Packers-Vikings Big Matchups: Jordan Love vs. Brian Flores

In a strength-vs.-strength matchup, who will have the upper hand between Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium last year. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – No defensive coordinator blitzes more than the Minnesota Vikings’ Brian Flores.

“We’re definitely going to see a lot of blitzes,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said in looking ahead to the Green Bay Packers’ showdown at the Vikings on Sunday.

No quarterback has been better against the blitz since the bye than Green Bay’s Jordan Love.

That sets up a big-time showdown between one of the NFL’s esteemed coordinators against one of the NFL’s rising quarterbacks.

“It’s definitely a big challenge,” Love said after Thursday’s practice. “They do a lot of really good stuff on defense. They throw a lot of different looks at you, a lot of different personnel and a lot of different pressures.”

Flores was in attack mode in the first matchup.

Because the Packers trailed 28-0 midway through the second quarter, they had to scrap the game plan and start throwing it on practically every snap. The score of the game, and the limited mobility of Love as he was coming off a knee injury, led to Flores blitzing Love on 29 of his 56 dropbacks.

Love made some plays but, by and large, Flores won the day. According to Pro Football Focus, Love when blitzed was 18-of-27 passing for 184 yards and one touchdown but two interceptions.

“They make it hard for offenses, make you kind of have to study everything and be prepared for whatever they might throw at you,” Love said. “But we’ve played them a couple times. We’ll learn from every game we’ve played but it’s one of those games you’ve just got to be ready for whatever they might throw at you. They definitely have a lot of different stuff.”

Love struggled against the blitz to start the season, but not anymore. Here are the game-by-game numbers from PFF since the bye.

Chicago: 2-for-3, 68 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 109.7 rating.

San Francisco: 4-of-6, 40 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 125.0 rating.

Miami: 9-of-11, 86 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 129.5 rating.

Detroit: 7-of-13, 150 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 120.7 rating.

Seattle: 8-of-10, 119 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 149.6 rating.

New Orleans: 8-of-10, 60 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 125.0 rating.

During that six-game stretch, Love is third in the NFL with a completion rate of 71.7 percent, thrown five touchdowns with zero interceptions, and is No. 1 with a 134.0 passer rating, according to PFF.

That stands in stark contrast to the first half of the season. Out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks, Love was 32nd in completion percentage (55.2) and 33rd in passer rating (59.1). He threw four touchdowns and a league-worst six interceptions.

“I think some of that may have been his health and his confidence,” Stenavich said. “As of late, I think he’s done a really good job making decisions. He’s done a really good job creating time in the pocket, getting out of trouble and finding some plays down the field. So, I think that’s probably attributed to his ability to move around and make some plays.”

Flores is one of the best coordinators in football. His plan is to attack on first down. Attack on third down. Attack coming off the bus.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Vikings are No. 1 with a blitz rate of 37.5 percent; the Detroit Lions are a distant second at 33.1 percent.

While they’ve given up a lot of yards – 16th in total defense, 30th against the pass – they entered the week ranked fifth in sacks (44), first in interceptions (22) and first in takeaways (30). Really, who cares about yards when you force a lot of turnovers and don’t allow many points (third with 18.4 per game)?

Flores won both matchups against Love at Lambeau Field; Love shredded the Vikings’ undermanned defense in Week 17 of last season.

The Vikings have three players with more sacks than anyone on the Packers, with Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard tied for seventh in the league with 11 and Patrick Jones chipping in seven. Byron Murphy is tied for No. 1 among cornerbacks with six interceptions. Ten players have at least one pick.

Love is going to have to be on top of his game mentally and physically to give the Packers a chance to win what could be a shootout.

“They are going out there and causing problems,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Whether it’s getting sacks on the quarterback, getting hits on the quarterback, getting pressures, forcing the quarterbacks to make bad decisions.

“They can do it out of a variety of different personnels, and they could be out there in one personnel grouping and line up five different ways. It’s the interchangeable pieces and the versatility of those pieces to go play many different positions, where it’s complex for us but it’s easy for them.”

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The #Packers and #Vikings will meet in a heavyweight showdown on Sunday.

Here are three reasons why the Packers will win: ⬇️https://t.co/ctmXGA2Tlt

And three reasons why they will lose: ⬇️https://t.co/DPOGu2RCon

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 28, 2024

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