Jordan Love Heating Up, Just Like Last Year

With the Packers getting ready for a rematch against the Lions, Jordan Love is starting to look like the quarterback who dominated down the stretch last season.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes the ball against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After a mistake-filled first half of his first season as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, Jordan Love was as hot as any quarterback on the planet in leading the team to the playoffs last year.

Is Love following a similar script to this season?

Since losing to the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field before their bye week, a game in which Love was playing through a groin injury and served up a pick-six before halftime, the Packers have won three in a row heading into a rematch against the Lions at Ford Field on Thursday night.

The play of Love is a big season why.

Of 31 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 40 passes the last three weeks, Love is third with a 120.8 passer rating. Love, the Vikings’ Sam Darnold, the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the Rams’ Matthew Stafford are the only quarterbacks with three 100-passer-rating games the past three weeks.

Here’s the tale of the tape.

Jordan Love: Weeks 1-10

(Out of 36 quarterbacks with at least 100 passing attempts)

Passer rating: 88.2 (20th)

Completion percentage: 61.3 (31stt)

Touchdowns-Interceptions: 15-10 (23rd)

Yards per attempt: 7.6 (11th)

Air yards per attempt: 9.5 (fourth)

Yards per completion: 12.4 (fourth)

Jordan Love: Weeks 11-13

(Out of 31 quarterbacks with at least 40 passing attempts)

Passer rating: 120.8 (third)

Completion percentage: 69.1 (12th)

Touchdowns-Interceptions: 5-1 (tie, 11th)

Yards per attempt: 10.3 (first)

Air yards per attempt: 9.3 (ninth)

Yards per completion: 14.9 (first)

Distilling all those numbers into one statement, Love is completing a higher percentage of his passes, making fewer big mistakes and creating just as many big plays.

Love said he felt “decent” before the first Detroit game. The bye allowed him a chance to get healthy and reset himself mentally.

“I think at this point in the season, I’m definitely a little bit more healthy,” Love said on Sunday, “so definitely be a little bit different style of play out there, being able to extend plays more, things like that.”

It’s not only Love’s health that has improved since the bye. So has his decision-making. After throwing 10 interceptions in his first seven starts, Love has thrown only one during the three-game winning streak. And that was a bad pass at Chicago and not a bad decision.

“I would tell you the thing that we stressed the most is just playing with good fundamentals and reading with your feet,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the Miami game, his second consecutive game with two touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

“He’s done it in practice. He’s been very conscious of doing that. Tom (Clements) does a great job with our quarterbacks and giving them the coaching points that they need. But it’s ultimately up to the player to take it, and I think he’s taken it to heart. He works extremely hard, and I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I really do.”

Love has been more apt to take the checkdown the last few weeks, creating all sorts of easy yards. At the same time, only the Vikings’ Sam Darnold (in 12 starts) has more yards on deep passes than Love (in 10 starts).

“I love his mindset, how aggressive he is. He’s always trying to end you,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said before losing Love and the Packers last Sunday.

“He’s always going for the big plays, and he’s got the skill-set with his feet, too, that, when things aren’t there, he can make a lot of plays. Big, tall guy, very athletic, and we know how good he’s been these two years, and he is going to be good for a long time.” 

With Love starting to look like the quarterback who took the league by storm down the stretch last season, a talented offense is starting to reach expectations.

During the three-game winning streak, the Packers are fourth with 29.3 points per game.

“I think the biggest thing starts with just taking care of the ball,” Love said after Thursday’s win. “That something that I’ve been focusing on and trying to do a better job (is) taking care of the ball, because it starts there (with) not putting our defense in bad positions and making it easy on the other team. So, that’s where it starts.

“And then just going out there and finding completions. Getting the ball in the playmakers’ hands is something that we always talk about. And you see these guys, once they catch the ball, they’re getting some big time YAC out there. So, that’s really the key to our offense. And like I said, my job is continue to be great taking care of the ball.”

Latest Green Bay Packers News 

With Jordan Love a threat to go deep at a moment's notice, the #Packers' YAC attack has made the passing game a real pain to stop. ⬇️https://t.co/hkfu18himk

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 2, 2024

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