Rodgers doesn't believe in 'peaking too early'

The Green Bay Packers' dominance in their past two home wins have left an impression across the country, but still there are six games left.

Whether the Packers are peaking too early has been a point of discussion following Green Bay's 55-23 win Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the first time in franchise history – and just the fifth time in NFL history – the Packers scored 50 points in consecutive games.

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, there's enough time left in the season for hot streaks to fizzle before the playoffs. Of course, it takes quality performances for teams to make the postseason. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked Tuesday on his weekly ESPN Milwaukee radio show whether the Packers are peaking before the optimal window.

"I don't even know what that means," Rodgers said. "We're just playing well right now. I don't believe in peaking early. It's playing well, being prepared and being healthy, or it's the opposite. Right now, we're playing well, we're prepared, we're healthy. You want to be playing the right way at the end of the season, but a lot of that is tied to your team health.

"So, right now, we've been pretty fortunate to be pretty healthy going into Week 12 now. So that's what we're focusing on."

In the past, Super Bowl champions have commonly played their best football entering January.

The Packers have seen the importance of strong, late-season play in recent years. Green Bay caught a hot streak near the end of the 2010 season and rode it all the way to the Super Bowl title. The next season, their 15-1 record came crashing to a halt against the New York Giants in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday it's important for his team to continue its momentum.

"I think momentum is very important in any sport, so it's something that you try to build, but I think you have to be realistic on what you gain from momentum," McCarthy said. "To me, momentum is more important to be utilized for refocusing, staying true to how you initially gained production that put you in a position of momentum. Momentum is something you can view as an energy source, but you have to be realistic on how you think it affects your football team.

"This game, a lot of it's about confidence. When you have success you're able to build your confidence, but you definitely have to guard against overconfidence."

-rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood