In Week 1, the Green Bay Packers limited punt returner Tarik Cohen to 36 yards on four returns and didn’t give kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson a chance to return a kick during the Packers’ 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears.
By all accounts, it was a terrific opening performance from Shawn Mennenga’s rebuilt special teams.
Now, Mennenga is preparing for another battle with a returner duo he considers the best the Packers have faced during the 2019 season.
“Obviously, their resumes speak for themselves. Two Pro Bowl returners,” Mennenga said Thursday. “Coradarelle is one of the best of all-time as far as his average and having seven career touchdowns. He’s just a big guy that hits it, and Cohen has been a Pro Bowl returner and is dangerous every time he touches the ball. And Chris (Tabor) does a great job of getting those guys blocked up and free. It’s definitely the best duo of returners we’ve seen.”
Cohen, a Pro Bowler in 2018, is second in the NFL in punt return yards this season. He’s averaging 9.1 yards per punt return, the third-highest mark in the league, with a long return of 71 yards. He led the NFL in punt return yards last season.
Patterson, a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, leads the NFL in kick return yards by 70 yards in 2019. He’s one of six players with a kick return touchdown this season, giving him at least one kick return score in five of his seven seasons and seven return scores overall. His 30.2-yard average ranks second in the NFL.
Through 14 weeks, the Packers rank 23rd in the NFL in punt return average allowed (8.2 yards) and 26th in kick return average allowed (24.4), creating an opportunity for both Cohen and Patterson to affect the game in a positive way for the Bears Sunday.
The weather is another thing to consider this week. Temperatures could be well below freezing on Sunday at Lambeau Field, upping the difficulty for punter JK Scott and kicker Mason Crosby to keep the ball out of the hands of Cohen and Patterson.
The Packers will have to be effective in their directional kicking and even better getting down the field and covering the kicks, closing space on the returners and making sure tackles, especially if Cohen or Patterson gets into space.
The Packers kept the dangerous pair under wraps in Week 1. They need a repeat performance Sunday at Lambeau Field.