Winners and losers for Packers in tough Week 8 win over Jaguars

The sign of a good team is finding ways to win in the face of adversity.

Jordan Love's groin injury threatened to derail the Green Bay Packers' hopes of winning a favorable road matchup, and the challenge became more daunting once rookie star Evan Williams joined him in the medical tent.

Matt LaFleur's team is resilient and found a way to win, which has become a theme for the Packers in 2024. You should never apologize for winning. Josh Jacobs and Malik Willis put the offense on their backs, while the defense made just enough plays to get the job done.

Who were the biggest winners and losers for the Packers in what turned out to be a far more dramatic game than expected?

Biggest winners and losers for Packers after beating Jaguars in Week 8

Winner: Malik Willis

Willis did it again.

When the Packers sent a seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans at the end of the preseason, nobody expected this. Willis has been an incredible addition, and Green Bay wouldn't be 6-2 without him.

Willis already proved the Packers can win without Jordan Love earlier in the season, and he stepped up again, completing four of five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. His only incompletion may have been his best pass of the day, a picture-perfect rocket that Romeo Doubs dropped. Willis threw a 51-yard completion to Jayden Reed to set up the game-winning field goal, and he audibled into that play at the line of scrimmage.

This season, Willis has completed 74.4 percent of his passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Loser: Eric Stokes

Evan Williams' injury caused the Packers to reshuffle their secondary, which gave Eric Stokes more snaps. Per PFF, he allowed two receptions for 43 yards on three targets, earning a disappointing coverage grade of 44.6.

It was another tough afternoon for the former first-round pick. This season, quarterbacks have earned a 108.5 passer rating when throwing his way. If Williams is out for a while, it may be time for the Packers to give Carrington Valentine more snaps.

Winner: Josh Jacobs

It wasn't a good day for the "Josh Jacobs is washed" crowd. He is quietly having an outstanding season. Jacobs put the team on his back following Love's injury, rushing 25 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and his 38-yard touchdown run was a thing of beauty.

Jacobs made two defenders miss before racing into the end zone. He continues to prove Brian Gutekunst right for spending big to bring him to Green Bay. The former All-Pro ranks fourth in the NFL for rushing yards with 667, and he is on pace to finish the season with 1,417 yards, which would be the second-best of his career.

Loser: Emanuel Wilson

Emanuel Wilson may have lost the RB2 job. He split carries with Chris Brooks, but it was the former Miami Dolphin who played the most snaps between the two running backs. Brooks was also more efficient on the ground, rushing for 16 yards for an average of four per carry, whereas Wilson managed just five yards for a 1.3 average.

The Packers have excellent running back depth behind Jacobs, but Wilson's role could be decreasing, especially with MarShawn Lloyd's return not far away.

Winner: Edgerrin Cooper

It's not an exaggeration to say the Packers wouldn't have won this game without Edgerrin Cooper.

With Green Bay leading by three late in the third quarter, Cooper forced a fumble on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, which gave the Packers possession at Jacksonville's 5-yard line. Lawrence hit a wide-open Christian Kirk on the next drive for a potential 35-yard gain, but Cooper never gave up on the play and chased down Kirk to force an incompletion. The rookie shut down consecutive Jaguars drives.

Cooper made two other third-down stops in the game. He can make plays in coverage but is flashing elite potential as a pass-rusher—no linebacker has a higher PFF pass-rush grade than Cooper's 90.9 this season.

Loser: Javon Bullard

Fellow second-round pick Javon Bullard is enjoying a promising rookie campaign but he endured his worst day as a pro. Evan Williams' injury forced Bullard to move back to safety despite spending most of his time in the slot over the past few weeks.

Bullard gave up four receptions in his coverage, including a touchdown to Brian Thomas, and PFF also credited him with two missed tackles.

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