A lot of us were ready to count the 2016 Green Bay Packers out when they lost four straight games in October and November. Green Bay had been demoralized by injuries on both sides of the ball and couldn't find enough rhythm on offense to compensate for that. Some wondered whether it was only a matter of time before head coach Mike McCarthy lost his job, and there was an unsettling amount of contentiousness surrounding the struggling team.In a 13-day span, everything has changed.The Packers won three games during that stretch, all in impressive fashion against quality opponents. And the latest of those three victoriesa 38-10 blowout over the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Lambeau Fieldconfirmed that this team has the ability to make a hell of an 11th-hour run at a championship.It naturally starts with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was nearly perfect Sunday against Seattle's top-ranked scoring defense. Before exiting the game in garbage time, the two-time MVP completed all but five of his 23 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns as the Green Bay offense steamrolled the Seahawks.Rodgers' 150.8 passer rating was the fourth-highest of his career, which is unbelievable considering the opponent. Throw in that he was playing with an injured calf, and the performance becomes legendary.The 28-point defeat was Seattle's worst since 2010it hadn't lost by more than 10 points in over five yearsbut this wasn't an anomaly for Rodgers and Co. Slowly but surely, Rodgers and the rest of that Green Bay offense have made major improvements during the second half of the season. In the last four weeks, Rodgers has completed 70.7 percent of his passes with an 8.4 yards-per-attempt average, 10 touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 121.1.And in the last seven weeks, the Packers are averaging 27.6 points per game.It helps that his teammates are healthier than they've been all year. Defensive backs Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins are rolling now after both missed several games in October and November, and Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews is getting stronger after missing four of the first nine games of the season.With those guys playing and performing well, a defense that surrendered more than 30 points in each of those four consecutive midseason losses has suddenly gone from major liability to potential asset. The Packers intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson fivefive!times Sunday, and they've now given up fewer than 14 points in three straight weeks.None of this would carry a lot of weight if it were happening during a soft spot on the schedule, but this all started with the Packers handing the defensively stout Philadelphia Eagles their first home loss of the year (Philly had been dominant at home but was destroyed on national television that night). Six days later, they took care of the AFC South-leading Houston Texans rather easily. And now they've embarrassed a Super Bowl-contending Seahawks team that isn't familiar with that feeling.That should have everybody else in football flat-out terrified, because we know the Packers have the talent and experience to make a run. If the highest-rated passer in NFL history is finally finding a groove and his team is getting hot just at the right time, the Packers might use that momentum to plow through a wide-open playoff field in January.Of course, in order to do that, they'll need Rodgers to avoid missing timeeven before hurting his calf Sunday, he was getting over a hamstring injuryand they'll need help in the playoff race. At 7-6, they remain on the outside looking in. Even if they win out by beating the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, they would need the Lions to lose at least one of their next two games in order to leapfrog them for the NFC North title. And they don't control their own wild-card destiny, either.Still, 10 wins should be enough for the Pack to sneak into the playoffs.And considering the momentum they've gained over the last 13 days, that could become a nightmare scenario for the rest of the postseason field. Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.Follow @Brad_Gagnon
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