Over the past year, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers' rivalry has picked up to whole new levels that have not been there in years.
That was intensified thanks for Bears head coach Ben Johnson from his comments about enjoying being Packers head coach Matt LaFleur twice a year to saying "f*** the Packers" in the locker room. Bears general manager Ryan Poles is not about to stop Johnson from having that kind of intensity.
“That’s what you want to play for," Poles said during his appearance on Hoge & Jahns. "You want to play for a guy that’s not scared, that’s aggressive, and someone that wants to compete. It raises the level of both organizations to be completely honest with you. We needed that. I think we needed that jump start. When I first got here, it was all about just getting beat by them a lot, and it was this mountain to climb. Ben’s like screw it, we’re just going to take this head on and take this rivalry over, and we’re not going to be scared to talk about it…..I think it makes it exciting and the NFL exciting. People want to see that. I’d be shocked if those games aren’t in primetime. Everyone wants to be tuned into that game.”
Bears GM Ryan Poles on HC Ben Johnson intensifying the Bears vs Packers rivalry:
— Bearsszn (@bearszn) March 31, 2026
“That’s what you want to play for. You want to play for a guy that’s not scared, that’s aggressive and someone that wants to compete. It raises the level of both organizations to be completely… pic.twitter.com/QrOXuDU3qO
Ryan Poles loves what Ben Johnson brings to the Bears-Packers rivalry
Johnson brought new energy to the Bears-Packers rivalry, leading his team to multiple wins against the Packers. Chicago won two out of three against Green Bay, including a Week 16 walkoff win to take the NFC North and an NFC Wild Card win that required an 18-point comeback.
In fact, if Bears fans include the 2024 season results, Chicago has won three of the last four contests against the Packers.
This Bears team is different from the ones Chicago has had in the last seven years. Johnson has instilled a winning culture in the Bears, with expectations shifting from an average team heading into the 2025 season to Super Bowl aspirations this year.
Read more: Ryan Poles isn't about to give in to Bears fans' peer pressure on draft strategy
Everything has changed for this Bears team in just a year, with Johnson being a massive reason for it. Packers fans might hate how intense Johnson is about the rivalry, but it only adds more intrigue, so why not lean into it more?