Don’t look now, but the Green Bay Packers have gone and found themselves a defense, and that’s bad news for the rest of the NFL.

The Packers will always go as far as Aaron Rodgers’ arm takes them, that’s understandable. He’s the best quarterback on the planet (sorry Tom Brady!), and if you take the number one signal caller out of any offense in the league, they’ll instantly become an average-at-best side.

Green Bay have relied so heavily on the offense in recent years, and the defense has never really been that good. Even when they won the Super Bowl in 2011, I’d say their D was more opportunistic than dominant.

This year, things are a little bit different. This Green Bay Packers defense is for real. They’re good. Very good. The Packers have a top three offense and a top ten defense, and that’s great news for the fans of the Green and Gold.

The stats show how well Green Bay are playing on that side of the ball, too. The Packers have sacked the opposing quarterback 20 times in five games; only the formidable Denver Broncos have more sacks (22). They also have eight interceptions, which is also second in the league behind the Arizona Cardinals.

So, what’s changed? Why are the Packers now looking so good on the defensive side of the ball? Well, like all such matters, there’s obviously more than one reason.

Firstly, the defensive line is playing much, much better.

Mike Daniels, one of the most underrated defensive linemen in football, is constantly putting pressure on quarterbacks and B.J. Raji in the middle is stuffing the run. Nick Perry is finally showing why he was a high draft pick, and in a contract year, he needs to do so.

The linebackers are playing well too. Clay Matthews is impacting the game from all over the field. Dom Capers is lining him up in different positions, both inside and out, and he’s making big plays.

Julius Peppers is being used sparingly, which is a good thing. As an ageing player, there’s no point gassing him out. The Packers are wisely managing his snap count, and it’s allowing him to pin back his ears and get after quarterbacks whenever he is on the field.

In the secondary, things are looking really promising too. Green Bay have a lot of depth, and bar Sam Shields’ really poor game against Chicago, they’ve all been stepping up.

Morgan Burnett is a key piece in terms of stopping the run. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde, Sam Shields, and Casey Hayward all look at ease in the secondary, while rookies Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins have slotted in almost seamlessly.

Rollins had two picks against St Louis, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and that’ll stand out on the box scores – but I’ve been more impressed by Randall, who has gone about his job in a fashion more akin to a veteran than a rookie.

Ted Thompson and company do things their way. They very rarely pick up free agents, instead they draft and develop their own – or take undrafted guys and somehow turn them into legitimate NFL starters.

There are a few guys in contract years too, don’t underestimate the importance of that. Mike Daniels, Casey Hayward, Mike Neal, Nick Perry and B.J. Raji are all in the final years of their current deals. The likelihood is that Green Bay won’t keep them all, so they’re all battling to either stay on the team and get paid, or put enough eye-catching plays on tape so other franchises consider signing them. Never doubt the importance of money to professional athletes!

That’s not a criticism either, all NFL players are looking to get paid. Rightly so. They put their bodies on the line every week, they deserve to get rewarded for it.

So, what does this all mean going forward? Well, last season the Packers got to within a whisker (or an onside kick!) of being in the Super Bowl. Without Jordy Nelson, the offense will naturally take a small step back, despite James Jones doing what James Jones seemingly does in Green Bay; catching touchdowns.

However, if the defense is able to carry on in this form, the offense being slightly worse won’t really make a difference. There are some great teams in the NFL this year, but I don’t think any of them are as complete as this Packers team. Denver’s offense looks bad, as does Seattle’s. I’m still not convinced by the New England secondary, and while the Falcons have been fairly impressive, they’ve basically picked on a pretty poor NFC East. The Cincinnati Bengals have been good, but I just don’t trust Andy Dalton yet.

The Arizona Cardinals are a good team, and will pose a real threat if they can stay healthy, as will most of the teams I’ve just mentioned. However, if Green Bay can continue in this way, I think they’re the best team in the NFL, and if they can secure home field advantage in the playoffs I don’t see anyone going into Lambeau and stopping them reaching the Super Bowl.