4 reasons why Packers can make surprise Super Bowl run

Packers defense is playing at a championship level

Defense wins championships.

For as well as Jordan Love and the offense are playing, Joe Barry's defense also deserves a lot of credit. They bend but don't break. It can be frustrating to watch at times, but it's impossible to argue with the results. The Packers are getting it done.

Green Bay is giving up an average of 20.3 points per game this season, the ninth-best record in the NFL. The Packers held the Chargers, Lions, and Chiefs to a combined 61 points. That's only 20.3 points per game against three of the best offenses in football.

This season, the Packers have allowed 25 or more points in a game only twice and over 30 just once.

With a relentless pass rush and top-10 passing defense, the Packers have proven they can hold their own against the league's best offenses.

Barry's defense is nowhere near perfect, particularly against the run. Opponents like the 49ers or Eagles would test the Packers' rushing defense all day long. That would be a tough ask. But they have found a way to restrict talented offenses all year.

Green Bay's losing run was mostly the fault of a sputtering offense. The defense kept the team in games. Now that the offense has leveled up, the Packers are playing complementary football, a key to their 4-1 run over the past five weeks.