Sean McVay recruits Matt LaFleur for secret Rams role to get revenge on Bears and rival Ben Johnson

To beat the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay will need a little help from his friends.

Caleb Williams led his team to a historic comeback against the Green Bay Packers in last weekend’s wild-card round, and now the rest of the NFL on notice.

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The Bears sent their greatest rival packing from the playoffs and moved onto the divisional round, but Green Bay‘s beaten head coach Matt LaFleur could still get a measure of revenge.

In a press conference ahead of Sunday’s showdown against Chicago, Rams HC McVay was asked how he’s preparing for the big game.

Specifically, he was quizzed on if he’s enlisted any outside help from LaFleur, who took on the Bears and Ben Johnson three times this season.

Sean McVay ‘watching tape’ with Matt LaFleur to prepare for Bears match-up

The pair, of course, know each other very well.

LaFleur was McVay’s offensive coordinator in Los Angeles back in 2017, and they also worked together on the Washington Redskins from 2011 to 2013.

His brother, Mike, has been OC for the Rams for the past three seasons.

“Matt LaFleur, obviously being in Green Bay, and Mike (LaFleur) being on your staff, really close with Matt. He’s played Ben Johnson three times this year, have you been on the phone with Matt?” a reporter asked McVay.

With a smile, he responded: “What would you guess?

“No, you know what, we watch the tape, we do our work, and Matt is a very close friend of mine.”

After what happened last weekend, LaFleur would probably jump at the chance to help bring the Bears down.

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He was involved in a heated moment with Johnson as the pair shook hands after Chicago’s 18-point comeback, and it feels as if the historic rivalry has taken on new life in 2025.

After that Wild Card win, Johnson began his post-game locker room speech by saying, “F— the Packers” and “F— them” “F— hate those guys”.

Johnson has been talking in the days since about his hatred for the Packers, having beaten Green Bay on two of the three occasions they met in recent weeks.

“This is a rivalry,” Johnson said. “And [for] the city of Chicago, Green Bay — it needs to be a rivalry.”

“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams, something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of,” Johnson added. “And, yeah, I just, I don’t like that team.”

LaFleur and the Packers took the first regular-season contest, but lost the second before they were sent home from the playoffs too.

Matt LaFleur expected to stay on in Green Bay

That postseason defeat put LaFleur on the hot seat, with some speculating the team could part ways with the coach who has led them to the playoffs in six of his seven years in Wisconsin.

But according to Adam Schefter, the two parties are close to finalizing a deal for his return.

“There’s no deal right now. It’s a negotiation. And when it’s a negotiation, and there’s no deal, there can be a breakthrough any moment. Again, I think both sides would like to make that happen,” the NFL insider said, before outlining a rough timeline.

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“My guess is that it’ll be decided this week, at some point in time. I don’t know exactly when.

“But for the sake of everybody involved, everyone needs to know and move on with their lives in whatever way that is.”

LaFleur, then, should get a few more cracks at Johnson and the Bears next season and beyond.

And as McVay has teased, he might also be helping the Rams prepare for Sunday’s divisional round clash at Soldier Field.

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