LaFleur, Packers get best of Johnson, Bears to top NFC North - ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. — If Matt LaFleur said anything to Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson after Sunday's game at Lambeau Field, it couldn't have been much considering the Green Bay Packers coach barely broke stride.

There's also the fact that these two teams play again in less than two weeks.

«Just a quick handshake,» LaFleur said. «We'll see them again in two weeks.»

Johnson verbally jabbed LaFleur shortly after being hired by the Bears in January, when he said he enjoyed beating him twice a year when he was the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator. But if LaFleur took any extra satisfaction in the Packers' 28-21 win Sunday, he wasn't letting on.

«No, absolutely not,» he said. «It's Packers-Bears. It's a great rivalry. Certainly, with what was at stake in regards to positioning in the NFC North, that's the only thing that matters.»

And when cornerback Keisean Nixon picked off Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in the end zone with 22 seconds left in the game, it meant the Packers (9-3-1) reclaimed first place in the division. The Bears (9-4) had held at least a share of the division lead for the past month.

«It's a very big win,» said Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who threw three touchdown passes and one interception. «Obviously, just where we're at in the NFC North and the division that we have, I think we've got some really good teams in this division and, obviously, the Bears were on top. We knew what it was coming into it, and it's a huge win. Obviously, we'll be seeing these guys here again in a couple weeks.»

In 13 days to be exactly. The rematch is set for a Saturday prime-time game in Chicago in Week 16. The Packers play at Denver and the Bears host Cleveland before the two teams meet again.

«It means nothing right