Emerging Defense Adds Packers to Shrinking List of Super Bowl Contenders

GREEN BAY, Wis. — This Green Bay Packers team is like nothing NFL fans have seen for a long time.

We knew about quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the explosive offense. That's no surprise. So, when the Packers put up 50 points in back-to-back games for the first time in their franchise's illustrious (and lengthy) history, it's a footnote but not completely unexpected.

Green Bay did just that in Week 11 against a formerly 7-2 Philadelphia Eagles team, beating Chip Kelly's squad 53-20. Again, the 53 isn't exactly a surprise, but the 20 is—especially out of an Eagles offense that was averaging 31 points per game coming into the week. 

This isn't what we expect out of the Packers defense, but it's what Green Bay expects. At least, that's what linebacker Julius Peppers said following the game: "It's the standard; it's what we expect. We expect to come out and perform at a high level against anybody."

Peppers, who not only applied relentless pressure but also had an interception return for a touchdown, called this Packers team: "Something special. Not only haven't I been a part of it, I've never seen it. It's just a groove. We just need to see it every week. We need to see a consistent, high-level performance every week."

The defense has been consistent in its two weeks since its bye. In many ways, in fact, it looks as if the entire team simply picked up where it left off in embarrassing the Chicago Bears, 55-14, last weekend. When I talked to linebacker Clay Matthews on his off week, he stood up for his defense, saying that it's played at a higher level than the national narrative suggests. 

If anything, that's now showing up in front of that national audience, which suits Matthews just fine: "It seems like we're putting it all together at the right time." And almost echoing Peppers, "We just need to keep it going. Ultimately, that's all that really matters...in order to prove ourselves, we have to make it a habit."

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Adding, without a hint of hubris: "Historically, the great teams in this league have had a defense to put along with their offense."

He's right, you know.

As much as we tend to fawn and gush over the offensive superstars and as much as we can repeat "defense wins championships" until we're blue in the face, it's the teams that can get it done on both sides of the ball that tend to fare better. 

Just look at last year's Super Bowl champs. As dominating and suffocating as the Seattle Seahawks defense was all season, it still took great games by running back Marshawn Lynch and a phenomenal Super Bowl performance by quarterback Russell Wilson to bring home the Lombardi Trophy. 

Go back further. 

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning doesn't get his rings without a crushing pass rush to rattle New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The Baltimore Ravens' aging defensive superstars, like linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, needed an incredible stretch from quarterback Joe Flacco to win a few years back. 

Heck, go back to the last couple of times the Packers were in the Super Bowl before Rodgers. Though we remember offensive greats like quarterback Brett Favre in his heyday throwing to tight end Mark Chmura and wide receivers Robert Brooks or Antonio Freeman, those teams were just as defined by the greatness of players like safety LeRoy Butler, and linemen Reggie White and Gilbert Brown.  

No matter how good one side of the ball is, there are going to be off weeks, and the other side needs to pick up the slack. 

Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson has been playing as well as any player in the league this year, and that continued in Week 11. He notched 109 yards receiving and a touchdown on only four catches.

He credited the defense with sparking the offensive rhythm: "They're allowing us to get back on the field. The more opportunities we get, we're staying in our rhythm—whether that's run or pass. They play a huge role in what we're doing, helping us stay relaxed." 

Relaxed is the big buzzword around the Packers this season. There's even a wood carving of the word sitting on a shelf in the equipment room. Rodgers first uttered the phrase on his radio show back on Sept. 24, and it seems as if the team took it as a mantra, stopped pressing and started doing what it had to do to be the squad it already knew it was. 

The Packers are 6-1 since Rodgers started that trend, and the Packers are truly living it on the field and in the locker room. 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Peppers said that he's "very comfortable" here in Green Bay, both in the locker room and on the field. Nelson said having complete games like this is "a lot of fun," seeming more like he'd just played a pickup game with his friends rather than spent a few hours getting bashed around on a frigid football field.

Defensive tackle Letroy Guion compared this run to punching in and out of a time clock, saying dominance like this is just like "going to work."

While the team's relaxation might be able to be credited to Rodgers, the pressure that the defense is pouring onto opponents is the work of one man: defensive coordinator Dom Capers. 

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Peppers admitted that he's played for a lot of defensive masterminds over the years but said that what makes Capers unique—what defines him—is his aggressiveness. "He likes to be very aggressive and put pressure on offenses," Peppers said. "That's his thing. Now, he has the players to get it done...We want pressure...we want to get a lot of pressure and we want to get it early."

Neal said that it is Capers' "belief in his players" that makes him such an effective coach, and his aggressive tendencies cater to his charges on the field. "Dom knows what we want to do," he said. "We know what Dom wants to do. As long as we're on the same page—I think that's what you see in games like this, so we have to continue like that."

If the Packers continue like this, there's no stopping them. 

Numerous reporters hinted, poked and prodded at the Packers players, trying to get them to rank themselves among the NFL's elite or start talking about Super Bowl aspirations, but no one would take the bait. 

Let me do it for them. 

This Packers team has always had the tools to be a Super Bowl contender—even with its slow start to the season. Now, with a relatively easy schedule moving forward (only New England and the Detroit Lions pose a true threat), the Packers are firing on all cylinders and truly look like the real deal. 

Rodgers and the offense may be the biggest factor for the Packers' success, but the defense is finally doing its part to ensure the rest of the league fears this team in more ways than one. 

Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.