Week 6 went a long way toward solidifying the Philadelphia Eagles as a power in the NFC.

Part of that is tied to their Thursday night road win over the Carolina Panthers, but events around the NFL over the last several days are likely to have a more significant, long-term impact.

The biggest story, without question, is the injury to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He broke his collarbone Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and could be done for the season. There is a leaguewide ripple effect anytime a player of his caliber is lost, and that certainly pertains to other conference contenders. Heading into the week, the Packers (then 4-1) were ranked No. 2 overall in ESPN's Power Rankings behind only the Kansas City Chiefs. Given Rodgers' otherworldly ability -- on display in a last-minute win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 -- it was a distinct possibility that the 2017 playoffs would run through Green Bay. That is less likely now.

Here's an example of how much Rodgers' absence weighs on the outlook: His injury caused the point spread for next week's New Orleans Saints-Packers game to move 10 points, taking the Packers from 6.5-point favorites over the Saints to 3.5-point underdogs.

While not quite as pronounced, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is another player whose absence can seriously alter the dynamic. On Thursday, a federal appeals court cleared the way for the NFL to impose Elliott's six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations. Assuming that holds, he wouldn't be eligible to play again until Nov. 30. The Cowboys (2-3) have some tough matchups between now and then, including home versus the Chiefs, at the Atlanta Falcons and home versus the Eagles, who surely wouldn't mind missing Elliott for the first of the NFC East rivals' two matchups.

The Packers lost Sunday; same for last year's NFC representative in the Super Bowl, the Falcons. The Eagles exit the week as the only NFC team with five wins.

As Week 6 showed, an NFL season can be turned on its head in no time flat. There's no guarantee that the Eagles will be near the top of the heap in several weeks just because they are right now. But there's no denying that they're well-positioned. They are 5-1 despite playing four of their first six on the road, and are perfect in the NFC East (2-0) and in the conference (4-0). They have a chance to improve on those marks next Monday at home against the Washington Redskins -- the first of three straight at Lincoln Financial Field.