Packers are No. 1!

"Ask Vic" is published M-W-F through the football season.

Here are my all-important Week 17 power rankings:
1. Packers -- They have it all.
2. Chiefs -- Looked a little cheap in beating Falcons.
3. Bills -- Right on the Chiefs' heels.
4. Seahawks -- They can still win top seed.
5. Ravens -- Look out!
6. Saints -- They want no part of that Lambeau snow.
7. Bucs -- This is why they signed Brady.
8. Dolphins -- Playoffs at their fingertips.
9. Steelers -- Big Ben carried them to victory.
10. Colts -- Collapse might've cost them playoff berth.
11. Titans -- Pathetic performance in Green Bay.
12. Browns -- It's Mason Rudolph time.
13. Rams -- More than Goff's thumb is broken.
14. Cardinals -- Rooting for the Packers.
15. Washington -- Beating Eagles a tall order.
16. Bears -- Rivalry? Prove it.
17. Cowboys -- Hot team.
18. Chargers -- Best days are ahead of them.
19. 49ers -- They'll be back next season.
20. Falcons -- They show up every week.
21. Vikings -- You never know if they'll show up.
22. Raiders -- This isn't working.
23. Patriots -- All the wheels have fallen off.
24. Eagles -- Facing big decision at QB.
25. Panthers -- QB away from the top tier.
26. Giants -- Fell apart late in the season.
27. Bengals -- They play in the best division in the NFL.
28. Broncos -- Who are they?
29. Jets -- Maybe they don't need a QB.
30. Texans -- No heart, no soul.
31. Lions -- Who will finally fix this?
32. Jaguars -- OK, you got it.

David from Jacksonville, FL
Vic, I know it's early, but have your scouting friends said much to you about Lawrence? I recall you not exactly being sold on him following the national championship game.
I haven't heard one negative word spoken of Trevor Lawrence.

Barry from Hayward, WI
Vic, what do the Bears have to do to stop the Packers?
Rush Rodgers. It was the only time the Titans were able to get a stop. Dropping seven won't work if you can't get him out of his rocking chair. He's finding open receivers as though they're coming off the sideline during the play. Rush everybody you can. The Bears traded for Khalil Mack for this game. The formula for beating the Packers is stop the run and rush Rodgers. Is there a team in the NFC that can execute that strategy?

Brian from Pleasant Prairie, WI
I'm not going to push Aaron Jones off a cliff after one big game from a rookie. What do your eyes tell you after a full game with Dillon? Is he really a pounder? Or was Tennessee playing soft?
He's a true pounder. Tennessee soft? Yeah, I think the Colts' loss earlier in the day might've softened them. The Titans were listless early and, frankly, I don't think Henry ran hard. The Packers' barrage of points left the Titans wanting a burger and an aisle seat. Jones' dash down the sideline was the big play. The Titans aren't a shootout type of team. Be that as it may, the Packers kicked their butts.

Justin from Riverview, FL
What could the Titans have done to beat the five-man front the Packers showed?
They could've run more of that read option play on which Tannehill scored. The Packers were still tackling Henry as Tannehill ran past them. You would've seen more of that if the Titans could've gotten a stop on defense and turned the game into a tug of war. What the Packers' big early leads do is make opponents one dimensional. That's why I would vote for Rodgers for MVP. His play impacts both sides of the ball more than any other quarterback in the league.

Dave from Chippewa Falls, WI
I pulled a screen shot from "Game Pass" of the overhead shot of the line of scrimmage on the blocked field goal attempt. The three guys on the end are offside. Helmets are over the ball.
Go Pack Go!

Simon from Santa Clara, CA
I was expecting Monday's column to be full of chortling. Did you censor the questions, or are Packers fans learning?
It was the greatest chortling inbox in "Ask Vic" history.

Dallas from Canada
I sent you a question about resting starters before the playoffs. At that time, I was under the (false) impression the Packers had secured the bye. My apologies.
It doesn't matter. You can't rest starters for the most overrated rivalry in professional sports. It's a border war, Keith.

Kate from Green Bay, WI
I love that the Packers gave A.J. his debut in the snow. Big backs with Eddie Lacy-like thighs are tough on a defense that doesn't play in those conditions very often. How will he do on a dry field with better footing and quicker response times from the defense?
In the snow, the Steelers gave the ball to Rocky, not Franco. Horses for courses.

Craig from Weare, NH
Thank you for turning the comments back on, however, I'm still banned. I know I misbehaved, but that was a very long time ago and I didn't do anything nearly as bad as some people. If possible could you un-ban me?
I told you, I don't know how to do it. I banned you by mistake but I don't know how to un-ban you. You're screwed. I'm sorry.

Larry from Milton, WI
Thank you for this venue. I am wondering what makes a great receiver. I know they are a dime a dozen, yet, they get paid so much more. What traits would drive you to keep one and pay him? Great hands? Speed? Agility? What? Thanks and have a great New Year!
I'll pay a guy who can run after the catch.

Erik from Minneapolis, MN
Has the lack of crowd noise this year resulted in higher quality play?
You have asked a great question. Thank you for being a thinker. Yes, I think it has resulted in a higher quality of play.

Clay from Council Bluffs, IA
How has college football changed over the last 10 years?
Liberty wanted to not score. Coastal Carolina was literally pulling the Liberty ball-carrier into the end zone when he decided to drop the ball before it crossed the goal line. Have we reached the point of having to practice how to not score? Too much strategy, not enough blocking and tackling.

Eric from Colorado Springs, CO
Is there a division with more young quarterback talent than the AFC West?
It's good. Mahomes is the best young talent in the NFL. Herbert reminds me of Marino. Carr might just need a better team around him. Lock has a great arm, but he reminds me of Jay Cutler. I direct your attention to the AFC North, where Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow appear to be good young quarterbacks.

Rik from Santa Fe, NM
As the Titans left the field for halftime, I wondered if the NFL has regulations regarding visitors' locker rooms. Maybe the heat isn't turned up quite as high as it could be? I believe Iowa still has Coach Fry's pink visitors' locker room. Any similar pranks still happening in the NFL?
As players leave the visitors' locker room at the new Mile High Stadium, the wall in front of them reminds them of the altitude at which they'll be playing. Coach McCarthy had the snow-removal people pile up the snow where the visiting team buses would unload. The Steelers were always "too late" for pregame introductions and the scoreboard at Riverfront Stadium would often go dark late in the game if the Steelers were trailing and had the ball. The Raiders turned off the hot water in the Jaguars' locker room following a game and the Jaguars had to go back to the hotel to take a shower. The Steelers' PA guy introduced Jerry Glanville as Gary Grandview, which means that was the name the PA guy was handed by the Steelers. The Patriots, of course, have been the kings of dirty tricks.

Morgan from Little Chute, WI
What would it take to stop Aaron Rodgers? Are Tampa Bay and Washington two defenses that could in the playoffs?
I don't see a defense in the NFC built to stop Rodgers. The Ravens are built to beat Rodgers.

Mark from Wausau, WI
Vic, I know it’s a small sample size and it’s difficult to compare eras, but is A.J. Dillon the best running back in the history of the NFL?
There's talk of a movement to waive the mandatory five-year wait and induct Dillon to the Hall of Fame immediately. By the way, why are most of the questions in my inbox spelling his name "Dillion?" Did I miss something?

Scott from Alaska
Did you hear Aaron Rodgers compare Davante Adams to Charles Woodson? Was Rodgers signaling belief Adams may eventually join Woodson in the Hall of Fame? If and insofar as Adams is special, what is it that sets him apart?
He's the only wide receiver who wears a crown.

Jamie from Dillon (or Dillion), CO
I’m not on board with trashing players’ styles of warming up, celebrating and getting attention. I realize the game wasn’t always this way, and I seldom find joy in watching it, but these men show off the way they do because that’s who they are and that’s what they do. I see plenty of downside to it, but I’ve never made it to the NFL. I don’t know what it takes. Neither does anyone who’s criticizing them. They alone know how they got there, and they’re choosing to dance. Are we really saying he shouldn’t dance for a warm up? Strikes me as old and out of touch.
OK.

Dillon (or Dillion) from Melbourne, FL
So, is it official it was Brady, not Belichick?
One more year like this and Belichick will be on the hot seat. I'm not kidding. That's today's game. The wolves will howl.

Matt from Schofield, WI
Aaron Jones did nothing wrong, but football fans can't help themselves. We get emotionally tied to players despite our best intentions. The writing is on the wall and Aaron Jones most likely won't be a Packer next year. So, despite your multiple pleas to just watch, we can't do that. If he's going to leave, we will try to prepare ourselves by falling in love with his replacement to make the breakup a little less jarring. It may not be rational, but fan is short for fanatic.
You're inviting disappointment. My inbox is full of hurt waiting to happen.

Justin from Canton, NC
You may have told it before but what was your favorite snow game you covered and why?
Steelers at Bengals, Nov. 28, 1976. It was a warm snow, a surprise snow. The first flake fell as the last helmet left the field for halftime. Then the skies exploded with white; the flakes sparkled in the lights. Riverfront Stadium was a snow globe. Within seconds the field was covered. When the players came out of the tunnel for the second half, they were in disbelief. Joe Greene said he thought he was in the wrong place. What followed was one of the most memorable halves of football I ever covered. It ended with Kenny Anderson pumping his arm and Dwight White pulling on Kenny's leg and Kenny launching a weak pass that fell harmlessly short of a wide open Isaac Curtis in the back-left corner of the end zone. I can see it as though it was yesterday. It was art. It was a writer's delight. It wasn't something you reported, it was something you painted on paper with a Royal portable. I am rich.