Ben Johnson loves to talk about the Green Bay Packers. A lot.
The ink was barely dry on his contract when he took his first shot at the Packers, or, more specifically, Matt LaFleur, famously saying he loves to beat him twice a season.
It was pure Michael Scott – the awkward delivery, the polite laughter, then the immediate silent pause. The only thing missing was a glance directly down the camera lens.
To Johnson's credit, he backed it up. It immediately won over Chicago Bears fans, and Johnson's team overcame two fourth-quarter deficits to defeat LaFleur's Packers twice last season, including a playoff comeback for the ages.
And it brought even more brashness and brazenness out of Johnson. He screamed "F--- the Packers" after the playoff win, gave LaFleur the smuggest of postgame handshakes, and has continued to talk trash about the Packers at every opportunity.
That's Ben Johnson. He's the total opposite of Matt LaFleur. But LaFleur can quietly use it to his advantage.
Matt LaFleur must use Ben Johnson's comments as fuel
Publicly, LaFleur fends off questions about Johnson. He never takes the bait. Why not?
"Because this game is about players and so we'll keep it about the players. I'm not the one out there there playing," LaFleur said this week. "Don't get me wrong. I love the rivalry. It's awesome. It's great. It's intense. You can feel it on gameday. You can feel it throughout the course of the week and also the significance."
Despite all of the criticism thrown at LaFleur, his ability to ignore the noise, focus on his players, and avoid firing back at Johnson is admirable. That's how he should approach it publicly.
Behind closed doors, though, to his team? That's where LaFleur can use Johnson's words as fuel.
Johnson's borderline cocky demeanor has made him a hero in Chicago, but it's also handed LaFleur everything he needs to give his players that extra jolt of motivation. All he needs to do is play the video clips of the playoff meltdown, of the awkward postgame handshakes, of Johnson screaming "F--- those guys! I f------ hate those guys!" after beating the Packers.
Johnson made it personal, and LaFleur should lean all the way into it. He'll never admit it to reporters, nor should he, but LaFleur can channel it into an underdog, us-against-the-world mentality that could refocus the Packers.
It's time for the Packers to wake up
In many ways, the timing couldn't be better. If there were ever a game to snap this team out of their funk and eliminate the unforced errors, this is it. The Packers' worst enemy is often the Packers.
LaFleur's team has bumbled its way to two victories. They're surviving but certainly not thriving. Green Bay has the second-most penalties in the NFL, the most dropped passes, and the most fumbles. Yuck.
A lack of discipline and concentration continues to haunt this team, and those problems predate this season.
But if this game can't refocus the team, nothing will. The Packers can blame the rain in New York or the humidity in Tampa Bay for some of those issues in recent weeks. There's no excuse in this game.
It's vital to stop the shift of power developing in the NFC North.
Packers must win to avoid a true power shift in the NFC North
The Bears enter Lambeau Field as road favorites without their starting quarterback. Let that sink in.
That's unheard of in the recent history of this rivalry. But it makes sense. The Bears are defending NFC North champions, and they've won games with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent starting at quarterback. The Packers are lucky to be 2-2.
Chicago is attempting to win a third consecutive game over Green Bay, a feat it hasn't accomplished since September 10, 2006.
Brett Favre was the Packers' starting quarterback. Aaron Rodgers had completed 11 career passes. Matt LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach at Northern Michigan, only two years removed from wrapping up his playing career with the Billings Outlaws.
Ben Johnson was a reserve quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he didn't play but probably spent most of his time on the bench shouting about how much he loves to beat Duke twice a year.
A Bears victory this week would truly signify a changing of the guard in the NFC North. Chicago would pull two games ahead of Green Bay with a win without Caleb Williams... at Lambeau... as the favorite.
The Packers can prevent that and wrestle back momentum in the rivalry.
LaFleur could certainly argue his team should've gone 3-0 against the Bears last season. Chicago required an onside kick recovery in Week 16, then an improbable comeback from a 21-3 deficit in the playoffs.
But the Packers didn't win. History isn't written by what-ifs. It doesn't matter how they got there – Johnson delivered on his promise and beat LaFleur twice.
If he makes it three in a row, it will become undeniable that the Bears are the NFC North's new powerhouse. Not the Packers.
Even typing those words fires me up. And LaFleur should feel the same. It should keep him awake at night.
LaFleur dominated the rivalry early in his tenure, starting 11-0 over the Bears, including three victories to begin the Jordan Love era. Since then, the Packers are 1-3.
Johnson has made a very loud and impressive entrance in the NFC North. He has disrupted the rivalry and slapped LaFleur in the face at every opportunity.
LaFleur, smartly, has played it down in front of the cameras. But in the locker room, he should use it all. The pain and embarrassment of January. The smug comments. The national narrative about how bad this Packers team is and how they've been left behind.
Mike McCarthy used to say the Packers were "nobody's underdog." This week, they well and truly are.
It's not the Packers against the Bears. It's the Packers against the world. That's the mentality they must take into Sunday to have any chance of beating the Bears.
LaFleur must use Johnson's comments to galvanize his Packers. The direction of this rivalry may depend on it.
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