By midway through the third quarter, about the only drama remaining at Lambeau Field was the postgame medical report on Randall Cobb.
The Green Bay Packers’ do-it-all star, who broke Ahman Green’s franchise record for single-season total yards with his first touch of the game, injured his right ankle on a punt return and walked with the training staff to the locker room. The Packers led 27-0 at that point on their way to a 55-7 thumping of the Tennessee Titans. They’ve won four in a row and nine of their last 10.
With that, the Packers improved to 11-4 and would be keen observers at their homes tonight as the San Francisco 49ers visit the Seahawks. With a San Francisco loss, the Packers would be in second place in the NFC and a win at Minnesota next week from a first-round playoff bye.
Aaron Rodgers’ day ended after putting the Packers in front 41-0 on the second play of the fourth quarter. He finished 27-of-38 for a season-high-matching 342 yards, with three touchdown passes and one touchdown run. Ryan Grant added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns runs.
It was Green Bay’s first 50-point game since a 52-3 win over New Orleans on Oct. 9, 2005, and its most points since a 55-14 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 2, 1983.
On defense, the Packers had two interceptions and seven sacks. When the Titans took possession with about 3 minutes left, they had zero points, eight punts and seven first downs.
By the time the Titans (5-11) got their initial first down, the Packers led 14-0, and the rout was on from there.
The Packers had excellent field position throughout the first half en route to a 20-0 advantage. Starting at its 44-yard line, Grant had runs of 18 and 9 yards to set up Rodgers’ 6-yard touchdown run. On their next possession, the Packers took over at the Titans’ 44. On the third play of the possession, Rodgers rolled to his right and threw a 20-yard strike to Randall Cobb for the touchdown. Late in the first quarter, Erik Walden intercepted a deflected pass and returned it to the Titans’ 14. That set up a short field goal on the second play of the second quarter to extend the count to 17-0. The crowd roared its approval as Mason Crosby, who entered the game a league-worst 17-for-29, split the uprights from 26 yards. Later, he’d drill the right upright from 48 yards, with the ball deflecting through to extend the lead to 20-0.
Tennessee’s offense, meanwhile, was miserable. The Titans had 96 yards, four first downs and two turnovers in the first half. Chris Johnson, who missed a couple series after being tackled in the backfield by Clay Matthews, had 17 yards on eight first-half carries.
Green Bay buried the Titans to start the second half. A 31-yard completion to Cobb set up DuJuan Harris’ 7-yard touchdown run, and Grant’s 34-yard catch-and-run to the 1-yard line preceded Rodgers’ touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Rodgers hit James Jones for his league-leading 13th touchdown reception to make it 41-0. A 58-yard punt return by Jeremy Ross set up the first of Grant’s fourth-quarter scores.
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Bill Huber is publisher of Packer Report magazine and PackerReport.com and has written for Packer Report since 1997. E-mail him at packwriter2002@yahoo.com, or leave him a question in Packer Report’s subscribers-only Packers Pro Club forum. Find Bill on Twitter at twitter.com/PackerReport.