Beware, NFL: Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay Packers Are Only Going to Get Stronger

One glare said it all. 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't happy with wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling after a second-quarter dropped pass that would have become an easy first-down conversion, and it was obvious to everyone watching.

But things changed, and Green Bay's offense found a groove during the Packers' dominant 34-17 victory Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers. 

The moment could be a turning point for the entire team insomuch as it's only going to get better if the quarterback has functional receiving threats beyond Davante Adams, the defense shows improvement and the team's health improves. 

At 6-2, Green Bay is already counted among the NFC's elite squads despite losing two of its previous three contents. The Packers are far from perfect on both sides of the ball. That's OK because the same can be said of the conference's other top teams.

Growth over the second half of the regular season will determine who becomes the favorite to emerge as the preeminent Super Bowl contender. 

Everything starts with Rodgers, of course. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has been exceptional with a 24-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio to date. He shredded a solid 49ers defense despite multiple weapons missing from his supporting cast. 

Within those missing pieces, a brighter future can be found. 

To his credit, Aaron Jones returned to the lineup after nursing a calf injury and looked like he could handle an extensive work rate if the Packers needed him to do so. They didn't. Still, the explosive back managed 79 yards on 20 touches. 

"Anytime you're dealing with something muscular, you just never want to commit to that because you don't know how he's going to feel," head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game. "But he woke up this morning and felt great."

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Green Bay may not have wanted to hurry Jones along in his recovery, but the team didn't have an option with Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillion on the reserve/COVID-19 list. To make matters worse, fourth-string running back Dexter Williams left the game with a knee injury. Tyler Ervin, who is more of a hybrid playing both running back and wide receiver, took over duties in the second half and looked like a functional piece within the offensive scheme. 

With Jones getting healthier by the week and the eventual return of the team's second and third backs, the Packers' running game will be back in full force behind the game's third-best offensive front, according to Establish the Run's Brandon Thorn. 

A lack of continuity among the Packers' starting five belies how good the group has been and could be. Green Bay's coaching staff has been forced to shuffle its offensive line multiple times already this season. David Bakhtiari, who is counted among the league's premier blockers, hasn't played since Week 6 due to a chest injury. 

Green Bay opened Thursday's game with Billy Turner at left tackle and Rick Wagner on the right side. The unit underwent a further transformation when Wagner left the contest with a knee injury. At that point, Turner went back to right tackle, left guard Elgton Jenkins kicked out to left tackle and rookie Jon Runyan Jr. entered the contest at guard. 

Two things should be gleaned from this constant churn in the trenches. First, the Packers are still playing exceptionally well up front despite the circumstances. Second, Bakhtiari is expected to return at some point in the near future, which will give the Packers their projected starting five and possibly allow them to settle as a group through the final eight games. 

A comfortable Rodgers in the pocket accompanied by a strong run game will only make the deadly passer even more dangerous—as long as his targets don't let him down. 

The Valdes-Scantling drop could have snowballed into another disappointing performance. Instead, the third-year receiver exploded with two receptions for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 52-yard score. 

The issue always came down to the trust factor. Valdes-Scantling has the tools, but he's been missing something up to this point. 

"Confidence. Not lack of ability. Confidence." Rodgers told Fox's Joe Buck. 

To Rodgers' point, MVS had caught only 47 percent of his targeted passes entering Thursday's contest, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

"To see someone who's resilient and tough-minded, that's what we're looking for on this football team," LaFleur told reporters. 

Even so, the Packers surprisingly didn't make a move at the trade deadline to acquire another wide receiver. The front office continually placed trust in its current weapons throughout free agency, the draft and the deadline. 

Obviously, Adams is great. As ESPN Stats & Info noted, he became the first wide receiver in NFL history with three games of 10 catches and 150 or more receiving yards through his team's first eight games. The Packers' WR1 finished Thursday's contest with 10 grabs for 173 yards and a touchdown.  

As hard as opponents try, they simply can't cover Adams. With that said, Rodgers shouldn't be forced to rely solely on his favorite target. An expanded cast will make Green Bay's offense indefensible, and the unit has already scored on all eight opening drives this season. 

Previously, the squad's running backs and tight end Robert Tonyan had picked up the slack as weapons in the passing game. Nevertheless, another consistent threat at wide receiver will make opposing coverage responsibilities far more difficult. 

Maybe Valdes-Scantling builds on this performance and gains the confidence he needs to become far more reliable. Or—the more likely scenario—Allen Lazard returns from his core muscle injury and reclaims his spot as the offense's No. 2 target. 

Lazard has been practicing, but the team remains judicious with his activation. He could return by next Sunday's contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

On the other side of the ball, the Packers showed some improvement. Granted, injuries and COVID-19 protocols decimated the 49ers' lineup. But San Francisco utilizes the game's best-devised run-game scheme. Kyle Shanahan's crew averaged 3.2 yards per carry against a Green Bay defense that has struggled this season. 

Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press

Four days prior, the Minnesota Vikings' Dalvin Cook shredded Mike Pettine's defense to the tune of 163 yards and three touchdowns. 

"We've all got to look critically at ourselves, and we better figure out a solution quickly," LaFleur told reporters after Sunday's 28-22 loss, "because the formula's been written, and we have got to step up and get it fixed. If not, we're going to continue to get these types of results."

Surely, the 49ers' situation helped the Packers perform better in this particular area. Yet four of the next eight games will be against those counted among the bottom 10 of the league in average yards per attempt. Two more rank outside the top 12. Only the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles have ground attacks that should be difficult to handle in the coming weeks. 

As a result, the Packers should improve upon the league's 29th-ranked DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) against the run, per Football Outsiders. 

Again, Green Bay has its issues, just like every other NFC squad. The Seattle Seahawks are atrocious on defense. The rival Chicago Bears have major issues at quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still building a rhythm with all their new parts. The New Orleans Saints have issues with wide receiver Michael Thomas. And no one wants to talk about the NFC Least. 

Rodgers and Co. should open eyes in the coming weeks as they establish themselves as the NFC's team to beat. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.