A roundup of what's happening on the Green Bay Packers beat.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Packers' stranglehold on the NFC North could be coming to end. At least that's the way the number crunchers over at ESPN's FiveThirtyEight.com see things.
According to their Elo rankings, which are based on a system developed by physicist Arpad Elo to rate chess players, the Packers' run of division titles could end at three straight.
The Detroit Lions not only lead the Packers by one game in the standings but also won this season's first head-to-head meeting at Ford Field in Week 3. The rematch is Week 17 at Lambeau Field.
Here's how the latest Elo rankings project the NFC North:
Lions (6-2): 56 percent chance to win the division; 77 percent chance to make the playoffs.
Packers (5-3): 37 percent chance to win the division; 60 percent chance to make the playoffs.
Bears (3-5): 4 percent chance to win the division; 8 percent chance to make the playoffs
Vikings (3-5): 3 percent chance to win the division, 8 percent chance to make the playoffs.
However, the oddsmakers at the online sportsbook Bovada.lv don't share the same outlook. They still listed the Packers as the division favorites with 5-to-7 odds, while the Lions were at 6-to-5 this week.
In case you missed it from ESPN.com:
Right guard T.J. Lang's ankle injury will not require surgery, and there's hope he could be available to play following the bye.
A decision is coming on what to do with offensive lineman JC Tretter, who is eligible to come off the temporary injured reserve list.
In the first of a two-part, bye-week review, we looked at the highs and lows for the offense in the first half of the season. The defensive version will be posted Friday afternoon.
Best of the rest:
In the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Weston Hodkiewicz wrote about the interesting football journey of Packers cornerback Davon House and his brother Tyreace.
In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bob McGinn broke down some of the best in-season pickups the Packers have made over the years.