GREEN BAY, Wis. — It wasn’t too long ago that the Green Bay Packers were in a bad place, lagging at the bottom of the NFC North with a — gasp! — losing record while folks picked apart their flaws as if they were some sideshow on Dr. Phil.

Well, well. Look at them now.

A five-game winning streak that’s tied for best in the NFL has the Packers (7-3) atop their division and in position to start the playoffs at home. (Yes, they have the same record as the Chicago Bears, but Green Bay owns the tiebreaker after beating its rivals to the south in September.)