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Sunday, Dec. 5 1:00pm ET
Rookie helps Packers blow away Bears | |||||||||||||||||||||
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BOX SCORE
CHICAGO (AP) -- As the wind howled and a cold rain swept across Soldier Field, Green Bay rookie De'Mond Parker told himself to just deal with the conditions. His chance to play had finally arrived. "I didn't have butterflies. I was just cold," Parker said. "I felt really good all game. When the fourth quarter came, my only was focus was 'Just stay warm, just stay warm.'"
That's when he ran for a pair of touchdowns as the Packers handled the weather and beat the Chicago Bears 35-19 for their third straight victory. "The conditions were as tough as they get," Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said. "We handled it as well as I think we could. When we had the wind, we looked good. When we didn't have the wind, we were OK." The wind gusted at 30 mph from the north end, making kicking and passing an adventure all day, and it even snowed for a short while in the fourth quarter. The elements -- fitting for the two long-time rivals whose cities are famous for foul weather -- were especially taxing to the kickers, namely Bears punter Todd Sauerbrun. Late in the second quarter, Sauerbrun dropped the ball as he was trying to kick it, and Packers defensive end Keith McKenzie scooped it up and ran 45 yards for the touchdown with 1:09 left in the first half, giving the Packers a 21-10 lead. "Just catching the ball in our hands was a challenge," Sauerbrun said. "The ball took off on me. I never had control of it. It hit in my hands, bounced and I couldn't control it. Then I went to scoop it off the ground, that was it." The Packers (7-5) made the most of the wind at their backs in the final quarter as Favre led an 88-yard drive after the Bears closed to 21-19. Two plays after he was sacked, Favre found Antonio Freeman for a 33-yard gain to the Green Bay 23. And then Parker, who along with Basil Mitchell filled in for Levens, carried twice -- for 11 and then 12 more for the touchdown with 9:02 left. Six minutes later, he added a 21-yard touchdown run. Parker's touchdowns were the first of his career. He'd gained just 71 yards entering Sunday's game. "De'Mond is a good player but he's playing behind Dorsey Levens," Favre said. "In these conditions, we wanted to run the football, especially toward the end of the game." Parker, a fifth-round pick, gained 113 yards on 19 carries, while Favre was 17-of-24 for 155 yards to become just the second quarterback to surpass 3,000 yards passing in eight straight seasons. Dan Marino once did it nine straight.
Shane Matthews, back in as starter after Jim Miller's suspension for violating the NFL drug policy, hooked up with Bobby Engram on a 56-yard pass to the Green Bay 10, with Packers linebacker Jude Waddy making a touchdown-saving tackle and forcing the Bears to settle for Chris Boniol's 23-yard field goal. A slippery football helped the Bears (5-8) get close in the third quarter. Green Bay's Antuan Edwards tried to field a bouncing ball after a long line-drive kick by Sauerbrun and couldn't get control it as he was hit by Jerry Azumah. Frankie Smith recovered for the Bears at the 18, leading to Curtis Enis' 1-yard scoring run that made it 21-19. The Bears went for two, but Matthews' pass sailed over Engram's head. Barry Minter intercepted Favre and went 34 yards for the touchdown as the Bears went ahead 7-0 in the first. And the Bears threatened to take a two-touchdown lead, driving to the Green Bay 4 before Matthews fumbled a snap on third down and Boniol had to kick a 24-yarder. With the wind at his back in the second quarter, Favre completed a 6-yard TD pass to Bill Schroeder for one touchdown. William Henderson's 2-yard run with 3:43 left gave Green Bay its first lead at 14-10. It followed a pass interference call against Chicago's Terry Cousin in the end zone.
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