Green Bay Packers win NFC North after late touchdown

Published: Dec 29, 2013 at 12:06 PM

Gregg Rosenthal

Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host

The Green Bay Packers needed eight yards to keep their season alive. Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb made sure they got a whole lot more.

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In a play that will live on in Packers lore, Rodgers connected with Cobb on a 48-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds remaining to send the Packers to the playoffs with a 33-28 victory in Chicago over the Bears.

It was a fitting end to an NFC North season that included a lot of quarterback drama and very little defense. Here's what else we learned:

Rodgers looked like himself in his first game back from a broken collarbone. The Packers signal-caller was intercepted twice to start the game, but they came on mistakes by his wide receivers. Green Bay racked up 473 yards of offense and immediately looks like one of the better units in the league again. The Packers will host San Francisco Sunday in a rematch of last year's loss in the Divisional Dound. The Packers' offense will be difficult for the 49ers to handle.

Green Bay's Eddie Lacy looked far from 100 percent in the game, gaining just 66 rushing yards on 21 carries. James Starks picked up the slack with a big day, including a 41-yard gain. Packers coach Mike McCarthy went into the season wanting an improved running game, and it came through in a big way. Green Bay racked up 76 plays and 35:09 time of possession. They dominated the flow of the game.

The Packers faced three fourth downs on their game-winning drive. They picked up all three.

This was a brutal way to go out for Chicago's offensive stars. Running back Matt Forte racked up 157 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns. Quarterback Jay Cutler averaged 9.4 yards per passing attempt with a couple scores and a pick. They played well enough to win, but the defense was a sieve all season. The Bears now must decide whether Cutler is worthy of a franchise tag or long-term contract.

The reality: The Bears' defense is a bigger problem than their quarterback position.

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