The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears rivalry welcomed Ben Johnson during the offseason. Johnson revealed he enjoyed beating LaFleur with the Detroit Lions — sparking why he took the Bears gig. That created the belief LaFleur would hand Johnson a petty rebuttal.
LaFleur indeed ran up to Johnson. Although he extended his hand and shared a quick handshake.
LaFleur on this: “It was a quick handshake, and we’ll see them again in 2 weeks.”
When asked if there was personal satisfaction after what Ben Johnson said about beating him 2x a year, LaFleur said: “Absolutely not. It’s Packers-Bears.”
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 8, 2025
The head coach denied via ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky that Sunday's 28-21 home win was “personal satisfaction.” He simply called it “Packers-Bears” and treating it as any other game.
Still, Green Bay's win emerged as a crucial one — for both playoff standings and the race to the top of the NFC North.
Defensive moment propelled Packers, Matt LaFleur to victory over Bears
Green Bay didn't necessarily need LaFleur's offensive wizardry or Jordan Love attacking deep to beat Chicago.
A non-household name on the defensive side helped seal the victory.
Keisean Nixon stepped in front of Caleb Williams and snatched the interception late. And Nixon dropped all the way into the end zone to grab the errant throw.
Game. Caleb Williams is picked off by Keisean Nixon and the #Packers have overtaken first place in the NFC North. pic.twitter.com/jJXIiBlTW4 https://t.co/SSbJm7V5DI
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 8, 2025
Nixon made his original mark on special teams during his stint with the Raiders. He eventually joined the Packers in the 2022 season but has since become a valuable defensive back presence.
Nixon helped bottle Williams to 186 passing yards, two touchdowns and the pick. Williams' top target Luther Burden III settled for four catches for 67 yards.
Green Bay's win elevated its record to 9-3-1 and now in sole possession of first in the division. Chicago drops to 9-4 now and sitting at seventh in the NFC standings.
