packers coach's hand as he ran past him.
Quick handshake between Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur 👀
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2026
(📺 Prime) pic.twitter.com/qYSKlSG5bK
How about a look from another angle?
The Ben Johnson/Matt LaFleur handshake from this angle is even better: https://t.co/sydThdOuVx pic.twitter.com/JphDeZB14g
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 11, 2026
Why do Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur not get along?
While it's not exactly clear what prompted the comment, any animosity between LaFleur and Johnson can be traced back to the latter's introductory press conference as Bears head coach a year ago. Johnson, while heaping praise on fellow NFC North coaches Dan Campbell and Kevin O'Connell, then took a jab at LaFleur and the Packers in a quote that has picked up a life of its own.
“...And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year,” Johnson said with a smirk.
The comment created plenty of headlines when the Packers and Bears met in the regular season, which saw the two storied franchises split the two games. But Johnson's Bears won the grudge match in thrilling fashion, giving him his second victory against LaFleur and the Packers this season.
The Packers-Bears rivalry looks to be as strong as ever.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- Bears’ DJ Moore Excitedly Celebrates First Playoff Win After Scoring Game-Winning TD
- Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson Emphasize Why Bears' Win Over Packers Was So Special
- Matthew Stafford’s X-rays on Injured Finger Revealed Ahead of Rams’ Divisional Round
- Caleb Williams Had Iconic Cheese Grating Celebration After Bears' Win Over Packers
- Panthers 2026 Free Agents: Key Players Who May Not Return Next Season
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rivals Ben Johnson, Matt LaFleur Meet for Icy Handshake After Bears End Packers’ Season.
