Niners face potent Packer onslaught
GREEN BAY, WIS. — The gang’s back together, mostly, for the Packers in the playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb pulled off a fourth-down stunner last week against the Chicago Bears in each player’s first game back from injury. Now imagine what Green Bay can do with the franchise quarterback and speedy receiver practising without limitations for a full week, joining Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Eddie Lacy on the list of playmakers.
Just in time for Sunday’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild-card game.
“It’s going to be tough for defences to play us, the way they’re going to approach the game to try to take the pass or run away,” Cobb said Wednesday. “So we (pose) a pretty obvious threat, I think.”
No need to think about it. After a roller-coaster season, the Packers (8-7-1) are brimming with confidence. They took the NFC North title by winning three of their last four games, and getting help from collapses by the Lions and Bears. Rodgers and Cobb helped seal a third straight division crown by connecting on an unlikely 48-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-eight with 38 seconds left.
With Rodgers back, anything is possible. “He runs our offence at a very, very high level,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “When he’s on the field we’re different.”
That left collarbone injury that kept him out for seven games is fine, so much so that McCarthy has no worries about him for practice this week. McCarthy isn’t worried about the leg injury that kept Cobb out either.
In fact, Rodgers was bothered more by cramping in his calves. He was facing his first game action in nearly two months, but Rodgers said his legs are fine, too.
“Well, myself and Randall are back. That helps. We had a couple good connections on Sunday. It’s doing the stuff we want to do,” Rodgers said. “We want to be an uptempo team, we want to get a lot of plays run, we want to try to wear the defence down a little bit.”
Rodgers’ impact on the offence is a no-brainer. The 2011 NFL MVP excels as a decision-maker and can make pinpoint throws for big plays.
But Cobb’s recovery from his October injury got lost in the soap opera surrounding when Rodgers might come back. Cobb may not be at full speed, but just his mere presence and versatility might cause defenders to think twice about what might be coming.