Randall Cobb's return from core muscle surgery has arrived with ideal timing for the Green Bay Packers, and the veteran wide receiver is looking to match that timing with ideal results.
Rested from a bye, the club plays host to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET, FOX) and Cobb's return gives Green Bay a postseason-proven performer who's made 10 career playoff starts (47 catches, five touchdowns).
"I know that Super Bowl is the pinnacle of what we chase, what we're after," Cobb said, per the Packers' official web site. "Just looking at the journey, it would mean everything. Just being able to come back, it would definitely be a storybook ending for this year."
Cobb's reference to coming back, of course, carries a double meaning. He's back from a core muscle injury that's kept him sidelined since Week 12, when he posted a season-high 95 receiving yards against the Los Angeles Rams. He's also back with the Packers after star quarterback Aaron Rodgers pushed the team's front office to acquire him last July. Green Bay sent a 2022 sixth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans for Cobb, who was for years a favorite target of Rodgers during his eight-year stretch with the team from 2011-2018.
The team designated Cobb for return from injured reserve on Thursday, and Cobb has been known to bounce back from injuries with no signs of rust. In 2016, he missed the end of the regular season with an ankle injury only to return to make three touchdown grabs in a wild-card round win over the New York Giants. That was Cobb's last run through the playoffs, and five years later, he's back for what could be his final shot at a Super Bowl ring at age 31.
"Unfortunately I've dealt with injuries throughout my career, but every time I come back from one something great happens," Cobb said. "So hopefully we keep that streak going."
The 49ers might be just the opponent to do so. Cornerback has been a sore spot for San Francisco this season; no 49ers CB with a qualified number of snaps ranks in the league's top 25 at the position, per Pro Football Focus. Between that, Cobb's postseason experience, and Rodgers' longtime chemistry with the player he lobbied for last summer, the storybook finish Cobb is looking for just might get off to a big start on Saturday night.
