While the Green Bay Packers should need zero bulletin board material to be ready to take on the division-leading Chicago Bears, head coach Ben Johnson still obliged. It was the type of mistake you expect from a rookie coach who perhaps isn't thinking out his words as carefully as he should. In a presser ahead of the 2025 season, the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator noted how much he "enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year."
Fast forward to Week 14 when Johnson will have his first of two opportunities to put his money where his mouth is.
Although he's previously had success against the Packers, Johnson has yet to do so as a head coach outside of the Motor City. Everything about Green Bay's roster matches up well with a Chicago team that has gotten consistently lucky throughout the 2025 season, and this weekend's showdown will give a better indication of where the teams stand.
Packers Must Capitalize on Ben Johnson's Offseason Bulletin Board Material
The Packers have a chance to end this luck by playing the Bears twice in the next three weeks. Green Bay has the perfect opportunity to put a stranglehold on the division and end Chicago's surprise NFC North run. This in itself is ample motivation, with Johnson's words simply serving as the proverbial cherry on top.
Obviously, the head coach didn't envision the Packers being a part of the division conversation or simply didn't have the needed level of fear when making the comments. It was before the season started when the Minnesota Vikings and Lions were still considered the class of the division. Minnesota is stuck fighting for draft positioning while the Lions are fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys.
Everything is falling in Green Bay's favor with injured players returning and the roster getting hot at the perfect time. The Bears are really making this far harder on themselves than it had to be, giving a soundbite that is unquestionably going to age very poorly. Johnson is going to be forced to deal with a superior roster and a far more experienced coaching staff, and Sunday's clash could be a much-needed dose of reality.
Let's also not forget that the Packers are 3-0 vs. the NFC North this year, whereas the Bears are 1-2 with a minus-10.7 average scoring margin.
It is impossible to believe that the Week 14 meeting plays out in any other fashion than the Packers continuing to dominate what has been a one-sided rivalry for much of the last decade. Green Bay is 17-3 against Chicago since the 2015 season, highlighting how lopsided things have been.
Perhaps someone should've advised Johnson of this fact ahead of the coach making a regrettable comment.