LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — As he gathered the Bears in their victorious locker room at Soldier Field following his team's thrilling 31-27 comeback win over the rival Packers in the wild-card round Saturday, head coach Ben Johnson let out a yell.
“F--- the Packers,” Johnson screamed to his team. “F--- them.”
That scene reflected Johnson's usual intensity. The difference was that the Bears released the video on their own social media platform, meaning they had no concerns in making it public.
Johnson certainly didn't regret his words. In his media session Monday, he embraced his central role in the Bears’ longstanding rivalry with the Packers.
“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams, something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of,” Johnson said Monday at Halas Hall. “Yeah, I don’t like that team. (Bears chairman George McCaskey) and I have talked, and we’re on the same page.”
Following the final play of the game Saturday, Johnson and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had a quick and seemingly tense handshake near midfield. In their postgame media sessions, Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams and other Bears pointed to verbal jabs from the Packers leading up to that game as a source of motivation inside the Chicago locker room.
When he was introduced as the Bears' new head coach last January, Johnson wasted no time in adding a chapter to the animosity between the longtime rivals. He mentioned that he "enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” during his time as the Lions' offensive coordinator in Detroit. Those comments didn't sit well with LaFleur and the Packers.
The Bears’ victory Saturday marked their second straight win over the Packers and gave them the final word after the teams split a pair of meetings in the regular season.
The Bears will host the Rams on Sunday at Soldier Field in the NFC divisional round.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.