Ben Johnson ended last weekend by screaming obscenities at the Green Bay Packers in the Chicago Bears locker room after pulling off the greatest postseason comeback in franchise history.
When asked if he would like to take it back, he doubled down, saying he doesn’t like the Packers and that he stands behind his words.
Well, as he enters this weekend’s NFC divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams, his story with the Packers might not yet be finished.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2017, in the first year Sean McVay was head coach in Los Angeles. Although LaFleur would leave after that one year to join the Tennessee Titans before being named Packers head coach in 2019, he and McVay remained close friends.
That friendship has continued through the past decade, even through their NFC rivals, and is seen as one of the closest relationships of any two opposing coaches in the NFL.
When asked if LaFleur gave any tips or advice heading into their do-or-die showdown with the Bears, McVay played coy but teased that their friendship might be a benefit.
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“What would you guess?” he joked, cracking a wide smile at a press conference with local media. “No, you know what — we watch the tape, we do our work, and Matt is a very close friend of mine.”
LaFleur and Johnson’s handshake at midfield went mini-viral after the wild-card playoff game, as the two barely touched hands before going their separate ways.
Johnson went to celebrate with his team while cursing out the Packers, while LaFleur went to endure press questions about his future in Green Bay.
It is McVay’s 15th all-time playoff game, and the 15th time he will be playing a different franchise in the postseason. That bizarre streak will end if they win on Sunday night, with either the Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers the opponent in the NFC Championship.
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