3 Takeaways from Packers' Week 10 Win

It wasn't the Green Bay Packers' best showing of the 2020 season, but that didn't matter. They still held on for a 24-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field on Sunday, remaining in control of the NFC North while improving to 7-2.

Green Bay took the lead with nine minutes, three seconds to go in the fourth quarter on a six-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams. From there, its defense shut down the Jags for the rest of the game to notch the win.

After its Week 5 bye, Green Bay lost two of its next three games. Now, it's won two straight, as it followed up its Week 9 victory over the San Francisco 49ers with a close win over Jacksonville 10 days later.

The Packers own a two-game lead in the NFC North over the Chicago Bears, who are set to play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

Here are three takeaways from Green Bay's win on Sunday.

Valdes-Scantling Stepped Up Big Again

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

For the second straight game, Marquez Valdes-Scantling enjoyed a big showing for the Packers. And this week, it came in windy conditions at Lambeau Field that could have made it tough for the team to move the ball through the air.

Instead, the 26-year-old recorded a career-high 149 yards on four catches, including a 78-yard touchdown grab early in the second quarter for Green Bay's first points of the game. After going six consecutive games without a touchdown, he now has three over the past two weeks.

"We're pretty used to being able to go out and throw in the wind and know what passes you can throw and what passes you can't throw," Valdes-Scantling said, according to Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. "You have Aaron Rodgers, he can get pretty much get any football through any wind, so it doesn't really matter."

It helps when Rodgers has talented playmakers to throw the ball to, and Valdes-Scantling is emerging as one for the Packers. He's a deep-ball threat, so he doesn't put up big numbers some weeks when he and Rodgers aren't able to connect. But the two have been dialed in recently, which helps take some of the pressure off Adams, the clear No. 1 option in the receiving corps.

Not only did Valdes-Scantling set a career high in receiving yards, but it was also his first 100-yard game since Oct. 20, 2019. But Rodgers has been looking for him a good bit recently, targeting him 10 times in the past two games, so perhaps he'll continue to put up big numbers in the near future.

The Defense Had a Solid Showing, Especially Late

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The Packers were taking on the one-win Jaguars, who started rookie Jake Luton at quarterback. It was only the 2020 sixth-round draft pick's second career start, so Green Bay was expected to take advantage.

However, the 24-year-old backup had passed for 304 yards in his NFL debut against the Houston Texans a week earlier, so it was important for the Packers not to overlook him and the Jags.

And they didn't. Green Bay held Jacksonville to 260 total yards (including just 169 through the air for Luton) and forced two turnovers. The defense allowed only one touchdown (a 12-yard pass from Luton to Keelan Cole Sr.), and that came after a turnover put the Jaguars at the Green Bay 16-yard line to begin their drive early in the third quarter. Jacksonville's only other touchdown came on a 91-yard punt return by Cole in the second quarter.

The most impressive showings by the Packers' defense came at the end. After losing their lead, the Jaguars had the ball at their own seven-yard line with 8:56 to go in the fourth quarter. They had a 10-play drive, but Green Bay limited them to 43 yards and forced them to punt from midfield.

The Packers went three-and-out, so the Jaguars had another opportunity for a potential game-tying drive when they took over with a great field position, starting at their own 47-yard line with 2:25 remaining.

However, Green Bay's defense stepped up, with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith notching key sacks after Jacksonville had moved close to field-goal range, and the drive ended with Luton throwing an incomplete pass on a 4th-and-26 play.

It was exactly what the Packers needed to put this game away, and it proved their defense is capable of making big plays and getting key stops at the most opportune times.

A Win Is a Win, Even Though Packers Weren't at Best

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Green Bay may have led at halftime, but head coach Matt LaFleur made it clear after the game that he felt his team didn't show enough energy until late in the contest. Perhaps that's why the Packers were blanked in the third quarter and found themselves trailing early in the fourth.

Moving forward, LaFleur doesn't want to see that happen again.

"We will challenge everybody in this organization that's a part of this football team to bring more emotion," he said, per Megargee. "You can't take these opportunities for granted."

There are going to be times during a 16-game regular season when even the top NFL teams don't play their best and are in jeopardy of losing to a lesser opponent. Some will even go on to suffer an upset loss. Not the Packers, though, who still came back to win on a day when they clearly weren't at their best.

It's an indication that Green Bay is a strong veteran-led team that appears to be marching toward its second straight playoff appearance. But it has some challenging matchups ahead, including a Week 11 road game against the Indianapolis Colts.

However, it's likely the Packers will play better than they did Sunday, especially after maintaining their momentum in a game in which they did not appear to bring their full energy.