Packers’ Jordan Love in Tier 4 of PFF’s Quarterback Rankings

Pro Football Focus ranked the starting quarterbacks. Jordan Love is 11th. Here’s what he focused on this offseason.

Jordan Love at Packers OTAs / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is on the “cusp of greatness” and ranks 11th out of 32 starters in Pro Football Focus’ quarterback rankings.

PFF’s Trevor Sikkema broke the quarterbacks into seven tiers. Love is atop the fourth tier and is No. 1 in the NFC North.

“His play was elite down the stretch and into the playoffs,” he wrote. “If how Love ended the year is closer to what we can expect of him moving forward, he will ascend this list very quickly.”

During the final eight games of last season, Love was one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks by every metric. From Game 10 through Game 17, 33 quarterbacks threw at least 100 passes. From that group, Love by the official NFL stats ranked:

- First with 2,150 passing yards.

- First with one interception.

- Second with a 112.7 passer rating.

- Second with 18 touchdowns.

- Second with 196 completions.

- Third with a 70.3 percent completion rate.

- Ninth with 7.7 yards per attempt.

By those same criteria, Love by PFF’s metrics ranked:

- First with 20 big-time throws.

- First with 13 more big-time throws than turnover-worthy plays.

- Third in PFF’s position grades.

- Third with a big-time-throw percentage of 7.0.

- Fourth with an adjusted completion percentage of 77.9 (drops counted as completions).

So, what did Love work on this offseason to take the next step?

“There’s always little things,” he said after Tuesday’s practice at Packers OTAs. “I think the biggest thing for me is just staying poised in the pocket, being able to say balanced in the pocket. Sometimes, I get out of whack with my feet and I might start drifting in the pocket too much. Just pocket awareness, making smaller moves and understanding when I’ve got to get out of there.

“Also throwing on the run, being able to escape the pocket and make those off-schedule plays is something I worked a good amount on. Also, just being comfortable, seeing the defense, going back and watching the tape, seeing things I could have done different with picking up protections and things I wasn’t doing earlier on that I started being able to pick up on later in the season. But I think the biggest thing for me is just pocket movement, making smaller movements.”

As the Packers and Love’s agents work toward a lucrative, long-term contract extension, it was business as usual for Love as he’s “building that chemistry” to get ready for the season.

“I just think you feel the confidence from him, the way he projects himself in front of the team, and that’s what you expect,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “You expect guys to continue to push and get better and better and better. I know the guys, they all respect the hell out of him, just in terms of who he is as a man and the work he puts in. He’s so consistent. He shows up every day with a great attitude and just being one of the guys.”

If Love can pick up from where he left off last season, he will cement his status as one of the game’s elite quarterbacks and zoom deep into top-10 status. Already, Love has the fifth-shortest odds to win NFL MVP at FanDuel Sportsbook at +1400. The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, who is No. 1 in PFF’s rankings, is the favorite.

A year of starting experience for Love and his fleet of young pass-catchers could make him even more dangerous than the quarterback who routed the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs. At the same time, opposing defensive coordinators have had an offseason to see what Love does best.

“I feel like that’s always the challenge in football,” Love said. “Teams, they spend the whole offseason scouting. Obviously, our whole coaching staff spends their time scouting other teams and what they did. We know going into this year, teams are going to have a better feel of what we do, what we did good. That’s their job, is to try to figure out how to stop that. I think that’s the fun part about the NFL. You’re always getting everybody’s best.”

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