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Well, certain worries have taken care of themselves and others have persisted. Aaron Rodgers has proved beyond all doubt that he can take the licks of the NFL and still perform at a high level. He had a couple games before the bye playing through a lot of pain to keep his team in the playoff hunt. He isn't Favre, but in many ways he is outperforming his old tutor.

Despite Rodgers' consistant play,  the defense seems to still be experiencing some ups and downs. Atari Bigby and Al Harris were finally back in the lineup, but neither was terribly impactful yet--although I wouldn't expect them to be just coming off the injury list. The loss of KGB will probably turn out better for Green Bay in the end. He had such low production and can't play the run at all, which is what Green Bay really needs to focus on. The secondary is still good and should be better once Harris and Bigby get up to speed. Thankfull their time off has only developed Williams, Rouse and Collins. 

Frankly, the Packers let up at the end of the game in Nashville. They were tired to be sure and we lost to a very good team, but the game was very winnable for GB and many had them picked for the upset. Rodgers had some key mistakes, but those happen and you have to get over them and the Pack never did. They got a lucky break after letting the Titans walk down the field when Bironas missed the 47 yarder, but to let them do it again in OT was not accetable. The defense buckled like a belt against Tenessee's rushing attack. Those are the situations in which the teams holds its own destiny and those are the times when a team must get aggressive, lest you find yourself in a situation where you have little control over winning or losing. 

The Packers now have a fairly healthy team and their next two games against division foes Chicago and Minnesota are crucial to their playoff hopes. Winning those games not only gives the Packers good division standing, but a good record against their rivals in the North because it is very likely the divison title will be won with a tiebreaker this year. Chicago has proven itself to be a legitimate contender and Minnesota, while less likely to win still has a very good chance at this point to stake a claim for the playoffs. 

With the offense working fairly to extremely well, it is time for the defense to recapture some of the magic it had last season. With KGB gone, Harrell must prove his worth. The loss of Jenkins still hurts the D-line, but that is no excuse to not create pressure. Without that pressure on the QB, the secondary has less of those jump balls that have given our defensive scoring a shot in the arm. The Pack must continue to win the field position and turn over battle and their team will coast into the playoffs. Without any defensive consistancy I can't see much better than a second place finish in the division or first round play off exit.