Winners and losers: 5 takeaways from Packers narrow win in Week 8

The Packers could not afford a loss at Jacksonville in Week 8 if they wanted to keep pace with their NFC North rivals. Of course, Green Bay also can't afford a long-term injury to star quarterback Jordan Love if they want to make a deep postseason run. Backup signal-caller Malik Willis came up big to help his team avoid disaster in Jacksonville but he may be forced to keep the team afloat for several more games after Love's latest injury.

Head coach Matt LaFleur didn't mince words when he admitted a "high level of concern" regarding Love's latest injury. The talented passer appeared to injure his groin on the first possession of the game but gutted it out until leaving for good in the third quarter. That allowed Willis to lead his team on a late drive to secure a 30-27 win in Jacksonville.

The Packers' offense performed admirably by putting up 30 points even with their uncertainty at quarterback. Expect to see several members of offensive coordinator Adam Stevanich's unit. The flip side is that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's troops gave up 27 to a Jacksonville offense that's struggled this year. Fans can read on to see which players come in as winners and which players don't make the grade and are labeled losers this week.

Packers winner No. 1: Malik Willis

Willis raised his stock by going 2-0 as a starter when Love was on the shelf earlier this year. His stock may be at an all-time high after coming off the bench to lead his team to a comeback win on Sunday.

It's fair to point out that Willis experienced a fair bit of look when he connected on a 51-yard pass completion to Jayden Reed on the last drive of the game. Jaguars' safety Andre Cisco suffered from cramps on the play and couldn't keep up with the fleet-footed Packers receiver. Willis still wasn't intimidated by the moment as evidenced by him hitting Reed in stride.

Any backup quarterback who can win games as a starter and when coming on in relief of an injured starter is worth their weight in gold in the modern NFL. Willis has proven that he can help his team in either circumstance. Green Bay doesn't ask him to do too much when he comes in place of Love but he executes everything asked of him at a high level. He's the big winner in his team's big Week 8 victory.

Packers winner No. 2: Josh Jacobs

If Josh Jacobs hadn't carved the Jaguars defense up on the ground then Willis never would have experienced the opportunity to engineer a late game-winning drive. The team's star running back found the end zone twice and racked up 125 yards on a heavy 25-carry workload.

Jacobs' productivity allowed Love to try to finish this game even if he proved incapable of that feat. The big-name running back showed speed and power in his game against Jacksonville's physical front-even. Perhaps more importantly, he leveraged excellent field vision to hit the right holes in the big win. It would be prudent for Green Bay to lessen Jacobs' workload in the coming weeks but they may not get that chance if Love misses too much time.

Packers winner No. 3: Brandon McManus

Brandon McManus was signed to stabilize the Packers' kicker position after rookie Brayden Narveson failed to do the job. All he's done in his two weeks as the team's starter is to nail two game-winning kicks as time expired during each of his two appearances.

Neither kick was particularly difficult, but he still made them without any fuss or complication. McManus may never be an All-Pro but Green Bay will be happy with him as long as he continues to make more than his share of routine kicks. His coolness under pressure earns him a spot on this list.

Packers loser No. 1: Jordan Love

It may seem unfair to ding Love due to injury but this is shaping up to be the second time he misses game action during the first half of one season. It's too early to call Love injury prone but he needs to avoid another injury this season if he wants to stop people from putting that label on him.

Unlike a lot of injury prone quarterbacks around the league, Love isn't putting his body in danger by taking unnecessary hits. He uses his legs at the appropriate times and avoids contact when possible.

That makes him picking up another lower body injury in this game more troubling. Every game he misses due to injury puts him a step away from being considered an elite NFL starter. In a weird way, Willis' ability to engineer wins in his absence also raises questions about just how important Love is to his team's success this season.

Packers loser No. 2 (and 3): The veteran edge rushers

Rashan Gary and Preston Smith are being paid a lot of money by the Packers to rush opposing quarterbacks. The fact that the veteran defensive ends only managed two tackles and zero sacks in this game was a real reason why Jacksonville moved the ball so effectively.

Smith's spot in the starting lineup should be especially tenuous. Lukas Van Ness is behind him on the depth chart and has youth on his side. He is a player on the ascendancy whereas Smith is clearly showing signs of significant age-related decline.

Gary's starting spot is a bit safer, but he needs to pick his play up down the stretch if he doesn't want to see Green Bay go shopping for a potential replacement in the offseason. The Packers need better player from their perimeter pass rushers if they want to grow into legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Neither Smith or Gary lived up to their responsibilities in Jacksonville.