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It took longer than expected. Preliminary decisions were questioned. Debates extended into the wee hours. We went through a first draft, then a second and even a third. Countless observers were consulted. It wasn't until I had a full week to mull the 2011 All-NFC North team that I was prepared to make the big reveal.

Via Twitter, @jpberthiaume asked: "Do people really care about these 'teams?'" I guess it's a fair point. I doubt few, if any, of the players listed in the chart wrote a fifth-grade essay about their plans to one day make the All-NFC North team on ESPN.com, even if it was only because the NFC North hadn't yet been formed in those days and ESPN.com was operating out of a Bristol-based closet.

So I'll let you be the judge. This is annually a fun exercise, even if it doesn't lead to a deep understanding of the human condition or even reveal any breakthroughs about the just-completed season. If nothing else, it offers us a blank template to recognize the best-performing players in the division without the hindrance of the politics and reputation.

Some notes on some of the tight decisions, for which I seriously received input from multiple angles:

• One of the fiercest debates came at wide receiver. Everyone agreed that the Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson deserved one spot, but there was a split about the other two. Did the Green Bay Packers' Greg Jennings, who missed three games because of a knee injury, deserve an automatic bid? And if he did, should the Packers' Jordy Nelson or the Minnesota Vikings' Percy Harvin get the third spot? I thought Jennings' 67 receptions, 949 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games merited a spot. And ultimately I chose Nelson over Harvin. I realize Harvin caught 87 passes in a punchless offense and added 345 rushing yards to his total, but in the end I couldn't overlook a player who scored more touchdowns (15) than all but four players in the NFL this season. Plus, as Hatterbot pointed out: "Rushing yards don't count in the WR category."

2011 All-NFC North Team

Pos.	Player, Team
OFFENSE
WR	Calvin Johnson (DET)
WR	Greg Jennings (GB)
WR	Jordy Nelson (GB)
LT	Jeff Backus (DET)
LG	Rob Sims (DET)
C	Scott Wells (GB)
RG	Josh Sitton (GB)
RT	Bryan Bulaga (GB)
TE	Jermichael Finley (GB)
QB	Aaron Rodgers (GB)
RB	Matt Forte (CHI)
DEFENSE
DE	Jared Allen (MIN)
DT	Kevin Williams (MIN)
DT	Ndamukong Suh (DET)
DE	Julius Peppers (CHI)
OLB	Clay Matthews (GB)
MLB	Brian Urlacher (CHI)
OLB	Lance Briggs (CHI)
CB	Charles Tillman (CHI)
CB	Charles Woodson (GB)
S-NB	Tramon Williams (GB)
S	Louis Delmas (DET)
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK	Mason Crosby (GB)
P	Tim Mastay (GB)
PR	Devin Hester (CHI)
KR	Percy Harvin (MIN)
ST	Corey Graham (CHI)

• I went with the Lions' Rob Sims at left guard in part on the advice of John McTigue of ESPN Stats & Information, who noted that Sims was the only NFC North left guard to play the position for 16 games this season. Sims also had the best pass-sack ratio (19.7 passes per sack) of the group, based on video study.
• There is no doubt that the Lions' Brandon Pettigrew (83 catches) had a more productive season then the Packers' Jermichael Finley (55). But the Lions often used Pettigrew as a substitute for their punchless running game, and that's why his per-catch average of 9.4 yards was lower than any other tight end with at least 30 catches. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the average pass to Pettigrew this season traveled 6.5 yards in the air. The average pass to Finley traveled 11.4 yards. Finley caught five passes of at least 30 yards. Pettigrew's longest was 27. Both players had their share of drops, combining for a total of 15, but I thought Finley made a bigger impact on his catches than Pettigrew did.
• I really debated the Bears' Julius Peppers and the Lions' Cliff Avril at defensive end. Avril (11.5) had a half-sack more than Peppers (11) and forced twice as many fumbles. But one of the advantages we have on this team is investigating beyond the conventional numbers. Our friends at Pro Football Focus (PFF) credited Peppers with 53 quarterback pressures, the second-highest total in the NFL. Avril ranked No. 8 with 37, but in a close race, I chose the maximum mumber of plays impacted over Avril's slight edge in "playmaking" statistics.
• I used a similar approach in choosing the Vikings' Kevin Williams and the Lions' Ndamukong Suh as my defensive tackles. It's true that the Bears' Henry Melton led the NFC North's defensive tackles with seven pressures, but PFF had Suh with 27 quarterback pressures, an NFL high for an interior lineman. Williams tied for No. 3 with 25. Melton wasn't that far behind at 23, but I also took into account that the Bears nearly benched him for inconsistency at one point in the season. (Coach Lovie Smith in November: "He hasn't showed up as much. Whether teams have adjusted to him or whatever, we need to get more production from him because he's capable of it." Meanwhile, I thought Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji took a step backward in 2011. PFF credited him with only 10 stops (the cumulative number of plays made that constitute an offensive failure) in 842 snaps.
• If you want to say I chickened out at linebacker, go ahead. I originally left open the middle and one of the outside spots, but in the end I went with our division standbys: Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. For starters, Briggs was one of six non-offensive linemen to play 100 percent of his team's snaps in the NFL this season. There's something to be said for being available to your team. And while I do think that the Packers' Desmond Bishop and the Lions' Stephen Tulloch had good seasons, I couldn't find a statistic or an opinion that convinced me they were better than Urlacher. Someday, there will be turnover among NFC North linebackers. But it didn't happen this season.
• Safety play was poor throughout the NFC North, so I'm not at all ashamed to have chosen a third cornerback to replace one of the safeties on this team. It came down to the Lions' Chris Houston and the Packers' Tramon Williams. Both had their ups and downs in coverage. Houston had five interceptions and two touchdowns in 14 games, while Williams had four interceptions and one touchdown in 15 games. In the end, I chose Williams because I think it was pretty clear he was pushing through a really limiting shoulder injury for much of the first half of the season.
• I chose the Packers' specialists, kicker Mason Crosby and punter Tim Masthay. Crosby converted 24 of 28 kicks, including a 58-yarder, and ranked third in the NFL with 49 touchbacks. Masthay downed a division-high 23 punts inside the 20-yard line despite a division-low 55 punts.
• I mistakenly left off a coverage specialist from our original post. There should be no debating that the Bears' Corey Graham deserves that spot.
• Go ahead. Rip away....

Coming later this week: Some supplementary NFC North awards, including our top coordinators.

No, I didn't forget. The Pro Bowl will be played Sunday night, starting at 7 p.m. ET, in Honolulu. I can't say I plan to watch every down, but I know there are many who will.

By my count, 12 players from the NFC North will participate. Below is the full list of players from our division who were named, either originally or as injury/Super Bowl replacements, over the past few weeks.

Chicago Bears

• LB Lance Briggs+
• RB Matt Forte
• ST Corey Graham
• DE Julius Peppers
• CB Charles Tillman
• LB Brian Urlacher+

Detroit Lions

• WR Calvin Johnson+

Green Bay Packers

• WR Greg Jennings
• FB John Kuhn+
• LB Clay Matthews*
• NT B.J. Raji
• QB Aaron Rodgers*
• C Scott Wells
• CB Charles Woodson*

Minnesota Vikings

• DE Jared Allen*
• LB Chad Greenway#

(Footnotes: *Starter; +Won't play; #Alternate/replacement)

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The first inkling came on the Green Bay Packers' seventh offensive play Sunday. On third down from the New York Giants' 29-yard line, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did what he often does when a play breaks down. So did receiver Greg Jennings.

Rodgers stepped up in the pocket to escape Jacquian Williams, the Giants' blitzing linebacker. Jennings, in turn, took off toward the end zone. The Giants' secondary lost track of him. Jennings turned to look for the ball over his left shoulder. Rodgers threw it over his right. The ball fell incomplete at the 4-yard line, and the Packers settled for a field goal.

At that moment, I turned to someone in the press box and remarked how rarely we have seen the Packers miss easy touchdown opportunities during this historic season.

The Packers' season ended Sunday with an offensive thud, a 37-20 loss to the New York Giants that was wholly out of character and inexplicable on most every level. And I'm sure as you review how the Packers reached such an unsatisfying conclusion, some will recite a well-rehearsed litany of their season-long defensive problems. A few of you will wonder why Lambeau Field is no longer the greatest home-field advantage in NFL postseason history; the Packers are 2-4 in their past six playoff games there after winning 13 consecutively from 1939-2001.

But here, as they say, is the stone-cold truth: One of the most explosive and efficient offenses in NFL history -- the one that almost single-handedly was responsible for a 15-1 regular-season record -- stumbled at the starting line and never regained its footing. Credit goes to the Giants' defense for scheming to take away the deep pass, but independent of that, I think we can agree it's been a while since we've seen the Packers' offense play so poorly. ESPN Stats & Information had it with six drops, tied for the most by any NFL team in a game this season. The Packers committed a season-high four turnovers, including a fumble by Rodgers as he was trying to hit a wide-open Jennings in the third quarter. They had only two plays go for more than 20 yards, a 29-yard run by running back James Starks and a 21-yard pass to receiver Randall Cobb once the game was out of hand.

"This year," receiver Jordy Nelson said, "we've made the easy plays into big plays. And we didn't make the easy plays today. That's what hurts you. Every once in a while, you'll get a big shot, but if you can't make the easy plays, you aren't going to make any plays."

I couldn't have put it better if I tried. Why that happened, however, will be a mental mystery that will haunt the Packers all offseason.

How can you explain how a team that dropped 30 passes in 16 regular season games dropped six in one playoff game? What causes a team to commit four turnovers in one game when it had only 14 in the regular season? What made fullback John Kuhn fumble for the first time in his career? Why didn't Rodgers slide away from Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, as he usually does, on his third-quarter miscue?

"I ain't God, so I can't tell you why we were out of synch," tight end Jermichael Finley said. "We just didn't play our style of ball."

It would be easy to say the Packers were rusty after a playoff bye week. And I guess we should note that Rodgers hadn't played since Dec. 25 and Jennings since Dec. 11. Is it that simple? Were the Packers rusty? Perhaps, but at some point, you must wonder if we were holding them to an impossible standard.

What Sunday's mistakes told me was how much the Packers grew to depend on elite -- and not just great -- play from their offense on a weekly basis. The Packers were an elite team as long as their offense scored at a rate that left them with the second-highest point total in NFL history. But as soon as a few mistakes piled up, they got wiped out of the playoffs by a team that won its division with a 9-7 record.

"I felt like we had a pretty good rhythm," Rodgers said. "We moved the ball pretty effectively. We just had some drops and some uncharacteristic turnovers. … We just had some chances and didn't make the most of them."

None was more critical than Rodgers' misfire to Finley on third-and-five from the Giants' 39-yard line in the third quarter. With the Packers trailing 20-13, Finley ran a slant route and was wide open for a first down at about the 25-yard line. Rodgers threw him a fastball that sailed wide and off Finley's fingertips. Rodgers was sacked on fourth down, and the Packers never had an opportunity to tie the game again.

"I missed my spot a little bit," Rodgers said. Finley added: "It was out in front of me. I put one hand out. I tried to get it. I have to catch that ball …. It was one of those plays I couldn't make."

Those are the types of plays we grew accustomed to the Packers making this season, be it a sharp throw-and-catch on third-and-5 or an ad lib that leads to Jennings getting wide open in the end zone. To be sure, the Giants ran an aggressive scheme designed to take away their deep pass with "off" coverage but also flood intermediate routes with maximum coverage. Only eight of Rodgers' 46 attempts traveled 15 yards in the air, and he completed only two of them.

But regardless of the situation this season, the Packers have relied on their offense to bail them out. Even as they jogged off the field trailing 20-10 at halftime, there was no sense of panic.

"We thought going in with the way we'd be scoring on offense, the game wasn't that far away from us," said nose tackle B.J. Raji.

For the first time all season, however, the Packers offense dropped the ball -- and the Packers weren't a team equipped to compensate for it. We all know what happened. The Packers will spend the next six months figuring out the how and the why. But in the end, all they'll have to show for one of the greatest regular seasons in team history is one of their most surprising conclusions. Not everyone thought the Packers would repeat as Super Bowl champions, but I'm not sure many thought their offense would bring them down.

The question has been asked before. Is Aaron Rodgers the next Peyton Manning? As it turns out, Rodgers isn't just making a run at Manning's place in NFL history. He also wants a piece of Manning's commercial success.

A third version of Rodgers' "Discount Double Check" commercials will appear this weekend. Formally known as "State of Imitation," the ads feature Rodgers as the straight man, first against actors and then Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji. The latest version, embedded below, includes linebacker Clay Matthews.

Speaking this week on his ESPN 540 radio show, Rodgers said hosting "Saturday Night Live" -- which Manning did in 2007 -- is a possibility as well.

"I like to be selective," Rodgers said. "My time is important to me. These are fun to do but it is like a work day. You're going over lines, you're changing outfits, you're rehearsing. It's not like you’re just kind of hanging out. You want it to be good. I want it to be good. I want it to come out funny and to make sure that I'm representing myself well and the company I'm working with. So I want it to be really good.

"That being said, being compared to Peyton, that's a high compliment because I think he’s hilarious and I think his ads have been incredible. 'Saturday Night Live,' which has shown some interest in me doing it, his performance was incredible I thought on 'Saturday Night Live.' Tough to match."

Related: "State of Imitation 1" and "State of Imitation 2."

We're not in the business of selling insurance or any other product here on the NFC North blog, but I think we can all agree that the "Discount Double Check" commercial anchored by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has taken on a life of its own. So I feel obligated to bring you a new edition of the commercial, which adds guest star B.J. Raji to the mix. Check it out:



Note: Here is the original "Discount Double Check" commercial, officially known as "State of Imitation."

We're Black and Blue All Over:

I've finally finished a roundabout return to NFC North headquarters and appreciate you sticking with us during a lighter-than-usual Tuesday. Although none were surprises, some pretty significant names in the division have been placed on injured reserve in the past few days.

The list begins with Minnesota Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson (knee). He was replaced by practice squad running back Caleb King.

Tuesday, the Chicago Bears shelved quarterback Jay Cutler (thumb) and running back Matt Forte (knee). Cutler was scheduled to have the pins removed from his thumb this week but obviously wasn't going to be ready to play Sunday against the Vikings. He will end up missing the Bears' final six games, while Forte will have sat out their final four.

The Vikings, meanwhile, also placed guard Steve Hutchinson on injured reserve for the second consecutive season. He missed last week's game against Washington because of a concussion and was replaced on the roster by running back Jordan Todman, who was on the San Diego Chargers' practice squad and was signed with an eye toward training camp in 2012.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Tribune doesn't understand why the Bears won't play some of their younger, untested players in Sunday's season finale.
• Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times traces the Bears' downfall.
• The Detroit Lions could be dangerous in the playoffs, writes Eric Lacy of the Detroit News.
• The Lions signed running back Joique Bell off the New Orleans Saints' practice squad and released running back Aaron Brown. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has more.
• Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com lists Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and defensive end Cliff Avril as Pro Bowl snubs.
• The Green Bay Packers are offering an additional 30,000 shares of stock after selling almost all of their initial offering of 250,000 shares, the team announced.
• Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji made the Pro Bowl in part because voters weren't inclined to consider Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com reviews the Packers' Pro Bowl delegation.
• Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press offers some advice for the Vikings' quarterback situation.
• Defensive end Jared Allen was the Vikings' lone Pro Bowl selection, notes Dan Wiederer of the Star Tribune.

» NFC Pro Bowl: East | West | North | South » AFC Pro Bowl: East | West | North | South

Perfect sense: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the presumptive league MVP. He was pretty much a lock to be named the NFC's starter. Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson is tied for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions (15). He wasn't going to get snubbed. Neither was Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, who leads the league with 18.5 sacks, nor Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, who is tied for the league lead with seven interceptions. It was nice to see the league recognize some deserving NFC North players who had the potential to slip through the voting cracks. Bears tailback Matt Forte was leading the NFL in all-purpose yards when a knee injury sidelined him in Week 13. He obviously won't play but still deserved the honor. Bears cornerback Charles Tillman has had an outstanding season, as we have discussed, especially when matched up against Johnson. Tillman has only two interceptions, but I was glad to see voters didn't overlook him. Packers center Scott Wells is anonymous on a league level, but the Packers feel he has had his best season. And although Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has only six sacks, voters correctly recognized the all-around impact he's made this season. Finally, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh didn't make the team but was named an alternate. That was the right decision. Independent of the headlines he has made this season, Suh hasn't made a Pro Bowl-level impact.

Made it on rep: The Bears' defense slipped this season, especially in the past month, but ultimately that didn't affect the candidacies of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher or weak-side linebacker Lance Briggs. In the end, Briggs has been named to every Pro Bowl since 2005 and Urlacher has made two consecutive Pro Bowl teams after several years of injury-related absences. I would say both players were on the cusp. For sure, they made a limited number of impact plays this season. Urlacher has three interceptions and neither a sack nor a forced fumble. Briggs has two forced fumbles, one interception and no sacks. Meanwhile, I wonder whether Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji got makeup recognition for his strong 2010 performance. Raji has three sacks, less than half his total last season, and is supposed to be a key pass-rusher on a defense that hasn't gotten nearly enough pressure this year. Raji has had a credible, solid season. But was it Pro Bowl worthy? I'm not sure.

Got robbed: I wondered whether voters would side with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning over Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, and in the end, they did. Stafford is an alternate behind Rodgers, Manning and the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees. Stafford still could be named to the Pro Bowl as an injury or Super Bowl replacement, presuming he is not playing in the Super Bowl himself, but he has established himself as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. He has a better passer rating, a higher completion percentage, 10 more touchdown passes and two fewer interceptions than Manning this season. The only people who would have complained had the reverse occurred -- Stafford elected and Manning named an alternate -- are hard-core Giants fans.

Click here for the complete 2012 Pro Bowl roster.

KANSAS CITY -- We have all week to discuss the Green Bay Packers' injury-depleted offensive line. There is plenty of time to hash through their sudden case of the drops. I promise I'll offer you an opportunity to debate whether coach Mike McCarthy should have challenged an apparent fourth-quarter fumble in Sunday's 19-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. (Actually, I already have.)

For the moment, however, I think we should note just how tantalizingly close the Packers got to the most revered title imaginable: The greatest team of all time.

Their 19-game winning streak, which included a 13-0 start this season, had already placed them in the running. And if the Packers go on to win Super Bowl XLVI, perhaps we'll still be able to make an argument on their behalf. But a 19-0 run through 2011 would have been unprecedented, as would have the corresponding 25-game winning streak. Whether they admit to it or not, the Packers know that opportunities to place yourself on that pedestal -- objectively and indisputably -- come around once in a lifetime.

"It would have been special, make no mistake," cornerback Charles Woodson said in a rueful but hardly depressed Packers locker room. "When you have a shot to do something like that, you do it. We certainly felt like our chances were good to come in here and win today, and we didn't get it done. … Guys would have loved to do it. We would have loved to do it."

Said defensive lineman B.J. Raji: "You can't underestimate the opportunity to chase history. It was definitely huge. We didn't shy away from the topic. Our coach didn't shy away from it. He addressed it. I can't belittle the challenge to go 16-0, but obviously that's behind us now."

To be sure, many in the Packers' locker room were in no way on edge as history loomed. In professional sports, the big picture rarely gets bigger than stringing together championships. Win or lose Sunday, the Packers were in better shape than any other NFL team to mount that sort of accomplishment.

Not everybody cares about the history book. But at some point in their lives, most members of the 2011 Packers would have appreciated looking back and realizing they were mathematically the most successful team ever over a two-year stretch. They had a chance to do something that New England Patriots of the 2000's couldn't, something the 1980s San Francisco 49ers fell short of, as did the 1970s Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers -- not to mention the Packers of both Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau.

These Packers have nothing to be ashamed of, nor do they deserve an ounce of criticism. Only one team in history, the 2003-4 Patriots, won more than 19 consecutive games. No failure occurred here. Only a missed opportunity. As receiver Donald Driver said, "it was truly amazing to be able to win that many games in that long of a period."

Driver added: "It hurts because that's something special. We always talk about, if you get the perfect season, then you're part of greatness. But you take it for what it's worth. Right now, the only thing we can do is go 18-1. If that’s 18-1 and you're the Super Bowl champs, I don't think anyone cares about the perfect season after that."

We saw some things Sunday from the Packers that might have you concerned. Now we know what happens when the Packers' defense, which entered the game leading the NFL with 32 takeways, doesn't get a turnover. A half-dozen or so drops reminded us how pristinely their offense has played for most of the season, and few teams are prepared to have their top two right tackles injured in the same game.

To be sure, as McCarthy noted, this wasn't a fluke loss. "We were beaten today," he said. "The Kansas City Chiefs outplayed us. We were beaten."

At the same time, let's not overreact and wonder if the Chiefs exposed the Packers' flaws for the world to see. Let's not be so spoiled by a 19-game winning streak that we forget the NFL's always-true "Any Given Sunday" mantra.

In the bigger picture, the Packers know they can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with their next victory, or by a San Francisco 49ers loss as early as Monday night. If they do it, they won't play a game away from Lambeau Field -- where they haven't lost since October 17, 2010 -- until the Super Bowl.

McCarthy said he has viewed an undefeated season "as really just gravy" on top of their more central goal of winning the Super Bowl. Perhaps he'll feel differently in 10 years. Had the Packers been able to pull it off, and they fell five points shy of extending the run into another week, I think we would all have looked back on these past two years with a reverence reserved for the very best of all time. But for now, the Packers will settle for the best of 2011.

"Our goal has never been to set records or lead the league in statistics," guard T.J. Lang said. "We care about getting wins and [getting home-field advantage and winning the Super Bowl], and fortunately we still have a couple of those in front of us that we can hit."

As promised, I have a quick follow-up to a question from Tuesday's SportsNation chat. Brendan Q of Ireland asked if the Green Bay Packers have set an NFL record by having 19 different players score a touchdown this season. Before I got a chance to research it, Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted the answer in a story Wednesday morning.

The record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is 21. It's been done several times, most recently in 2007 by the New England Patriots.

The Packers still have three games to tie or break the record, but the "problem" is that most of their skill players on offense already have at least one touchdown. All five wide receivers, three of their tight ends, their top two running backs and even their top two quarterbacks have all scored. The remaining candidates on offense are tight end D.J. Williams, who has one catch in 10 games this season, and rookie running back Brandon Saine.

Defensively, the Packers already have touchdowns from both starting cornerbacks and both starting outside linebackers. Safety Charlie Peprah and defensive lineman B.J. Raji (via offense) have also scored. Among those left: cornerback Sam Shields, cornerback/safety Jarrett Bush and safety Morgan Burnett.

Thanks again to everyone for taking part in the chat.

After the Green Bay Packers' 46-16 victory over the Oakland Raiders, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1. There isn't a single active NFL player with a medical degree, but they see injuries of various degrees every day. They can read body language and see between the lines better than us. So for what it's worth, Packers players didn't like what they saw when receiver Greg Jennings needed help getting off the field in the third quarter after suffering what to this point is being called a sprained left knee. "It didn't look very good," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. Added defensive lineman B.J. Raji: "I saw the degree of anguish he was in. Anytime a grown man is being carried by his teammates, that's never a good sign." We should get more information later Monday, but for now the Packers are hoping the injury is something Jennings can return from when they open the playoffs in five weeks.
2. The Packers' plan for inside linebacker A.J. Hawk was to play him for no more than 30 snaps in the second half as a preliminary step in returning to full-time duty after suffering a calf injury last month. Given the game situation, McCarthy scrapped the plan and decided to give Hawk another weekend to recover. McCarthy indicated Hawk will return to his full-time role Wednesday during practice. There doesn't appear to be any indication that Hawk or fellow starter Desmond Bishop (calf) could lose playing time to replacements Robert Francois and D.J. Smith, both of whom have played well. Francois had nine tackles and his second interception in the past three weeks Sunday, while Smith had 10 tackles Sunday. Bishop is hoping to return to practice this week.
3. The Packers are entering a critical week for their offensive line. It's clear they're not totally thrilled with Marshall Newhouse's performance at left tackle, and that's what led to the decision to rotate him Sunday with rookie Derek Sherrod. Veteran Chad Clifton hasn't played in two months because of hamstring and back injuries, but the Packers think he'll be ready to practice this week. So what should the Packers do now, and what should their playoff approach be? Should they get Clifton back in there, hoping his conditioning allows him to play full games? Should they stick with a Newhouse-Sherrod rotation and use Clifton only in an emergency? I can't imagine the Packers turning to Sherrod, a rookie left tackle, with the playoffs looming. I'm guessing if Newhouse had played better in the past few weeks, these questions wouldn't be necessary.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

If Jennings misses extended time, I wonder if tight end Jermichael Finley can be counted on to be the top playmaker in the offense. Without Jennings to account for, it's possible that defenses will focus in on Finley as their top priority. But receiver Jordy Nelson has made opponents pay all season for single coverage, and he now has 10 touchdowns in 13 games. Perhaps he will see more attention if Jennings is sidelined. Regardless, Finley has been relatively quiet and not entirely reliable over the past month. He did not catch a pass Sunday against the Raiders and has nine receptions in the last four games, six of which came in Week 12 against the New York Giants. Finley is also nearing double digits in dropped passes, depending on whose statistics you look at. But he'll have every opportunity to carry the passing game in the coming weeks.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- I know you. I know your name and I know what you were thinking Sunday.

My dear Nervous Nellie, you cringed almost as much as Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings early in the third quarter of Sunday's 46-16 romp over the Oakland Raiders. You saw Jennings limp off the field with a left knee injury, watched quarterback Aaron Rodgers treated rudely a few times with the Packers comfortably ahead, and you proceeded to scream at the top of your lungs for the Packers to lock up all 22 starters and keep them off the field until the playoffs start next month.

I understand where you're coming from, Nellie. The Packers are 13-0. They've won the NFC North, secured a first-round bye in the playoffs and are one victory -- or one loss by the San Francisco 49ers -- from clinching home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Some Packer fans want to make a run at an undefeated regular season, but Nellie, you're not one of them.

Well, Nellie. This might not be good for your blood pressure, but I left the Green Bay locker room Sunday evening convinced that the Packers aren't planning any major changes to their starting lineup if they clinch home-field advantage. They'll be driven in part by a possible 16-0 record, but mostly by an approach that coach Mike McCarthy articulated quite succinctly after Sunday's game: "We don't play scared."

Jennings appeared to be in substantial pain immediately after the injury. He put no weight on the leg as he left the field. Teammates carried him from the sideline to an examining table, where Jennings put a towel over his head and eventually rode to the locker room on a cart. McCarthy tentatively termed the injury a sprain pending more tests, but no matter the severity, Jennings doesn't have much time to recover with the Packers' first playoff game five weeks away.

But neither an injury to the Packers' Pro Bowl receiver, nor three sacks and four other hits on Rodgers, will impact the Packers' thinking. Defensive lineman B.J. Raji, for one, said there is little doubt about where the Packers are headed.

"I think I can speak for coach in that he's going to try to go for this thing," Raji said.

Later, Raji added: "You don't win a Super Bowl by being scared. You just play. That's the message [McCarthy] is preaching. Just play the game because … that's the way you're supposed to play it. You're not supposed to be playing a game and looking at all of these scenarios of who you want to play. That's not how football is supposed to be played. Generally, if you do things the right way, hopefully you get some luck in the injury thing.

"You have to respect the game of football. Obviously we're in a great position. We're 13-0. We have a lot of things wrapped up. But ultimately, you never accomplish anything great by being scared. We have an option to go either way, but if you want to make history and do some things that haven't been done in a while, you have to take a chance."

Nellie, you and your friends might consider those sentiments to be irrelevant bravado. But the Packers believe its part of their essence. It's why they won their final six games of 2010, culminating in their Super Bowl XLV victory, and to them it explains the extension of that winning streak to 19 games in 2011. They are on one of the greatest rolls in NFL history and don't appear interested in changing the formula.

"The script doesn't change for us," McCarthy said. "… As long as we're taking care of things and keeping our focus on improving the quality of play, I don't think we can be beat. If you had asked me six years ago, I would have said the same damn thing. … We expect to win every time we take the field, and I would think that every team thinks the same thing."

If I had to pick five players the Packers should protect once they clinch home-field advantage, Jennings would be among them. But in all reality, the elephant in the room is Rodgers. He has been a durable starter since taking over the job in 2008, but if there is one thing that could derail the Packers' 2011 train, it's….

I won't even say it. I don't want Nellie getting all worked up again. Sunday, Rodgers was playing behind an offensive line that featured a rotation of Marshall Newhouse and Derek Sherrod at left tackle, to mixed results. He took two hard hits from the backside, among others, before leaving with 3 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

"It's football," McCarthy said. "If you think your quarterback is going to go through the game and not get hit, it's not realistic."

Said Rodgers: "There's risk every time you take the field. We're going to keep playing the way we're playing. We have that next-man-up mentality."

Rodgers was one of several players to reference that mindset, and cornerback Charles Woodson said: "There is not going to be any excuses on this team about why we can't win."

It might make you nervous, Nellie, but the Packers are full steam ahead.

I think they'll be smart with some of their injured players, as they were Sunday with linebacker A.J. Hawk -- who was in uniform but not needed Sunday and thus got an extra week to rest his strained calf. But it sure doesn't look like the Packers plan to mess with success. Their foot is on the accelerator, and they don't want to know what could happen if they release it.

DETROIT -- More than anything, the Green Bay Packers laughed at our national storyline last week. Yes, the Detroit Lions combine a strong passing game with a fierce pass rush. But as we've seen many times before, favorable matchups alone don't determine the outcome of many games.

The Packers were admittedly on their heels for much of Thursday's first half at Ford Field, but they never trailed en route to a 27-15 victory. They forced three turnovers, committed none of their own and for the most part kept their cool during a heated and chippy game.

"It just kind of shows what kind of team we have," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "We're getting better each week. A lot of people picked against us this week and thought this was [when] we were going down. I still don't think there is a specific recipe to beat us. Our defense is playing better. They were playing very well today and got three turnovers. And our offense, when we're not turning the ball over, we're tough to beat."

We might have been worried about how the Packers would slow down a pass-heavy Lions offense that entered the game ranked third in the NFL in points per game. The Packers were not.

Coordinator Dom Capers dramatically shifted his game plan after two weeks of heavy blitzing. Instead, according to ESPN Stats & Information, he sent four or fewer pass-rushers on a season-high 77.6 percent of quarterback Matthew Stafford's drop backs. Capers maximized the players he devoted to coverage and left Stafford checking down to running backs and tight ends for most of the game.

In fact, Stafford's average of 5.2 yards per attempt was his lowest mark of the season and an indication of his inability to get the ball downfield. Lions wide receivers caught 10 passes for a season-low 101 yards, and all three of Stafford's interceptions came when the Packers had at least seven men in coverage.

That, of course, is the micro-explanation. In the bigger picture, the Packers are growing more confident by the week that they have a chance to do something special this year. "Yes," was all Rodgers would say on that topic, so I'll spell it out: The Packers are two-thirds of the way to an undefeated regular season and, potentially, eight games away from another Super Bowl championship.

"The only statement we made today," said nose tackle B.J. Raji, "is that we don't plan on losing anytime soon. No disrespect. This is a good team we played, the Detroit Lions. But we don't like to lose. We haven't lost in a while and we're getting used to this."

Because I am immature and ridiculous, I present this question: Who would you take in a fight: James Bond or John Rambo? The cool, cunning and well-equipped secret agent or the slightly deranged veteran who takes on the world at every turn?

So goes the pop-culture analogy swirling in my head as we hurtle toward Thursday's showdown at Ford Field. There are a number of reasons this matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions is so appealing, and we'll get to them all, but at its core it features teams with polar personalities and styles that can't coexist on a football field.

The Packers' surgical precision is embodied by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who leads the NFL with a 72.3 completion percentage and, these days, limits his on-field emotion to an occasional fist pump. ("The Belt" has recently been reserved for paid advertisements.) The Lions, meanwhile, play every game as if they're avenging past injustices. They are emotional, often angry and not beyond pushing the far boundaries of the rules.

One approach will prevail Thursday over the other. The Lions will either overwhelm the Packers with energy, trying to win their first Thanksgiving Day game in seven years, or the Packers will slice through that emotion with professional calculation.

"We'll be going to a hornet's nest," Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji said. "We're the defending champions, and those guys are at home with a chance to knock us off in front of a national television audience. They're probably going to be jacked up. They beat us last year [at Ford Field] and they almost beat us at home. They believe they can win. It's our job to convince them they can't."

The Lions are doing their best this week to limit the fuel they add to an already-charged situation. This game has been sold out for months, and last week the Lions sold an additional 1,500 standing-room tickets in less than 30 minutes. Ford Field will be as frenzied as it was for the return of "Monday Night Football" last month, an atmosphere that contributed to nine false-start penalties by the Chicago Bears.

Receiver Nate Burleson couldn't resist taking a subtle shot at Rodgers' currently-running State Farm commercial, saying he might perform the "discount double check when I score just to give him a shout out." But for the most part, the Lions understand the diminished utility in antagonizing a team as steely as the Packers.

"If you start thinking about all the things that go into this game," Burleson told reporters in Detroit, "you get away from what really matters -- getting the win. We just want to win the game."

Yes, this is one game where the Lions won't need to emit guttural roars to be noticed. As the Packers have plowed through the season, many of us have looked ahead and thought the Lions could present their first true matchup problem.

As the charts show, the Lions' strengths -- on paper, at least -- match up favorably against the Packers.


The Lions have a top-five pass defense no matter what category you consider, one that at least gives them a chance to slow down Rodgers if their defensive line provides its usual pressure and physicality. And the success of their own passing game puts them in position to exploit the Packers' most obvious vulnerability.

Generally speaking, the Lions have the capacity to match the Packers score for score, along with a defense that stands as good of a chance as any to steal a few possessions. These are two of the top three scoring offenses in the NFL, another reason this game has such national appeal.

In the end, however, I really think this game will come down to poise. The Packers are at their best when operating in a cocoon, keeping their opponents at a safe distance while they speed down the highway in Q's latest contraption. The Lions get an edge on opponents by knocking them out of that comfort zone, blowing them up with energy and anger.

That's why Packers running back Ryan Grant told reporters that this game "is about us." The Lions' extracurriculars have "nothing to do with us," Grant added.

"We have to take care of our business on our end," he said. "Every week, we look … to maintain our discipline. It has nothing to do with what the other man does. We know what we need to do. The challenge isn't necessarily dealing with their discipline."

Can the Packers maintain their poise? Or will the Lions get under their skin just enough to slide those matchups in their favor? I'll be in the front row with popcorn and 3-D glasses to find out.

After the Green Bay Packers' 35-26 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1. Kevin SeifertFollowing their win over Tampa Bay, the Green Bay Packers take a seat in the examination room.
   A scary thought occurred as I studied the NFC standings in that artifact known as a newspaper Monday morning: Despite a perfect 10-0 record, they have the slimmest of margins in the race to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. For that matter, they're at least two weeks away from being in position to clinch the NFC North. That's the situation with the San Francisco 49ers sitting at 9-1, and with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears both at 7-3. The bright side: All 14 of the teams that have started 10-0 in the Super Bowl era have advanced to the playoffs one way or the other. Nine of them made the Super Bowl and six won it.
2. In the locker room after the game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers truly looked like he had lost Sunday. He said he was frustrated that "I didn't throw the ball very well." It's true that Rodgers missed a few more throws than he normally does. He also threw his fourth interception of the season, finished with his second-lowest passer rating in a game this season and said: "I'm not trying to be ridiculously humble right now." But I hope Rodgers doesn't become a victim of the absurd pace he set in the first half of the season. Historically, NFL passing numbers dip when the weather turns. Everyone wants to meet and possibly exceed their own standards, but there was nothing to be disappointed about after a 299-yard, three-touchdown, 112.3-rated game.
3. If tailback James Starks misses any time because of a sprained knee, the Packers will miss him most in the closer role he has carved out this season. On a number of occasions, they have turned to him to either run out the clock (at the Minnesota Vikings) or be the focal point of a ball-possession drive to seal the game. Sunday was an example of the latter. After the Bucs closed the gap to 21-19 early in the fourth quarter, the Packers noticeably shifted toward Starks on what turned out to be an 85-yard drive to make it a two-score game. Rodgers completed four passes to Starks on the drive, for 29 yards, and he rushed twice for 26 yards. That gave him six touches on the eight plays. Veteran Ryan Grant is capable of establishing a rhythm when he gets regular carries, but Starks has obviously been the Packers' first preference.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

I wouldn't have guessed that the Packers' B.J. Raji on Sunday became just the fourth defensive lineman since the 1970 merger to score a rushing touchdown. The others were Shaun Smith (2010), James Jones (1993) and, of course, William "The Refrigerator" Perry (1985). Perry is the only among them who scored more than once. Raji is only 25 and in his third NFL season. Does he have a chance to be the most scoring-efficient defensive lineman in NFL history? Let's find out!

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As fun-loving and entertainment-oriented as he is, B.J. Raji couldn't fathom it. There would be no Lambeau Leap, not on Sunday or any other day, after Raji scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Green Bay Packers' 35-26 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I thought about it for, like, less than a split second," Raji said. "Then I used my better judgment."

Listed generously at 337 pounds, Raji is nevertheless one of the Packers' better athletes and an obvious candidate for a backfield power formation. He long ago nicknamed himself "The Freezer" in homage to former Chicago Bears defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry, but Sunday was the first time he got a chance to emulate Perry as a ball carrier.

The play came at the end of the Packers' first offensive possession, part of a goal-line set that included three tight ends. Raji lined up offset as a fullback, with John Kuhn as the tailback. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers handed it to Raji on dive play behind right guard. It took a while for officials to unpile the players -- "B.J. was lying on top us," said center Scott Wells -- but eventually they awarded him a touchdown.

After passing on the Lambeau Leap, Raji launched into a modified midsection gyration of sorts. But he said he's considered some other touchdown celebrations as well and doesn't think Sunday will be a one-time deal. Asked if he would recommend his pickup to fantasy owners, Raji laughed and said: "I think it would be in their best interest to."