Packers make statement

GREEN BAY, WIS. - The most popular question in the Packers' locker room was whether Sunday's 37-3 rout of the Bears had "sent a message" to Chicago and Minnesota that the Packers are still the defending champions of the now-logjammed NFC North.

"Those guys can look at it however they want," receiver Greg Jennings said. "But this is the Packers team you're going to get every week the rest of the season. We're the defending champs, and today we played like it."

Yes, they did. And the Bears played like they had 11 old men on defense and one gimpy Kyle Orton at quarterback.

Add it up and throw in the Vikings' loss in Tampa and, well, we now have three 5-5 teams and a long way to go before the NFC North is decided.

"You guys [the media] send the messages," Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "The reality is we're a good football team, and we know it. It's a six-game race, and I like our chances."

The Packers, who ended a two-game losing streak, play at New Orleans a week from tonight. The Bears have lost two in a row and travel to St. Louis this Sunday. The Vikings travel to Jacksonville and might be without defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams. Both players reportedly could be punished as early as this week depending on the appeals of their four-game suspensions for testing positive for a banned diuretic.

"Obviously, Minnesota has something huge they have to deal with when it comes to those two guys," Kampman said. "To get even with them before all of that goes down is just another reason why this game was so big for us."

The Packers hold the tiebreakers over Chicago (head-to-head) and the Vikings (division record), but the best thing to come out of Sunday's game seemed to be the restoration of the offensive line's confidence. A week after giving up four sacks, six hurries and several knockdowns in a 28-27 loss to the Vikings at the Metrodome, the Packers surrendered no sacks, no hurries and, unofficially, one knockdown.

"The offensive line took some heat from not only the media but the guys in the locker room and the coaches," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed his first seven passes and finished 23-for-30 for 227 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. "I feel like they had something to prove today, and they did."

Against the Vikings, the Packers' offense had 184 yards, 12 first downs and went 1-for-11 on third downs. Against the Bears, the Packers had 427 yards of offense -- including 200 rushing -- 24 first downs and went 7-for-14 on third downs.

Against the Vikings, the Packers had 74 yards rushing. Against the Bears, Ryan Grant had 105 of his 145 rushing yards by halftime. And that came a week after the Bears held the Titans' vaunted running game to only 20 yards.

"When you have as bad a week as we had last week in Minnesota, that's a concern," left guard Daryn Colledge said. "A thing like that can snowball on you if you let it. We knew we aren't the team we were in Minnesota. But to come out the next week and prove it like we did today was very important."

On the other side of the ball, the Packers scored a franchise-record seventh defensive touchdown when defensive end Jason Hunter returned a fumble 54 yards. It gave the Packers a 34-3 lead and served as the exclamation point for a defense that held Chicago to 234 yards and nine first downs.

"They really took it to us today," said Orton, who lost a fumble and had as many incompletions (13) as completions after missing one game because of a sprained ankle. "We didn't do anything on offense, and it's tough to win when you do that."

The rematch is Dec. 22 in Chicago. And despite posting their most lopsided victory since beating the Bears 40-3 on Dec. 11, 1994, the Packers weren't ready to declare themselves the division favorite down the stretch.

"Who's in the driver's seat?" Kampman asked. "Who knows? I'll let you know when we get to Week 17."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com