Comparing Jordan Love’s First 12 Games to Aaron Rodgers in 2008
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love keeps raising the bar.
Love threw eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions in sweeping through the established quarterbacking gauntlet of the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, the Lions’ Jared Goff and, now, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. Against the two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP on Sunday night, Love completed 25-of-36 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
“I think the confidence for me is just growing,” Love said after a 27-19 victory over the Chiefs, the team that routed him in his 2021 debut. “Just every rep I get, every time I’m touching the field, I’m getting more confident, getting more comfortable in the pocket and just making these plays that I make in practice. The confidence is growing. I think the confidence in everybody in that locker room is growing, as well.”
It should be. Two years ago at Kansas City, Love didn’t get the team into the end zone until the waning moments. On Sunday, he broke the Chiefs’ NFL-best streak of 11 consecutive games having allowed 24 or fewer points.
“For me personally, obviously, I’ve had this game circled for a long time,” Love said. “My first start, obviously, didn’t play how I wanted to the first game. So, to be able to see these guys again and get the victory is huge.”
In his 12th start of his debut season as Aaron Rodgers’ successor, Love has led the Packers to three consecutive wins and a 6-6 record. At the same juncture of Rodgers’ debut season in 2008, the Packers lost for the fourth time in five games to tumble to 5-7.
Against Kansas City, the Packers needed to start fast. Love delivered. He was 13-of-16 passing at halftime. The Packers got the ball three times in the first half; the first two possessions resulted in touchdowns.
When the Chiefs pulled within 14-12 in the third quarter, Love threw a miraculous pass to Romeo Doubs for a gain of 33 on fourth-and-1 before a 12-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson.
With the Chiefs within 21-19 in the fourth quarter, Love drove the Packers to a field goal to make it 24-19. After Keisean Nixon’s interception, Love drove the Packers to another field goal, burned most of the clock and extended the lead to 27-19.
Suddenly, an offense that spun its wheels through the first half of the season looks more than a bit like a vintage Rodgers-led attack.
“There’s a trust that our quarterback’s going to make the right decisions,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Ultimately, it comes down to the quarterback making the right decisions and then also trusting that if it’s not clean, if the pocket’s not clean and it starts to collapse around him, that he’s going to get the ball out of his hands and not take a negative play.
“I think we’ve really seen that, especially the last four games or so, of him doing that. That makes it a lot easier as a play-caller to want to be more aggressive and to take our shots.”
In the six games spanning Week 2 against Atlanta through Week 8 against Minnesota, Love averaged 6.0 yards per attempt and never reached 7.0. In the five games spanning Week 9 against the Rams through Week 13 against the Chiefs, Love has averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and never less than 7.2.
The caliber of competition made Love’s night especially impressive. The Chiefs entered the night ranked third with 5.62 yards allowed per attempt. Love averaged 7.42. His 118.6 passer rating was the highest yielded by the Chiefs all season.
“The only word I can think of is extraordinary,” Watson said. “I think his comfortability, his confidence and just his ability to make plays, we’re just seeing more and more every single week. We knew he was special when he first got the job and we saw what he was about, but he has continued to show the world. We’re excited for him.”
While Love got the better of Mahomes, Rodgers in his 12th start in 2008 lost 35-31 to Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers. Rodgers did his part, going 29-of-45 for 298 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but DeAngelo Williams ran for four touchdowns.
Rodgers drove the Packers to the tiebreaking field goal with 1:57 on the clock – two consecutive runs from the 1 were stuffed – but Mark Jones returned the ensuing kickoff to the 45, Delhomme hit Steve Smith for 54 and Williams scored from the 1.
Two plays later, Rodgers was intercepted.
Through their first 12 starts, Rodgers is plus-31 in yards; Love is plus-2 in touchdowns. Rodgers’ 91.2 rating is just a tick ahead of Love’s 90.2.
Jordan Love shredded the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Photo by Tork Mason/USA Today Sports Images
Jordan Love Through Game 12
Week 1, at Chicago (win): 15-of-27 passing, 245 yards, three touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 123.2 rating.
Week 2, at Atlanta (loss): 14-of-25 passing, 151 yards, three touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 113.5 rating.
Week 3, New Orleans (win): 22-of-44 passing, 259 yards, one touchdown vs. one interception, 66.4 rating.
Week 4, Detroit (loss): 23-of-36 passing, 246 yards, one touchdown vs. two interceptions, 69.9 rating.
Week 5, Las Vegas (loss): 16-of-30 passing, 182 yards, zero touchdowns vs. three interceptions, 32.2 rating.
Week 6, bye.
Week 7, Denver (loss): 21-of-31 passing, 180 yards, two touchdowns vs. one interception, 90.8 rating.
Week 8, Minnesota (loss): 24-of-41 passing, 229 yards, one touchdown vs. one interception, 72.1 rating.
Week 9, L.A. Rams (win): 20-of-26 passing, 228 yards, one touchdown vs. zero interceptions, 115.5 rating.
Week 10, Pittsburgh (loss): 21-of-40 passing, 289 yards, two touchdowns vs. two interceptions, 71.8 rating.
Week 11, L.A. Chargers (win): 27-of-40 passing, 322 yards, two touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 108.5 rating.
Week 12, Detroit (win): 22-of-32 passing, 268 yards, three touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 125.5 rating.
Week 13, Kansas City (win): 25-of-36 passing, 267 yards, three touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 118.6 rating.
Total: 250-of-408 passing (61.3 percent), 2,866 yards, 22 touchdowns vs. 10 interceptions, 90.2 rating.
Aaron Rodgers Through Game 12
Week 1, Minnesota (win): 18-of-22 passing, 178 yards, one touchdown vs. zero interceptions, 115.5 rating.
Week 2, at Detroit (win): 24-of-38 passing, 328 yards, three touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 117.0 rating.
Week 3, Dallas (loss): 22-of-39 passing, 290 yards, zero touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 80.1 rating.
Week 4, Tampa Bay (loss): 14-of-27 passing, 165 yards, two touchdowns vs. three interceptions, 55.9 rating.
Week 5, Atlanta (loss): 25-of-37 passing, 313 yards, three touchdowns vs. one interception, 109.4 rating.
Week 6, Seattle (win): 21-of-30 passing, 208 yards, two touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 111.5 rating.
Week 7, Indianapolis (win): 21-of-28 passing, 186 yards, one touchdown vs. zero interceptions, 104.2 rating.
Week 8: Bye
Week 9, Tennessee (loss): 22-of-41 passing, 314 yards, one touchdown vs. one interception, 76.7 rating.
Week 10, Minnesota (loss): 15-of-26 passing for 142 yards, zero touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 72.9 rating.
Week 11, Chicago (win): 23-of-30 passing, 227 yards, two touchdowns vs. one interception, 105.8 rating.
Week 12, New Orleans (loss): 23-of-41 passing, 248 yards, two touchdowns vs. three interceptions, 59.8 rating.
Week 13, Carolina (loss): 29-of-45 passing, 298 yards, three touchdowns vs. one interception, 96.3 rating.
Total: 257-of-404 passing (63.6 percent), 2,897 yards, 20 touchdowns vs. 10 interceptions, 91.2 rating.
