Green Bay Packers: Week Ten MVP and Other Awards

The Green Bay Packers squeaked out an ugly win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, so it’s time to hand out some awards to the top performers.

Offensive MVP – Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Well, another typical week for number 83. MVS giveth and MVS…*checks notes* giveth more? That can’t be right. Four catches for 149 yards, including an electrifying 78-yard touchdown and no horrendous third-down drops? Well, alright, then I guess it’s time for us all to get our hopes up about the Green Bay Packers’ best big-play threat.

With the Packers’ running game being very lackluster and running backs averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, they needed to throw the ball well to win. Davante Adams was kept somewhat quiet by rookie first-round pick C.J. Henderson and went out for a time with a minor injury. With Green Bay’s lack of other options, Valdes-Scantling came up big for the second week in a row. He now has three touchdowns in two games and back-to-back games catching a deep bomb. He’s really a huge X-factor for this offense, and if he can do this once a game or at least put enough pressure deep on the safeties, it will open up things tremendously underneath.

Defensive MVP – Za’Darius Smith

No one on the Packers’ defense really deserves this award. The run defense was subpar once again, and many of the stops they got against the pass, including the interception by Adrian Amos, were to due either a receiver slipping, a bad throw by Jake Luton, or both. The pass rush did finally come alive near the end of the game and get some pressure, so it will be Za’Darius Smith who led that charge who will take the award home this week.

Smith had a total of five tackles, four of them solo, along with a sack and another QB hit. This also could have gone to Preston Smith, who had two tackles for loss, including a sack, but I just couldn’t because of how terribly he played against the run in the first half. Someone, either Matt Lafleur or a defensive coach, gave them a kick in the pants at halftime because they came out with some fire early in the second half, but it didn’t last, and the Jaguars scoring output mirrored the first half.

Get Paid Award – David Bakhtiari

Technically, Bakhtiari signed his contract to stay with the Green Bay Packers for four more years last night, but the news broke during the game. It is some slightly strange timing coming off of three weeks being injured, but the work on these things is always being done behind the scenes, and he’s earned it based on his complete body of work in his time here.

His new contract is 4 years, $105.5 million, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Obviously, as inflation continues and the salary cap rises every year, every new contract for a top player is the highest in NFL history, but this is a massive deal. It does, however, mean that the Packers will have to save that money in other places on the roster next offseason, and some other pricey players could be on the chopping block.

Straight Line Award – Packers Punt Coverage

Five Green Bay Packers’ players succeeded in making a very straight line while covering a punt against the Jaguars. Unfortunately, that line was made vertically on the field and not horizontally like it’s supposed to. Take a look:

When guys don’t stay in their lanes on punt returns, bad things happen. This play was no exception, and Keenan Cole took that punt all the way back to the house for a touchdown. The Packers are an extremely talented team with top-tier guys at lots of premium positions, but they have some holes, as does any team, and they can’t afford fundamental special teams mistakes like this if they want to be serious contenders.

Celebration of the Week – Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers makes his second appearance on the Celebration of the Year award, this team with a Michael Jordan-like shrug after his deep touchdown to MVS. Aaron Rodgers is the king of subtle celebrations. Early in the season, he had a funny flex in front of the celebration camera but was beaten out by Za’Darius Smith for the weekly award and then won it with his Hingle Mccringleberry dance a few weeks ago against the Buccaneers, which currently sits atop the leaderboard.

His shrug this week wasn’t quite enough to beat that, but who doesn’t like a good imitation of a great. Rodgers hasn’t won with an original celebration yet this year, though, and while his rip off ones are great, maybe he should do something original. Let’s see does he have an original celebration that’s just his own and has a nickname? That’s right, I’m talking about the Discount Doublecheck belt. It’s time, Aaron. It’s time.

Celebration of the Year Leaderboard

1. Aaron Rodgers – Hingle Mccringleberry
2. Soul Train Line
3. Za’Darius Smith – Rest in Heaven Breonna Taylor
4. Aaron Rodgers – Michael Jordan Shrug
5. Jamaal Williams – Being a complete goofball
6. Chandon Sullivan – Lambeau Leap
7. Ifeadi Odenigbo – Premature Airplane

What did you think about the Green Bay Packers’ relatively ugly win this week? Would you change anything in the Celebration of the Year rankings? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.