LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Aaron Rodgers and the powerful Packers' offense were at the top of their game, producing four touchdowns on their five meaningful first-half drives, with 276 yards and 16 first downs in the opening 30 minutes.

In addition, Green Bay unveiled a breathtaking new offensive weapon. Rookie receiver-return man Randall Cobb caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and then followed through with an NFL-record-tying, 108-yard kickoff return that fully announced his playmaking skills.

The Packers defense certainly gave up its share of ground, but stiffened and made the plays that counted in a game Green Bay never trailed. Few were bigger than the pair of stops the Packers turned in with New Orleans facing a third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Green Bay 7, with the Saints trailing 35-27 and less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The game ended on a high note for Green Bay, with linebacker Clay Matthews and safety Morgan Burnett combining to push Saints running back Mark Ingram from the 1-yard line with no time remaining, preserving the Packers' victory.

If the game was a referendum on the lockout workout issue, you can't say the Packers suffered for their lack of activity. And, who knows, maybe the Saints played far better against Green Bay than they would have without the well-attended workouts.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was clearly miffed by the offseason workouts issue. He brought it up three times in a postgame news conference.

"It was a good start for us," Rodgers said of his team's 42-point showing. "I've just got to ask myself, 'What would have happened if we had offseason workouts? Could we have started any faster and scored more points tonight?'"

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