Rodgers 'proud' of Cobb playing through pain
Randall Cobb wasn’t missing the Green Bay Packers’ opener at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, even if his sprained right shoulder wasn’t healthy.
Cobb played through pain in the Packers’ 31-23 win against the Bears at Soldier Field. He caught a team-high five passes for 38 yards, including a five-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that cushioned the Packers’ lead to 24-16.
“I feel good,” Cobb said after the game. “I’m obviously sore, but for the most part I came out good.”
After exiting the Packers’ third preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter with a sprained shoulder, Cobb returned to practice last week. He was limited Sunday, but it didn’t prevent him from producing.
Same old Aaron Rodgers, same old Jay Cutler
"We talked about maybe a couple routes we didn't maybe feel great about,” Rodgers said, “but he's a great player. He pushed through an injury, and I'm really proud of him for doing that. He made a great route adjustment and catch for the touchdown. He had a couple of catch and runs as well that set us up for some shorter yardage and also for the fourth-and-1 conversion.
“I'm proud of him. He's a tough guy, he's a great player and a great teammate."
Cobb certainly didn’t have to play Sunday. It was just Week 1, with a long season ahead. There will be bigger challenges this season than the Bears’ shaky defense. One of their tougher tests could come next week in the Packers’ home opener against the reigning-NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
But Cobb wanted to help the Packers start their season successfully. He did that. For the first time since 2011, and just the second time in his career, the Packers are 1-0.
“You always want to start fast in the season,” Cobb said, “and to start the season off with a win, that’s huge for us. Being a divisional game, it adds a little bit more because we always want to take and stay on top of our division. So it was a great start for us tonight.”
— rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood