GREEN BAY, Wis. - The buffet line is open again for the Green Bay Packers’ offense.
Coach Mike McCarthy has made a few adjustments to the playbook with franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers back for the first time in nearly two months after breaking his left collarbone. Rodgers is expected to start Sunday in Green Bay’s showdown in Chicago with the Bears for the NFC North title.
Keeping Rodgers untouched and upright is as paramount as ever. At the same time, the return of Rodgers figures to give the Bears’ defense a dilemma that hasn’t existed for Packers opponents in nearly two months. Do they focus on the passing game at the expense of giving 1,100-yard rusher Eddie Lacy more room to run, or try to stop the run and give Rodgers more room to operate?
“It’s a lot like going to the restaurant,” McCarthy said Friday about play-calling. “You have a menu. You decide what you want to use and what you probably shouldn’t use. Tweaks could also be made the next few days.
“You have to trust your plan, trust the process, and we definitely trust Aaron Rodgers.”
It’s hard not to after Rodgers helped lead Green Bay (7-7-1) to a 5-2 record before getting hurt Nov. 4 during the 27-20 loss to Chicago at Lambeau Field. The 2011 NFL MVP was a big reason why the team weathered the spate of early injuries.
The Packers were 2-5-1 without Rodgers, counting the loss to the Bears. McCarthy said Rodgers has looked good in his first couple days as a full practice participant this week since before the injury.
“We’re going to cut him loose, and we’re going to go play,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to play to win.”
Things could get even trickier for Chicago if the Packers activate play-making receiver Randall Cobb from the injured reserve/designated for return list. Cobb has been moving well during the brief spurts of practice open to media.
Sidelined since October, Cobb was given extra work Friday to determine how he would feel today, when the Packers could decide to activate him.
Green Bay knows it will already be without pass-rushing linebacker Clay Matthews, who had surgery this week after re-aggravating aright thumb injury. There is no timeline for his return, and it appears highly unlikely that Matthews would be available for a first-round playoff game the weekend of Jan. 4 should the Packers beat Chicago on Sunday to win the NFC North.
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers should otherwise have a full complement of linebackers with inside man Brad Jones (ankle) and outside rushers Nick Perry (foot) and Mike Neal (abdomen) all listed as probable for Sunday’s game.
Chicago gave them trouble the last time around, when the Packers also didn’t have Matthews. Matt Forte ran for 125 yards and a score, while physical receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery each had touchdown catches.
Marshall, 6-4, and Jeffery, 6-3, have distinct height advantages over cornerbacks Sam Shields and Tramon Williams, each of whom is listed at 5-11.
“I have 100 percent confidence in our ability to cover them,” cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said. “It just becomes harder if they’re allowed to push and pull and grab and we’re not allowed to stand our ground to stay with them.”
Aiding the Packers the past few weeks is an increase in takeaways that were too few and far between earlier in the year. Working against them is the absence again of Matthews, who has been OK this year when healthy but still had a team-high 7½ sacks.
One star down, another star back.
Rodgers doesn’t play defense, but he can provide an emotional boost to players on that side of the ball.
“It’ll be nice to see him back out there,” Capers said. “But I think our guys know, hey, we’ve got to go do our part”
Sports, Pages 23 on 12/28/2013