Observed and heard in the locker room after the Green Bay Packers' 55-14 win Sunday night over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field:

Peppers speaks up: Every game, coach Mike McCarthy gives one of the captains an opportunity to speak to the team before the game. On Sunday night, it was veteran outside linebacker Julius Peppers' turn. He was the defensive captain against his former team, and several players noted afterward that it made an impact. Tight end Andrew Quarless said Peppers spoke about what it was like to be on the other side of the Packers-Bears rivalry. "It was actually a pretty long speech he made," Packers cornerback Tramon Williams said. "And it was good. We went out there and did everything that he said. It was a really good speech. I wish y'all could have heard it personally."

A special sack: Peppers backed up his talk with a big play on the field. He sacked Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, forced a fumble and recovered it on the play late in the second quarter. After the play, he took a long look toward the Bears' sideline. Although he would not say what he was thinking about at the time, he chuckled when asked if it was satisfying to get a sack against the team that cut him after last season. "I wasn't thinking anything," said Peppers, who recorded his fifth sack of the season. "It was just a good play. It felt good to get a sack. It's been a couple of weeks since I got one, so it just felt good."

Tough guys: Neither Josh Sitton (toe) nor T.J. Lang (ankle) practiced much, if at all, this week, but the Packers' starting guards answered the call and provided a big lift to the offensive line. "It means a lot," said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was not sacked. "They put their bodies on the line every week for us and don't get a lot of credit. But the line played excellent tonight. I had a feeling that Josh was going to go, maybe Friday. But T.J. wasn't sure and didn't seem like he was going to go."

Losing their fight: The Bears came into the game as a team in turmoil, and it didn't get any better when they found themselves down 45-0. "You could tell that they kind of laid down a little bit," Packers receiver Randall Cobb said. "We felt like with all the reports coming out of there this past week, it being a desperate team and being put in this situation, we were able to make some plays."