Ben Johnson’s postgame message puts the Packers and Bears in the spotlight, and the rivalry is already heating up again
The Chicago Bears head coach has kept his approach from last year, and he knows how important next week’s game is against the Green Bay Packers.
The Chicago Bears sent a message to the rest of the NFC after improving to 3-1 on the season coming off what was a statement-like win against the New York Jets with a third quarterback at the helm of head coach Ben Johnson’s offense.
The Bears are rolling right now and have plenty of areas in which they can still improve, including how soon Caleb Williams can get back on the field with the rest of this team with the way they’re collectively playing.
For now, all eyes turn to the Week 5 matchup against the Green Bay Packers and Johnson was already sending the right message to the team after Sunday’s game.
“We said find a way to get through the first quarter (of the season) 3-1,” Johnson said in the locker room after the game. “Do you guys know what next week is? Do you know what next week is? Alright, enough said.”
Bears and Packers know what’s at stake in Week 5
For the Bears, they don’t need any extra motivation going into Sunday’s game. This team is on a roll right now and Ben Johnson has all 53 players dialed in and ready to go every single week.
But, this isn’t just any other game. This game next week carries real weight and sending the message early was a smart call by the Bears’ head coach. Beyond the obvious rivalry implications, the Bears can’t afford to lose this momentum and fall to 0-2 in divisional play next Sunday. And this is an opponent they better than any other team.
“It’s easy to get excited and juiced up,” quarterback Tyson Bagent said. “Going into a loud away environment, we have to be crispy with communication in and out of the huddle, put our best foot forward, and have a good week of preparation.”
For better or worse, the Green Bay Packers don’t have that same approach to the Chicago Bears. Head coach Matt LaFleur’s discourse has been about internal improvement, looking at themselves, and finding a way to improve to 3-2 next week. Nothing has been said about this game or the Chicago Bears.
Even after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, LaFleur focused on the idea of looking for improvement.
“There’s plenty of stuff to look at, and we have to get better,” LaFleur said after the game. “We got to get better in a hurry, and it’s going to be by just focusing on what’s right in front of you. That’s daily improvement, and that’s where we’ll stay.”
Last year, the Packers and Bears split their regular season series. But the Bears won the most important rivalry game in the playoffs. It was a very heated battle all three times.
The approach Ben Johnson has made going into these games has worked so far. And what happens on the field this time around is ultimately what determines who has the right mentality. We’ll see who’s approach will work out best when we get to next Sunday.
