Cobb: 'A very important stretch for us'
Gannett Wisconsin Media’s Brett Christopherson caught up with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb, who looked ahead to Sunday’s Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Your next four games are against NFC North opponents. Is it an overstatement to call this the most important stretch of the season?
RC: I wouldn’t disagree with that. It definitely is a very important stretch for us. Like you said, four division games in (19) days – definitely a tough task. But I think we’re ready for it, and it definitely is a very important streak for us. But we have to take it one game at a time. We can’t look ahead. It’s all about Detroit this week and preparing for them and getting ready to take them on.
What challenges do you see offensively as you prepare to face the Lions?
RC: Well, division games are always tough because you know your opponent and they know you. There’s nothing that’s going to catch them off guard, usually. It’s just going out there and pretty much beating them whenever they know what you’re going to run.
What’s job No. 1 for the offense as it looks to have a big day against a Detroit defense that ranks 26th in the league?
RC: Just to get a fast start. Create the tempo early in the game and continue to move the ball. Put points on the board. Be able to give our defense time to rest. When you’re going three-and-out, you’re putting your defense back on the field, and they’re still winded. So being able to keep drives alive and put points on the board when we get in the red zone – that’s going to be huge for us.
The Lions are 1-7, winless in four tries on the road and appear to be in disarray after they recently fired their president and general manager. It would seem they have very little to play for. Does that make them an even more dangerous matchup?
RC: Those things are really scary because you’re still facing professional athletes. They’re still guys that are getting paid to do what they do. And they have self-pride. They have pride as a team. And they want to go out and play well. So, they’re looking for that team that they can be able to (beat) and get back on track for themselves. Yeah, they’re having a down year, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to come out and give us their best punch.
It has been nearly a month since you last played a game at Lambeau Field, a place where you’re 4-0 this season and have won 13 straight, including the playoffs, dating back to last season. Home field advantage means different things to different teams. What does it mean to the Packers?
RC: Home field advantage is huge. We’ve been really good in the past, but we have to handle our business. We can’t worry about streaks or how well we’ve played at home because, honestly, the past couple of weeks, we haven’t played well at all. So we have to make sure we continue to work in practice this week and prepare for Detroit.
Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or brett.christopherson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC