One week does not make or break an NFL season. But it can tell us a lot about what's to come.

So when the Green Bay Packers trounced the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on Sunday, it wasn't just another close game between bitter rivals. (In fact, it wasn't close at all, with Green Bay once holding a 24-6 lead in the fourth quarter.) It was also a transfer of power: The Packers, not the Lions, are now firmly entrenched as favorites atop the vaunted NFC North. Green Bay, not Detroit, is widely considered the superior heavyweight in the NFC.

But how did this happen overnight? It was just eight months ago that the Lions held the No. 1 playoff seed in the conference. Everyone assumed the road to Super Bowl LIX would run through Motor City. Surely one premature exit from the postseason

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