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When the Green Bay Packers fell to their 4-6 nadir, they found themselves sequestered to the farthest reaches of the SB Nation NFL power rankings. However, after bouncing back to not only eliminate the Minnesota Vikings from playoff contention but also set up a winner-takes-all showdown with the Detroit Lions for the NFC North crown, the Packers now find themselves back inside the top 10.
The Packers' rebound from near elimination came as a surprise to many who witnessed their offensive and defensive implosions during games against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans during the middle of the season. At that time, Green Bay looked like a shell of the squad that reached multiple NFC Championship games and won a Super Bowl during a five-year run from 2010-2014. Though the transformation back into a contender didn't happen instantaneously, the team began to show signs of improvement in the weeks that followed before breaking out in the month of December.
The SB Nation NFL power ranking reflects that progress, which places the Packers at No. 9. The team ranks ahead of every other NFC North squad, including the 13th-ranked Lions.
Here's what SB Nation had to say about the Packers:
Both the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers were under .500 in November, but tore through the tail end of their schedule.
"I feel like we can run the table, I really do," Aaron Rodgers said on Nov. 23, three days after Green Bay lost to Washington, 42-24, dropping the team to 4-6. "The offense is starting to click a little bit more. We've just got to put together a game where we're more consistent from the first snap to the last. We've been, I think, getting closer to that. We've really been clicking, at times, in the last few games.”
Since then, he’s thrown 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, leading the Packers on a five-game winning streak.