Erin Hooley/AP
Bears coach Ben Johnson might sneer at rivals like Matt LaFleur and chuckle at predecessor Matt Eberflus, but he knows when he’s tangling with an equal.
More than an equal, actually, in this case. When the Bears host the Rams on Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs, Johnson will be up against the best coach in the game in Sean McVay.
Johnson doesn’t keep power rankings of his peers, but McVay’s credentials are undeniable. He has the Rams in the playoffs for the seventh time in his nine seasons after taking over a team that had been mediocre or worse for more than a decade.