The Packers still remember Ben Johnson's joke about Matt LaFleur

It's not often we get an elite, top-of-the-conference matchup between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. But that's exactly what's in store this Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Bears, led by first-year head coach Ben Johnson, are currently (and surprisingly) in first place in the entire NFC. Despite some occasional unevenness, the Packers, meanwhile, are nipping at their rivals' heels. It's truly everything you want for an early December game in the NFL's oldest rivalry.

When it comes to the Packers, it sounds like they're leaning on some good old-fashioned bulletin board material to motivate them even more for the matchup.

According to NFL Network's Stacey Dales, the Packers still think about some of Johnson's comments from his Bears introductory press conference last January. What were those comments? The coach had mentioned how he enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year while he was the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions for three seasons. (Note: The Lions had a 5-1 record over the Packers while Johnson led their offense.)

Per Dales, both Johnson and LaFleur might downplay that sentiment in public this week, but it still irks the Packers to this day. And, I mean ... yeah. Given Johnson's big personality as the Bears' head coach, that's the exact kind of comment that probably got plastered all over the Packers locker room and is being mentioned in every meeting this week:

Of course, Johnson's comments, in a vacuum, are probably ultimately harmless. He said them from a place of emotion after getting his dream job. But there's a reason that NFL coaches and players typically like to keep things close to the vest when they speak in public. There's a reason you show as much respect as possible to the opponent in every single avenue, no matter their place in the standings and no matter what sort of rivalry you might have with them. It's hard enough to win in the hypercompetitive environment of the NFL. You don't want to give anyone any extra motivation.

To Johnson's credit, he has been doing that this week, talking up Jordan Love and the Packers' defense with Micah Parsons wreaking havoc. He's doing the whole respect thing. But what he said way back in January still counts. And it's pretty darn noteworthy that the Packers have been keeping tabs on those words this whole time. Gulp.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Packers remember Ben Johnson's Matt LaFleur joke from Bears intro