Four takeaways from Packers' NFC North-clinching win over Lions

What did we learn from the Green Bay Packers’ NFC North-clinching victory over the Detroit Lions?When Aaron Rodgers speaks, we should listen. Whether telling fans to relax after a slow start to the season, or expressing his unmatched confidence that the Packers could run the table despite losing four straight, Rodgers often makes good on his word.After a shellacking at the hands of Washington, nobody could have predicted a six-game winning streak that would send Green Bay into the postseason with the division title and fourth seed. Nobody except Rodgers. He talked about running the table before it was cool.RELATED: A look at the Packers’ impressive regular season numbersYet this is just the beginning. Running the table was only necessary after slipping to five defeats in six weeks. By winning out, the Packers have simply achieved what many expected them to do in September. Now the real challenge begins.Up next is a home visit of the New York Giants. We all know how this narrative has played out before. The Packers must ensure history doesn’t three-peat itself.What are the biggest takeaways from a comfortable win over Detroit, a team headed for Seattle as the NFC’s sixth seed?Next: MVP? Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) gets chased by Detroit Lions defensive end Devin Taylor (98) during the second quarter at Ford Field. Packers won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Rodgers completes MVP charge

Six weeks ago his name was nowhere near the MVP award, but now Aaron Rodgers is among the favorites.

Once called a “down year”, Rodgers finished the season with 4,428 passing yards (fourth in the NFL), 40 touchdown passes (first) with a passer rating of 104.2 (fourth). He also tossed just seven interceptions all year.

More importantly, the two-time MVP winner elevated his game when it mattered the most. Over his past seven games, Rodgers completed 168 of 241 passes (69.7 percent) for 2,018 yards, 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. His rating over that span is 120.0.

Rodgers’ 2016 MVP resume is stacked with clutch moments, from his 60-yard bomb to Jordy Nelson in Chicago to his dissecting of Seattle’s elite defense on essentially one leg. His stunning touchdown pass to Geronimo Allison in the fourth quarter Sunday is right up there. Rodgers scrambled twice on the play to buy time before eventually finding his receiver with a perfect throw.

Whether he ultimately wins the MVP award is yet to be seen. There are many other worthy candidates such as Matt Ryan, Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott. From the Packers’ perspective, it doesn’t matter.

The fact is their star played some of the best football of his career when it mattered most. He did so again in Detroit, which is why the Packers are division champions.

Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones (11) makes a catch during the second quarter against Green Bay Packers cornerback Quinten Rollins (24) at Ford Field. Packers won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Ailing secondary loses more pieces

Considered a strength in preseason, the Packers secondary has been nothing short of a train wreck this year. Neither Damarious Randall or Quinten Rollins, who exceeded expectations as rookies, have reached their second-year potential, and now the Packers could be without both in the playoffs.

Rollins left the game with a scary neck injury. He was taken immediately to a nearby hospital, but the early reports are encouraging for his health. Rollins’ status for Sunday’s game can be assumed to be cloudy at best.

Randall exited the game with a knee injury and didn’t return. He sat discouraged on the sideline. To make matters worse, Makinton Dorleant also left the game on a cart with a knee injury.

If Rollins and Randall don’t suit up Sunday, the Packers secondary would be alien from the one that started Week 1 at Jacksonville. Sam Shields’ season was lost in the opener, and the defensive backfield is yet to recover from his absence.

This doesn’t bode well for a matchup with Odell Beckham Jr. this weekend. Safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Morgan Burnett will need to play a key role in keeping him quiet, just as they did in the Week 5 victory over the Giants.

Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison (81) scores a touchdown while Detroit Lions middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead (59) applies pressures during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Geronimooo!

Geronimo Allison is a great NFL story.

Plummeting grades put his football future in jeopardy while at Spoto High. But Allison sharpened his focus and went on to earn a spot at Illinois. Two years later he was forced to take the long route into the NFL, going undrafted last spring before eventually signing with the Packers.

An encouraging preseason wasn’t enough to land a place on Green Bay’s 53-man roster, despite the team keeping seven receivers. Yet here we are, wrapping up the regular season and it’s Allison, not Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis or Trevor Davis, making critical plays with his quarterback’s trust.

Allison caught four passes for a team-high 91 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night. Think Aaron Rodgers is comfortable firing his way? The 6-foot-3 pass catcher continued to make plays in Randall Cobb’s absence, his size and sure hands making him an interesting matchup.

Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams will grab the attention of New York’s premier defensive backs next week, and a returning Cobb would add another difference maker to the mix. But at some stage, Rodgers will need to count on Allison to produce.

So far, he hasn’t let his quarterback down.

Oct 9, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws a pass in the second quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

A Giant challenge awaits

Pick your poison: New York come to Lambeau or Green Bay head to Seattle. Both prospects carry previous postseason baggage, but it’s the former we’ll revisit this weekend.

Eli Manning is 2-0 at Lambeau Field in the postseason, and both wins have led to championships. The Giants are considered outsiders for the ultimate prize again this year, and Sunday’s game features eery parallels.

New York’s defense its biggest strength, boasting one of the league’s premier secondaries, a unit with the pieces capable of slowing the Packers’ red-hot offense. Their front seven might not be what it was in 2007 or 2011, but it’s still loaded with talent, particularly against the run.

And the Packers know as well as the Patriots how Manning can get hot in January. Nobody expected him to take down the 15-1 Packers in 2011, just as nobody saw him leading the Giants past the then-undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Green Bay will be favored at home, but the Giants won’t care one bit about that. A trip to Seattle might be seen as the tougher of the two outcomes, but the Packers will need to overcome an underrated Giants team to stop Ben McAdoo getting one over on his former boss.