A resurgent Chicago Bears, now powered by Ben Johnson's innovative offense, are challenging the Green Bay Packers' long-held dominance. Matt LaFleur faces a fierce new rival.
There's always a point when little brother grows up and gets stronger and perhaps more competent. That doesn't mean the older brother can't still beat 'em up, but the scales certainly shift a little bit.
The Green Bay Packers found that out this past season with their proverbial little brother, the Chicago Bears. The Packers have beaten up the Bears for the majority of the last few decades. Some would even say that the Packers have owned them.
There has absolutely been a shift in the dynamics of this rivalry, though. The Packers no longer "own" the Bears, and while much of that has to do with Aaron Rodgers being gone, there have also been massive changes in Chicago.
The first major change was landing Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It's easy to joke about the Bears ruining quarterbacks, and the joke was on for much of Williams' rookie season, as he and the team struggled.
It's easy to forget, though, that Williams was saddled with a terrible head coach in Matt Eberflus, who was eventually fired mid-season. It's also tough to be a rookie quarterback in the NFL, and being a Heisman Trophy winner in no way guarantees success in this league. There are too many successful college football quarterbacks who have figured that out to count.
The Bears saw Williams' struggles in 2024 and took massive action in his favor by bringing in Ben Johnson. Johnson had become arguably the best offensive mind in the NFL during his stint with the Detroit Lions and the Bears took the chance on him, hoping that his offensive aptitude could jump-start Williams as a quarterback.
Johnson's impact on the team, and Williams, was immediate.
The Bears became tough, gritty and they developed a "never say never" attittude.
The Packers found that out twice this past season. The first was in the regular season, when a botched onside kick return by the Packers led to a 22-16 overtime victory for the Bears. The second came in the playoffs, when the Packers came out of the locker room at halftime with a 21-3 lead and subsequently blew that.
For as much of the blame fell on the Packers for taking their foot of the gas in that one, credit must go Chicago's way for staying aggressive and staying in the fight. The Bears never gave up, and the Packers found that out the hard way.
Speaking of staying aggressive, Johnson lit a fire in this rivalry by essentially calling out Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur before he even coached a snap.
He then poured gasoline on that flame with his post-game handshake with LaFleur in the playoffs and his comments in the locker room and to the press after.
It's clear that Johnson doesn't like LaFleur or the Packers, and he's going to do everything he can to beat them. Right now, that gives the Bears an edge.
And ultimately, that's what makes Green Bay's decision to bring back LaFleur on an extension somewhat of a gamble.
He's a winning coach and a good offensive mind, no doubt, but a major criticism of his time in Green Bay is that he's lacked the killer instinct it takes to put a team over the top.
He's too conservative and seemingly locks up in the big moments.
That's something we know Johnson, Williams and the Bears won't do. They won the NFC North this season because of that attitude, and you can best believe they're going to do everything they can to keep their foot on the neck of the Packers now that they've established this advantage.
The Pack haven't won the NFC North since 2021, and the Bears are going to scrap and claw to keep it.
Can LaFleur counter? Can the Packers get just as scrappy and as hungry as their biggest rival?
Team president Ed Policy is betting that he can by giving the head coach an extension, but now the pressure is on LaFleur to deliver.