GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers receiver Allen Lazard isn’t surprised that quarterback Aaron Rodgers might play against the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
‘‘I think he still has to renew his ownership title,’’ Lazard said. ‘‘You gotta do that twice a year.’’
The Packers’ 24-14 victory last season at Soldier Field isn’t a particularly memorable one for Rodgers among his 29 starts against the Bears — ‘‘I mean, it’s not even in the top five,’’ he said — but that game will live forever in rivalry lore as the ‘‘I own you’’ game.
With the Packers leading 17-14, Rodgers all but sealed the victory with a six-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter and — seeing a Bears fan in the front row ‘‘giving me the double-bird’’ — punctuated the moment with a painful taunt.
‘‘I own you. All my [bleeping] life, I own you,’’ said Rodgers, who was 22-5 against the Bears at the time (now 24-5). ‘‘I still own you.’’
Rodgers will return to Soldier Field for the first time since that moment Sunday. He knows he’ll hear it from Bears fans, and that’s fine with him. He understands where they’re coming from.
‘‘I’ve been hearing it from fans for 15 years down there, so I don’t expect anything to be different,’’ Rodgers said. ‘‘I have a lot of respect for the city of Chicago and the sports fans.
‘‘WGN was one of the few channels we had on our TV, so I grew up watching Cubs games and Bulls games. So I’ve been a fan of Chicago sports for a while and have a lot of respect for the city and the excellence that the team and the region has. But I always enjoy playing against the Bears.’’
