Reports of the Green Bay Packers' death have been…well, slightly exaggerated.After a Thanksgiving slate that left the Packers three wins behind the Detroit Lions, two behind the Minnesota Vikings, and just two ahead of the 2-9 Chicago Bears, it seemed the Packers had played their last relevant game of 2016.And then they became the first team to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia.After four straight losses where every unit played a part in each defeat, the Packers turned in a whole-squad Monday Night Football performance. The beleaguered secondary kept a lid on Carson Wentz, the offensive line played brilliantly against a very tough Eagles defensive line, Aaron Rodgers played a nearly flawless game despite suffering a hamstring injury, and inconsistent wideout Davante Adams had one of the best games of his three-year career."With Minnesota and Detroit in the position that they are," Adams told the ESPN MNF crew after the game, "we knew we had to come out and get a victory. We just rallied together."It started right off the bat, with Rodgers leading the Packers to touchdowns in each of their first two drives. After suffering the injury at the beginning of the second half, he switched to pistol and shotgun formations and simply picked the Eagles apart while remaining almost stationary. Best of all, he chewed 8:21 out of the heart of the fourth quarter with a 17-play scoring drive. Rodgers finished a sparkling 30-of-39 passing, with 313 yards and two scores to Adams.The total lack of a running game wasn't a problem; despite getting just 41 yards out of James Starks' 17 carries the Packers out-gained the Eagles 387-292, and out-possessed them by almost 11 minutes. Best of all, the defense that had been allowing an average of more than 300 passing yards per game over the four-game losing streak held Wentz and company to just 211 through the air.But has the switch finally flipped? Is this the Packers team we're going to see week-in, week-out throughout December? These aren't even the questions NFL fans need to be asking themselves. The question is, will it matter?At 5-6 with five games left to play, Rodgers' goofy Thanksgiving claim the Packers "can run the table" becomes significant. With games against all three of their divisional rivals, plus the leaders of two other divisions, Rodgers and company may have to play this well to win all five games—and they may have to win all five games to make the playoffs.
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