Jordy Nelson: Thousandaire Extraordinaire
By Eric Goska
By Eric Goska
Don Hutson: The Original Packers-Bears Thousandaire
Jordy Nelson has been collecting receiving yards against the
Bears for years.
Thursday at Lambeau Field, the Packers wide receiver was
productive enough to move into an exclusive club, one that has yet to admit a
member from Chicago .
Nelson amassed the most receiving yards of any player Thursday
night as Green Bay
upended the Chicago Bears 35-14 at Lambeau Field before 78,362 fans. He had the
evening’s longest reception as well.
Just as a shopper can be rewarded with cash back or rewards
for purchases, Nelson has earned enough yardage to gain entry into a select
group. The 32-year-old is the latest to attain 1,000 yards receiving in the
Packers-Bears rivalry.
Playing in his 125th regular-season game, Nelson
caught four passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. All four catches brought
first downs.
With 75 yards, Nelson boosted his career total to 1,040
regular-season receiving yards against the Bears. That haul includes 65
receptions and eight touchdowns.
Nelson was quiet in the early going Thursday. He was
targeted just once in the first quarter and a half, and he dropped that throw
after getting smacked hard by safety Eddie Jackson near the sideline.
Given a second chance, Nelson didn’t disappoint. The receiver
turned a 44-yard throw into a 58-yard gain after cornerbacks Marcus Cooper and
Kyle Fuller knocked each other to the ground near the Chicago 15-yard line. Safety Adrian Amos
tackled Nelson at the 2, but Packers rookie Aaron Jones barreled into the end
zone on the next play and Green Bay
went up 21-0.
Nelson gained only 17 yards on his final three catches, but
all advanced the Packers’ cause. His 5-yard, fourth-down reception kept alive a
13-play drive that he capped with a 4-yard TD reception to put the Pack up
28-7. His 8-yard grab on third down to open the fourth quarter propelled Green Bay to its biggest
lead at 35-7.
Seventy-five years have passed since Don Hutson started the
1,000-yard Packers-Bears receiving club. The incomparable end surpassed 1,000
yards in 1942, and he remains the leader with 1,465 yards.
In addition to Hutson and Nelson, three others are in the
group: Sterling Sharpe (1,134), James Lofton (1,127) and Donald Driver (1,082).
There’s not a Bear among them. The closest, according to Pro
Football Reference, is Curtis Conway at 687 yards.
Since 2008, Nelson’s rookie year, only Calvin Johnson of the
Lions has been a more productive receiver against the Bears. Johnson caught 94 passes
for 1,436 yards and 11 TDs from 2008 until he retired after the 2015 season.
The Bears are the first team that Nelson has clipped for
1,000 yards. Up next are the Vikings (863) and Lions (724).
Extra point
Nelson’s most productive season against the Bears was 2014
when he caught 16 passes for 260 yards and four TDs. Nelson has surpassed 100
yards receiving five times against Chicago.
Thousandaires
Packers who caught 1,000 or more yards worth of passes in
the Green Bay-Chicago regular-season series.
Yards Player Years
1,465 Don Hutson 1935-1945
1,134 Sterling Sharpe 1988-1994
1,127 James Lofton 1978-1986
1,082 Donald Driver 1999-2011
1,040 Jordy Nelson 2008-2017
....outstanding story Eric.....not even Harlon Hill could gain 1,000 against the Pack.
ReplyDeleteWow! Nice story. Just think what a great receiver Don Hutson was in a time where offenses mainly ran the ball. My dad use to talk about how great Don Hutson was against the Bears at Old City Stadium (Green Bay East High School Stadium now).
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