When Ben Johnson was hired as Chicago Bears head coach, he made it clear that he “enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” during his time as offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions. Following Saturday night’s stunning 31-27 comeback win in the wild card playoffs, Johnson got his wish with Chicago.
The Bears won the season series against the Packers, 2-1, after both teams split the pair of regular-season meetings. But Saturday night’s was the biggest to date, and Johnson’s team once again overcame impossible odds to orchestrate one of the best comebacks in franchise history.
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There’s no love lost between Johnson and LaFleur, and in Year 1 no doubt, and their third postgame handshake was the most entertaining yet. It was another quick handshake between the pair of head coaches, where Johnson was short and sweet, similarly to LaFleur back during their first postgame handshake, and proceeded to celebrate with his team.
And it appears there’s a reason why Johnson reacted the way he did. Outside of the overall excitement of the improbable comeback win, Johnson told reporters that he heard all of the talking from the Packers in the week leading up to the game.
“There was probably a little bit more noise coming out of their building up north to start of the week — which we heard loud and clear, players and coaches alike,” Johnson said. “So this one meant something to us.”
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NFL world reacts to Ben Johnson-Matt LaFleur postgame handshake
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFL world reacts to Ben Johnson-Matt LaFleur postgame handshake