Randall Cobb hopes to play Sunday vs. Colts

GREEN BAY - Randall Cobb played through injury most of last season. He hadn’t missed a game since returning from a broken leg in 2013.

It takes a lot for the Green Bay Packers' slot receiver to stay on the sideline.

Which should provide some indication of the severity of Cobb’s hamstring injury that forced him to miss Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Cobb’s absence snapped a 45-game streak of games played.

“It was very hard (to miss the game),” Cobb said. “Obviously, I wanted to be out there. I never want to miss games. I want to be out there every week when I can, but you have to have people around you that protect you from yourself sometimes. That’s what the training staff and coaches did last week.”

Cobb was limited in practice Wednesday, just like last week. He said he was able to do more in practice, which Cobb hopes is a sign he can play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Cobb has plenty of incentive to play against the Colts, the NFL’s 31st-ranked pass defense.

“You definitely see some openings in their zone,” Cobb said. “You see guys running away from man coverage. There's plays out there to be made, but this is still a professional game. We're going up against pros. You never can take anything for granted."

Cobb knows he also can’t take his availability for granted.

Hamstring injuries can be tricky to heal. There’s no sense in risking reinjury, no matter how much he wants to play.

“You've got to look at the big picture,” Cobb said. “Nine games in a row coming up. We don't really have a bye, we don't have much time (off). It's going to go straight into the playoffs. We have to make sure that we're looking big picture.”

rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood