Two days before the start of training camp in late July, Mike McCarthy stood behind a podium and unequivocally stated what the identity of the Green Bay Packers would be A.F. -- After Four.

"The Football team has moved forward with the emphasis on defense, because that's what I believe in, and that's what the philosophy as we move forward will be," McCarthy said on July 26. "Defense will be our starting point. That will be the common thread that runs through the Football team.

"I look for our defense to do bigger things, the individuals on that defense to step forward."

Four months and two days later, the Packers are 5-6 and their postseason hopes flickering, in good measure because the unit McCarthy had so much confidence in has failed to deliver.

After 11 games, the numbers do not lie.

The Packers rank 17th in total defense. They haven't finished a season ranked that low since 2004, when they were 25th. Only three times since 1992 have the Packers finished with a total defense ranked lower than 17th.

Against the run, the Packers have the 26th-ranked unit. Green Bay hasn't ended a season ranked that low since it finished 26th in 1983. It hasn't finished lower since being ranked 28th against the run in 1979.

"At this point in the year, everybody is who they are," Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman said.

He was talking about the Carolina Panthers' offense. He might as well have been talking about the Packers' defense.

What the Packers have been defensively to this point has been decidedly uneven.

They'll hold the Detroit Lions to 49 yards rushing in Week 2 and then surrender 217 to the Dallas Cowboys the next.

The Packers gave up 79 yards rushing to the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 19. In the next two games against the Tennessee Titans and Vikings, Green Bay allowed an average of 199.0.

Things finally hit a perplexing bottom on Monday night. One week after seemingly having it together in a 37-3 win over the Chicago Bears in which they allowed a season-low nine first downs, the Packers gave up 51 points and 416 total yards, including 318 passing yards.

The latest performance seems to have the players, who finished last season with the 11th overall defense and 14th against the run, wondering what is going on.

"Every year has peaks and valleys, but this year it seems like we're having so many," defensive tackle Ryan Pickett said. "One week we're up, one week we're down. It's just inconsistency. We're a good team, but we need to be a good team all the time. It's not showing up.

" . . .We have to correct that. We're fortunate enough to be in a place where we have enough time to correct it. But it has to be right now."

Absolutely.

If the Packers are going to be the kind of defensive team McCarthy envisioned before the season, it has to happen in the final five games.

And not only does the season depend on it, but jobs also could be on the line.

The last three times the Packers finished 17th or lower in total defense, the defensive coordinator was not retained the following season (Bob Slowik '05, Ed Donatell '04 and Emmitt Thomas '99).

That would mean defensive coordinator Bob Sanders' job could very much be in jeopardy if his unit does not show marked improvement.

When asked if he thinks he is coaching for his job over the final five games, Sanders said the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

"I feel like I'm coaching to try to win a Football game," he said. "We've got a game . . . I don't worry about that. I've been at it a long time and I think if you ask our guys, they know where my heart is. I'm focused on trying to beat the Carolina Panthers . That's my focus each and every day. . . . We've got a good defense, and our guys will respond."

Sanders will have to have his players on point Sunday against the 8-3 Carolina Panthers . They are bringing the league's No. 6 rushing offense behind backs DeAngelo Williams (5.1 average) and rookie Jonathan Stewart (4.3). The Panthers also have dangerous receivers in Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad, and a veteran quarterback in Jake Delhomme who knows how to pick apart a secondary that was as shoddy as the Packers were on Monday night.

Five games to go. Little if any margin for error. A good opponent coming to Lambeau Field for the start of the first and only two-game homestand of the season.

If the Packers' defense is going to embrace McCarthy's preseason vision, it has to happen immediately.

"There's nobody in here that doesn't believe we shouldn't win every game," Pickett said. "We definitely have that in us. We definitely have the players and the capability to put that together. We have to create consistency. That's what we've been struggling with, man. We have to be right all the time."

Now or never.