The Green Bay Packers pulled off not just a win but a statement win over the Chicago Bears over the weekend, giving their hometown crowd a reason to cheer. The Packers totally shut out the Bears with a 31-7 score, showing them who's currently the king of the NFC North. Well, the Vikings and Lions may have something to say about that king status, but still.
Now, thanks to that win, the Packers have something big to smile about going into their Week 6 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. They're moving up.
The Packers are climbing the NFL power rankings
On Tuesday, ESPN released its NFL power rankings following Week 5 games. The team has moved up an impressive nine spots this week to land at No. 14 in the rankings. That's up from No. 23 last week.
Even though they're doing well, ESPN's Rob Demovsky points out that "injuries to the front seven" are a concern.
"In back-to-back weeks, the Packers lost linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to season-ending Achilles injuries," he notes, which hurts.
"Cooper was their best linebacker; Hargrave their most experienced defensive lineman. And who knows when edge rusher Micah Parsons will play? He hasn't practiced since last year's torn ACL in Week 15," he adds.
So, while it's great that the Packers are back on top and winning again, the injuries are something to follow. This team is extremely talented, but they won't have all of their best pieces in place going forward, and that's a bit of a troubling development. Still, they're in a good spot after that victory over Chicago.
