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Packers fans are going to love what Marquez Valdes-Scantling is doing for Aaron Rodgers

By Russell S. Baxter

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 24: Marquez Valdes-Scantling #83 of the Green Bay Packers completes a touchdown reception in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 24: Marquez Valdes-Scantling #83 of the Green Bay Packers completes a touchdown reception in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Matt LaFleur’s team has been looking for some help opposite Davante Adams and this three-year pro is looking to make a stronger case.

The numbers that the 2020 NFL MVP for the top seed in the NFC put up for the top seed in the NFC this past season were pretty incredible. For those who still look at passer rating as a definitive number (opposed to QBR), Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ 121.5 mark in 2020 was the second-best single-season showing behind only…Aaron Rodgers in 2011 (122.5). He hit on 70.7 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards, 48 scores and only five interceptions – as well as a mere seven turnovers.

His top target in recent years has been wideout Davante Adams and for good reason. This past season, he finished with 115 catches for 1,374 yards and more than one-third (18) of Rodgers’ touchdown strikes. Tight end Robert Tonyan (52 receptions, 11 for scores) and running back Aaron Jones (47) finished second and third, respectively, in catches for Matt LaFleur’s club.

Tied for fourth in receptions were wideouts Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard (33). The latter totaled 451 yards and reached the end zone three times. The former was far more impressive, rolling up an impressive 690 yards (20.9 average) and six touchdowns. And the three-year pro appears to be determined to make a bigger impact in 2021.

It’s safe to say that the additional work is necessary. In three NFL seasons, the 2018 fifth-round pick has played in 48 regular-season contests, been targeted 192 times and hauled in 97 passes for 1,723 yards and 10 scores. That’s a solid 17.8 yards per reception but a disappointing 50.5 catch percentage. Meanwhile, Adams was targeted 149 times alone this past season and his catch percentage was an impressive 77.2 percent.

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So could the defending NFC North champions, , who led the league with 509 points this past season, be even more efficient and explosive? Rodgers could certainly use help from a more-consistent Valdes-Scantling, a 12-game starter in 2020. It’s a team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, witness an NFL-low 11 turnovers this past season. But their best deep threat must up his game this year and beyond.

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