Landover, Md. — Out beyond the hashes, just a few yards from a sideline that erupted in joy minutes prior, the celebration of a playoff victory ensnared a pair of unlikely heroes. There, bathed in the white lights of television crews, stood Randall Cobb and James Jones, two receivers for the Green Bay Packers, dutifully conducting on-field interviews.
Maligned for a lack of production in the absence of Jordy Nelson, Cobb and Jones had spent the evening scribbling over a worn-out plot.
Shackled for weeks by suffocating man coverage, the wideouts unexpectedly broke free. Devoid of fluidity with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, they suddenly connected with relative ease.