Everything worked for the Packers in their win over the Saints on Monday night. The offense hummed, the defense dominated, and the Saints played their role perfectly as hapless, listless victims of a team that was peaking at just the right time.

The Packers, now officially a playoff team, still have a lot of work to do. Building on this game is the first step. It’s not really clear how much you can take away from a game like this – the Saints really are that bad – but the Packers gave the NFL (and themselves) a good reminder of exactly how good they can be.

Their offense is good enough to score 34 points in just eight drives. Their defense is good enough to produce the league’s first shutout this year. They are good enough as a team to make a bad team look as bad as everyone thinks.

The Packers’ offense is moving forward at the right time, but is “still so far out” | Sports Illustrated

Even after 34 points, the Packers are still hungry for more.

Key to the game: Punitive running game follows Josh Jacobs’ lead | Packers.com

Josh Jacobs really sets the tone for the Packers’ offense, and they follow his rhythm week in and week out.

Stop worrying about Jaire Alexander’s return and appreciate the work the Packers secondary has done | Packers news

On defense, the Packers are still without one of their biggest names.

Christian Watson injures knee in Green Bay Packers win | ESPN

Watson’s injury is about the only blight on a night of good football.

Saints-Packers on ‘Monday Night Football’: What we learned from Green Bay’s win over New Orleans | NFL.com

It’s hard to really learn much when teams are so unequally distributed, but at least one national author says there are some lessons to be learned.

Baby Jesus statue stolen from manger is returned with apology | UPI

It seems like bad form to steal Jesus just before Christmas, but it looks like the star of the Christmas show has returned.