CHICAGO—No one was harder on himself after last week's offensive struggles than receiver Randall Cobb.
He called his play "embarrassing" and emphasized that he needs to be a playmaker in this Packers offense.
Cobb came through on Sunday, catching seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the 38-17 victory over the Bears at Soldier Field. He said he didn't do anything special this week, but he sure put together a special performance.
"I continued to do what I do," Cobb said. "I was frustrated because I've got to make plays. You only get so many opportunities in a game. I didn't make the most of them last week. I was able to make a play early on, and Aaron continued to trust me and continued to come to me."
The play early on was a leaping, 12-yard grab on the Packers' second drive that gave them a first-and-goal on the 3. Cobb added a 22-yard TD catch before halftime and then was in the right place at the right time on a couple of Aaron Rodgers scrambles in the second half, which turned into big gains.
On one of those, Cobb made a nifty move in the open field after the catch that fooled rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller, and he ended up gaining 46 yards in all.
"We always talk about extended plays, just continuing to practice that, be on the same page and understand where the QB is moving to," Cobb said.
Cobb's numbers were nearly identical to fellow receiver Jordy Nelson's (10 catches, 108 yards, 2 TDs) on the day. Cobb now had five TD receptions on the season, which leads the team, and he posted his first 100-yard game since Week 2 of last season.
"We know what we're capable of as an offense," Cobb said. "We have a lot of power, a lot of playmakers. It's just continuing to gel."
No-punt game a real rarity: Neither the Packers nor Bears punted, marking just the second time in NFL history that neither team punted in a game. The other was a 1992 San Francisco-Buffalo matchup during which QBs Steve Young and Jim Kelly led their teams to a combined total of more than 1,000 yards of offense. Sunday's game featured 854 total yards.
"The good thing for us is we had no punts and no turnovers," Packers punter Tim Masthay said. "With about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, I started to think yeah, this is probably going to happen."
The Packers scored five touchdowns and a field goal on their first six possessions and then had a field goal blocked on their last drive. The Bears had one drive end at the 1-yard line as the first-half clock ran out, lost the ball on two interceptions and also turned it over on downs in the fourth quarter. On their final drive, the Bears picked up four first downs and ran out the final 4:47.
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Streak snapped:** Packers K Mason Crosby made a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter for his 19th consecutive made field goal, but the streak ended in the fourth quarter when his 38-yard attempt was blocked.
"A little sour taste, but we won the game. That's what really matters," Crosby said. "I thought I hit a good ball. We'll watch the film and see what happened there in the middle. It's a bummer, but I'll have to start a new one."
His last miss came in Week 10 of last season against the Eagles, when he missed two field goals but then made two before game's end to begin the streak.
On Sunday, Crosby actually might have hit a better kick on the one that was blocked than the one he made.
"It came off a little low. I think I hit ground (with the right toe) just a little bit, but I hit it on the line it needed to be and it had the distance," he said. "It's nice when you don't feel like you hit your best ball but it still went in."
Milestone pass: When QB Aaron Rodgers hit Nelson with a 15-yard pass early in the second quarter to convert a third-and-8, the play became a milestone-getter for both players.
Rodgers went over 25,000 yards passing for his career, reaching that number in fewer pass attempts than any QB in league history. Kurt Warner had the mark, but Rodgers did it in 11 fewer attempts than Warner.
On that same play, Nelson also went over 5,000 career receiving yards, becoming the 11th player in team history to surpass that number.
First catches: Rookie TE Richard Rodgers did not have a catch through the season's first three games, but he quickly made his first two NFL grabs on the Packers' first two plays from scrimmage Sunday.
Rodgers caught a 9-yard pass on Green Bay's first play and then got behind the defense for a 43-yard reception on the very next snap. He had no defender anywhere near him.
"I don't know if they blew a coverage or what happened," Rodgers said. "I just saw Aaron scramble, so I turned toward the sideline – scramble drill. He threw it up and I made a play."
Injury update: The Packers reported no injuries after the game. Defensive lineman Josh Boyd left the game briefly with a knee injury but returned. ADDITIONAL COVERAGE - SEPT. 28
