GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Come back next Sunday night if you want to see how the Green Bay Packers fare against the type of team they might face in the playoffs.
The Carolina Panthers gave them no opportunity for such an assessment, other than this: five straight empty possessions like they had on Saturday night probably won't cut it against a quality team.
Otherwise, the Packers showed a national audience on Saturday little that everyone didn't already know: They have the superior quarterback, and he's an MVP candidate despite a middling performance (20-of-29, for just 143 yards with one touchdown pass and one touchdown run).