The Sports Xchange
Considering how expediently effective Green Bay’s previously sputtering offense was Sunday, the guys on that side might need little time to recover this week.
That’s a good thing since the Packers have to jump right into playing again Thursday night, when they host the Minnesota Vikings.
“That’s how we want to play,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after Green Bay made quick work on the road of the Chicago Bears with a 38-17 victory.
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“At one point (late in the game), we had (run) 44 plays and (scored) 38 points,” Rodgers added. “That’s pretty efficient. We’d obviously like to play as fast as possible, but when you’re being very efficient with your yards per play and points per play, that’s how we want to play.”
One of the best passing performances in Rodgers’ seven-year starting career fueled the Packers’ runaway win. A week after it managed only 223 total yards in 51 plays in a 19-7 loss at the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, Green Bay (2-2) scored on its first six possessions Sunday, including five touchdowns, as it amassed 358 yards in just 47 plays.
The Packers ran 30 fewer plays than the Bears did, while having possession of the ball for all of 23 minutes, 38 seconds to Chicago’s 36:22.
“We produced, we scored points, we played our game,” head coach Mike McCarthy said of Green Bay’s no-huddle attack. “We were very basic in our approach. It starts up front with just the way we came in here. I thought the pass protection was very good.
“To come in and tilt that way (with the pass) was the mindset, and we just kept going. Pass protection, Aaron was excellent in throwing to the open guy, but I think just from a mindset standpoint we just wanted to come in and play fast.”
Rodgers completed 22-of-28 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns in a mistake-free game for Green Bay that also included no quarterback hits by a depleted Bears defense and no punts. Rodgers posted the second-highest passer rating of his career, a near-perfect 151.2, just seven days after he threw for only 162 yards against the Lions.
“He played a great game (Sunday), but we know how Aaron is,” Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “This is his offense, he runs it very well, and (Sunday) was a great example. When he’s in control, it’s fun to watch.”
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb consumed most of Rodgers’ attention for distributing the football against an undermanned Bears secondary. The top two wideouts were targeted a combined 21 times, and each had two touchdown catches.
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Nelson finished with 10 receptions for 108 yards, and Cobb had seven catches for 113 yards.
The Packers, who notched the 700th regular-season win in team history, hardly had time to blink when the offense was on the field. Their five touchdown drives consumed all of 2:22, 3:47, 2:47, 3:01 and 1:41 in play time.
“Obviously, he did extremely well,” Nelson said of Rodgers. “(He) ran our offense in full control, making checks, keeping the tempo up, made some great throws and does what he does - nothing that surprises us.”
