Rodgers spreads success as he breaks team mark

Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams (middle) celebrates a touchdown with fans Thursday during the second half of the Packers’ 26-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Adams fi nished with 13 catches for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams (middle) celebrates a touchdown with fans Thursday during the second half of the Packers’ 26-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Adams fi nished with 13 catches for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers set a record. The Chicago Bears lost another quarterback.

After a slow start in the red zone, the Green Bay Packers picked up the pace in the second half to overpower their offensively challenged NFC North rivals.

Rodgers threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, and Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery emerged as playmakers in the second half as the Packers beat the Bears 26-10 on Thursday night.

Rodgers was 39 of 56, setting a franchise mark for completions in a game. It was the Packers' first contest without injured running back Eddie Lacy.

"A lot of moving parts, a very satisfying victory at home," Coach Mike McCarthy said.

The Packers (4-2) moved effectively on short gains most of the night, but they couldn't break into the end zone until Adams caught the first of his two touchdown receptions with 9:11 left in the third quarter for a 13-10 lead.

Rodgers and Adams combined again for a 4-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 10-point lead.

The Bears (1-6) lost quarterback Brian Hoyer to a broken left arm in the second quarter. With Jay Cutler already out with a right thumb injury, Chicago turned to third-stringer Matt Barkley.

An offense that was already 31st in the league in scoring got worse. Barkley was 6 of 15 for 81 yards and 2 interceptions.

"Well, when you lose your starting quarterback it can be disruptive," Bears Coach John Fox said. "It's not an excuse, it's just a reality."

He tried to lean on the rush against the NFL's third-best run defense. That didn't work, either.

Ka'Deem Carey had 48 yards on 10 carries, including a 24-yarder. Receiver Alshon Jeffery was held to three catches for 33 yards against a Packers secondary without its top three cornerbacks because of injuries.

It got so bad for the Bears that Rodgers had more completions (37) than the Bears had offensive plays (36) by 5:31 of the fourth quarter.

That 37th completion for Rodgers was a 2-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb for a 16-point lead.

"It means we threw it a lot," Rodgers said about his completions record. "But a lot of times, records like these are achieved in losses when you're way behind."

Adams, Montgomery and Cobb each finished with at least 10 receptions.

Hoyer left early in the second quarter after getting hit by Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews on an incompletion on third and 6 from midfield. The right-handed Hoyer looked as if he landed on his left arm. He was attended to by trainers on the field for a couple of minutes before going to the locker room. Hoyer finished 4 of 11 for 49 yards.

Adams had 13 catches for a career-high 132 yards. He had just been cleared earlier Thursday from the NFL's concussion protocol after leaving the loss Sunday to Dallas.

Cobb finished with 11 catches for 95 yards.

Montgomery, who got the start in the backfield with running backs Lacy (ankle) and James Starks (knee) out, finished with 10 catches for 66 yards and 9 carries for 60 yards.

"You do what you have to do; you play the way you have to play," McCarthy said.

Sports on 10/21/2016

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