Things couldn't have gone much better for the Packers Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.

While they were absolutely annihilating rival Chicago by a historic 37-3 margin, the Vikings dropped a close game at Tampa Bay.

When time expired in both games, the Packers, Vikings and Bears found themselves in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North Division. The remaining schedules and recent history indicate that this thing will go down to the wire. The Packers have a game left in Chicago. The Vikings and Bears have one meeting left. All three teams seem capable of playing lights-out one week and stinking up the stadium the next.

With that said, however, the Packers seem poised to take control of the race. After two frustrating losses and an injury to middle linebacker Nick Barnett, they put together their most impressive 60 minutes of the season in what amounted to a "must-win" game.

Green Bay's defense was outstanding. The offensive line bounced back from a dismal outing and made Ryan Grant look like an MVP candidate. The Bears wobbled out of Lambeau Field with a crisis of confidence that could lead to locker room discord.

Here are some observations from the afternoon:

Man in the middle: With Barnett out for the season, A.J. Hawk moved into the middle linebacker spot for the first time in his career and acquitted himself well. He's not going to make anyone forget Ray Nitschke (or even John Anderson or Brian Noble), but Hawk seemed comfortable in the spot and productive. Brandon Chillar, who deserved more playing time when Barnett was healthy, could blossom with more reps.

The Big "O": Bears quarterback Kyle Orton's sprained right ankle was a hot topic of conversation heading into the game. Fox reported that Orton wore a special shoe and his lack of mobility was mentioned frequently when the Chicago offense sputtered.

Orton may have had trouble planting on some throws, but would it really have mattered if he had been 100 percent? The Bears were out of sync because their offensive line was atrocious and their receiving corps stinks.

Early start: Green Bay running back Ryan grant gained 41 yards on his first two carries. The Titans rushed for 20 yards in an entire game last week against the Bears. Grant had 105 of his 145 yards in the first half, becoming the first Green Bay running back to pass the century mark in the first 30 minutes since Samkon Gado in 2005.

Challenging situation: After a questionable decision last week in Minnesota, McCarthy redeemed himself with the red flag. He correctly asserted that Bears running back Matt Forte stepped out of bounds at the 21-yard line, rather than the 14 as originally stated by officials. The Bears gained four years in the next three plays and settled for a field goal that gave them their only points in the game.

Back in the game: Green Bay's tight ends, who seemed to be missing in action for the first nine games, returned with a flourish on Sunday. Donald Lee caught a season-high six passes, including a 5-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Tory Humphrey caught two passes and Jermichael Finley had one reception.

Danger zone? Despite the comfortable lead, McCarthy allowed Rodgers and other starters to remain in the game. While some fans wondered if the coach was risking injuries to key players, the Bears seemed too shell-shocked to inflict damage. It's interesting that Packers coaches heard the same thing during Brett Favre's run, too.

In for a nickel: The Packers played nickel defense for most of the Bears' 50-some offensive plays. Tramon Williams was the extra defensive back.

In your face: When Packers cornerback Al Harris justifiably was flagged for a facemask penalty, a question arose on the Green Bay Replay sofa: how come running backs can grab defensive players' facemasks without ever incurring a penalty?

Wrong place, wrong time: Speaking of penalties, Packers defensive lineman Colin Cole has a legitimate beef about the 15-yard unsportsmanlike charge levied when Bears return specialist Devin Hester ran into him on the sideline.

Not so special: Hester looks much less formidable than he did in recent Bears-Packers matchups. The Packers didn't bother kicking away from him. Derrick Frost, who had struggled in Minnesota, punted twice with decent hang time.

Happy returns: Jason Hunter's 53-yard touchdown return was the seventh touchdown by the Packers' defense this season -- snapping the franchise mark set in 1966.

Bad timing: The Bears gave a lesson in how not to manage the clock at the end of the half. Rather than trying to run out the clock, they decided to shoot for a long drive. After a string of penalties and incompletions, they gave the ball up and watched the Packers' Mason Crosby kick a 53-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 17-3 halftime lead.