Green Bay Packers: 5 Reasons They're Still Undefeated

The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers are still undefeated through five weeks, in case you haven't heard.  

For the most part, the reason they haven't lost yet is because of their leadership: QB Aaron Rodgers on the field, head coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines and (at least in part) America, as the public owns a portion of the team.    

With Peyton Manning's season over (and career in jeopardy) due to a serious neck injury, Rodgers has supplanted him as the best QB in the NFL.  Even though Tom Brady and Drew Brees are throwing for more yards per game than Rodgers, he has been more accurate and aggressive (he's tied with Brady at 14 TDs).

Let's take a look at the top five reasons why Wisconsin is beaming with green and yellow. 

Oct. 9 vs. Falcons: Rodgers Hits 12 Receivers

On Sunday Night Football vs. the Falcons, Rodgers and the Pack didn't let a 14-6 halftime deficit scare them.  James Jones (in great company with Bill Walsh, Dick Vermeil and Jeff Garcia, as San Jose State's products to be successful in the NFL) led the way with five receptions for 140 yards and a TD. 

Rodgers also hit Texas product and TE Jermichael Finley four times for 67 yards.  

Most defenses have struggled to find a way to cover so many different receivers.  The full list includes RBs Ryan Grant, James Starks and Alex Green; WRs Jones, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb; TEs Finley, Tom Crabtree and D.J. Williams and FB John Kuhn.  

Keep in mind that the Packers were down at halftime and ended up winning 25-14, so this was no blowout.  In other words, McCarthy wasn't playing garbage at the end of the game, trying to get his backups some playing time. Every one of Rodger's targets is a legitimate threat.       

The Packers apparently don't practice what they preach ,however, as their pass defense is currently 29th overall, giving up nearly 300 yards per game.  

Rush Defense Is Dominating

At third in the league, the Packers are giving up just 75.8 rushing yards per game.  Cal product Desmond Bishop is leading the way with 43 tackles and three sacks.  You think Cal head coach Jeff Tedford misses Bishop and Rodgers?

And while they haven't put up gaudy numbers, LBs A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews continue to vocally lead the defense to victory.  

Despite giving up nearly 300 passing yards per game, Green Bay's backfield is shooting gaps and playing hyperaggressively. Safety Morgan Burnett and veteran Charles Woodson both have three interceptions.  (Woodson, despite only picking off two passes last year, had a career year in tackles with 92.)  

Green Bay's backfield can be compared to the starting pitching rotation of the New York Yankees. Is there really any reason to have an ERA under three when you start for the Yankees?

With such a high-potent offense (Robinson Cano, meet Aaron Rodgers), the Pack's defense can play game managers and rely on the offense to put up impressive numbers. 

Mason Crosby Is a Machine

Kicker Mason Crosby's alma mater, Colorado, boasted at the beginning of the college football season that it had the toughest schedule in the nation.  Maybe it's just because they're so good, but it seems that the Packers have just the opposite. 

For Crosby, it doesn't matter who the Packers are playing. He's 9-of-9 on FGs so far and 20-of-20 on PATs (although in his five-year career, he is 208-209). He hasn't missed a kick yet, and according to special teams coach Shawn Slocum, his 56-yarder versus the Falcons "was good from 62, 63 give or take." 

Expect Crosby's stats to continue to pop off the page for the remainder of the season. 

RBs Starks and Grant Are Splitting Time Admirably

At the beginning of the season, controversy surrounded RBs James Starks and Ryan Grant. Grant, the older of the two players, was coming off an injury and wasn't expected to shoulder the load of carries this season.  Grant was injured in the first week of last season and has since had plenty of time to recover.

Grant's large $5 million contract was thought to be an issue and many thought Green Bay would never pay him that much simply to ride the bench.  Those people were wrong (but they weren't right, either). In the first five weeks, he has neither ridden the bench or taken the majority of carries. 

Starks: 57 carries, 250 yards, 16 first downs, 1 TD

Grant: 39 carries, 175 yards, 10 first downs, 0 TD

In "Stark" contrast to last year, the duo combined on the season to rush for 146 yards and zero TD. To be fair, at the time, Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn were taking the majority of carries with Grant injured and Starks an inexperienced rookie. 

It seems that the two have reached a place where they are definitely not in contention with one another, and until one of them emerges as a player that can carry the ball on every play, they will continue to stand side by side. 

Favorable Schedule + Super Bowl Confidence = 5-0

McCarthy has only won the NFC North one time in five seasons but he's looking to change that.  With no obvious Super Bowl hangover effects, the Packers look to charge ahead to Indianapolis to defend their Super Bowl title.  

The only other undefeated team right now happens to be the Detroit Lions, Green Bay's in-division rival. Aside from two mammoth matchups against Detroit, the Packers' schedule looks like shooting fish in a barrel:

Week 6 vs. Rams (0-4), mired by injury. 

Week 7 @ Vikings (1-4), three blown first-half leads and a non-leader in aging Donovan McNabb.

Week 8 BYE

Week 9 @ Chargers (4-1), haven't played anyone worth a dime except New England (and they lost). 

Week 10 vs. Vikings

Week 11 vs. Buccaneers (3-2), flip-flopping on whether they want to play real Tampa Bay defense.

Week 12 @ Lions (5-0), ripping through the league with Stafford at the helm.

Week 13 @ Giants (3-2), Eli Manning playing at heart-attack levels, Coughlin probably actually having heart attacks. Also extremely injured.

Week 14 vs. Raiders (3-2), maybe the most talented team in the league and fueled by the passing of longtime owner and NFL legend Al Davis. Only other scare on Green Bay's schedule.

Week 15 @ Chiefs (2-3), don't ask how they won two games (they beat the Vikings and the Andrew-Luck hypnotized Colts). 

Week 16 vs. Chicago (2-3), Cutler playing like...Jay Cutler (99-169—seriously?).

Week 17 vs. Lions

If the Pack can beat the Lions in Week 12, Week 17 could be the 17-0 game.

I'll tell the '07 Patriots to put away the champagne (although they have plenty to cry about after getting beat by the Giants in Super Bowl XLII).