The Green Bay Packers, led by Jordan Love, defeated the Los Angeles Rams 20-3 on Sunday afternoon to improve to 3-5 on the 2023 NFL season.
Love and the offence deserve a lot of credit as well, even though the defence deserves a lot of credit for holding the Rams to three points (yes, Los Angeles started Brett Rypien at quarterback instead of Matthew Stafford, but it was still a fantastic performance).
There has been much discussion among supporters for weeks regarding whether Love is good enough to start for Green Bay as the starting quarterback for many years to come, particularly during the team’s current four-game losing streak. The Packers should move on, according to Love’s critics, because of his poor completion percentage, occasionally dubious decision-making, and the offense’s difficulties.
Love’s supporters, which include former players like Gilbert Brown, Donald Driver, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, and LeRoy Butler, have focused more attention on the wide receivers’ and offensive line’s patchy play. They have argued that Love would appear much better and that perhaps people would realise he is not the major problem that detractors believe him to be if these issues were resolved.
In the first half, the Green Bay Packers offence did not do Jordan Love any favours.
The offence of the Packers accomplished something against the Rams that it had not done since playing the Atlanta Falcons in Week Two: they scored a touchdown in the first half. In the second quarter, Aaron Jones found the end zone to give the Packers a 7-0 lead and end a five-game run of scoreless opening frames.
Even with this minor triumph, the offensive was unable to overcome its own obstacles. Drives were stalled and Green Bay was forced to punt due to dropped passes and multiple offensive line penalties, including two offsides calls against right guard Jon Runyan Jr. Many of these calls were made shortly after Love and the offence had settled into a groove and were beginning to move the ball effectively.
Love’s play suffered from mental errors and inconsistent play. He completed 8 of his 13 attempts for 68 yards in the first half, which isn’t exactly awe-inspiring.
The supporting cast of Love also had a difficult beginning to the second half. In the third quarter, Dontayvion Wicks and Jones both made mistakes. But the defence played its part and prevented the Rams from scoring. The offence then stopped getting in its own way halfway through the third quarter and everything began to click.
Jordan Love Was Outstanding in the Second Half
Maybe this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Love is the NFL’s best quarterback in the second half, after all. After the two fumbles, though, the offence as a whole played much, much cleaner in the second half against the Rams.
Love hit rookie tight end Luke Musgrave for two passes of more than twenty yards, including a touchdown; Christian Watson and Love connected on a long pass; and the offensive line did not commit nearly as many penalties.
Love consequently completed 12 of 13 passes for 160 yards and the previously mentioned touchdown in the second half. Love finished the day 20/26 for 228 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 115.5.
Although Jordan Love may never reach the heights of Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers do not require him to.
Making the comparison between 2023 Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers in his prime is one of the biggest errors that many have made this season. Prime Rodgers is debatably the best quarterback in NFL history, if not the best quarterback ever. Love isn’t and might never be at the level in his first season as a starter.
One more significant mistake critics have made is failing to acknowledge that, similar to Favre before him, Rodgers had an abundance of astute veterans surrounding him on offence who avoided the mistakes that inexperienced players make. In 2008, the offensive line was among the best in football, and wide receivers Donald Drive and Greg Jennings both had 1,000 yards.
Love has never enjoyed such luxury. Only first- and second-year wide receivers as well as three tight ends are present in his wide receiver room. Love has also had to watch Aaron Jones, his team’s best veteran weapon, miss a lot of games due to hamstring injuries.
Put another way, Love has not received the supporting group that a developing quarterback requires, and Brian Gutekunst is to blame for that. However, even Gutekunst could not have predicted the ridiculous amount of key player injuries the Packers would face in 2023.
Nonetheless, the team is developing because of their youth. The same problems that supporters have been seeing with the team persisted in their patchy first half. But their [largely] flawless second half demonstrated their potential when they are not making mistakes or misfiring on passes.
No, the players surrounding Love must play smart football if the Packers are to have Love as their third consecutive Hall of Fame quarterback.
In the second half, they accomplished that, and Love scored a lot of points. Green Bay might have a respectable season after all, and they will undoubtedly have a bright future, if they can build on this performance, Love can start throwing passes that won’t be dropped, and Coach LaFleur keeps pushing the run game.