Green Bay owned October. The NFL handed out its monthly awards Thursday, and the Packers walked away with two of the biggest: safety Evan Williams was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month, while cornerback Brandon Cisse took Defensive Rookie of the Month.

It's a telling double for a Green Bay secondary that spent the month making life miserable for opposing passers — a veteran-and-rookie pairing getting league-wide recognition in the same cycle.

The rest of the ballot spread the wealth. Giants receiver Malik Nabers claimed NFC Offensive Player of the Month after a huge October, and Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin earned the NFC special teams nod on the strength of a near-flawless stretch. On the AFC side, Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Month after anchoring Denver's defense through the heart of the schedule.

Monthly awards don't hand out wins, but they tend to track with the teams trending up at midseason — and right now the arrow in Green Bay points firmly north, on the defensive side especially. For Cisse, the rookie honor also plants an early flag in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.