Why national media thought Jordan Love was ‘more than just solid’ in debut as Packers QB1
Jordan Love’s record as the newly minted QB1 of the Green Bay Packers?
1-0.
The former Utah State quarterback looked poised in his first game leading the Packers offense since the team traded away four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers during the offseason.
In Green Bay’s 38-20 victory over NFC North rival Chicago on Sunday, Love threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers scored TDs on three of their first four possessions of the second half to pull away.
Love’s completion percentage (55.5%, on 15 of 27 passing) left room for improvement, though he finished the game with a 123.2 QB rating and helped the Packers convert 9 of 16 third-down attempts on their way to scoring on six of 10 possessions when Love was on the field.
What did the national media think about Love’s performance?
The response was overwhelmingly positive.
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From ESPN
“He didn’t have to be spectacular, as the Green Bay defense made life miserable for Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense all day. But he was more than just solid. He turned in a performance that announced to the world that all of this — following Rodgers and Brett Favre, and keeping the Packers competitive — wasn’t going to be too big for him,” Dan Graziano wrote.
“... If nothing else, it was time for the Packers to find out whether they were right about Love, and if so, to shepherd him into the starter’s role. For better or worse, this is Love’s team now.”
From USA Today
“In his first game replacing the longest-tenured Green Bay Packer in franchise history, Jordan Love did exactly what he was supposed to do. He protected the ball, read the defense and didn’t force throws, and played within his skill set. Perhaps most importantly, he didn’t try to be Aaron Rodgers. Love finished with 245 passing yards and three touchdowns as the Packers demolished the division-rival Chicago Bears — a team Rodgers owned,” Lorenzo Reyes wrote.
“To be clear, there is room for improvement and Love, 24, is nowhere near a completed project; coach Matt LaFleur certainly would like for Love to be more efficient than 55.5% completion rate and Green Bay will want Love to feed its wide receivers more. Jayden Reed paced all wideouts with only a pair of catches for 48 yards. Chicago was the worst scoring defense in 2022, so the true test will be when Green Bay faces stiffer competition. All that said, this was a great start.”
From CBS Sports
“In his first start as the Packers’ full-timer post-Aaron Rodgers, Love effortlessly flicked three TDs and no picks, easily guiding Green Bay over the rival Bears. His strong start was even more notable because it came against Justin Fields, a more experienced young QB whose athleticism failed to register passing consistency. Lambeau faithful appear to be in good hands yet again,” Cody Benjamin wrote.
From The Athletic
“Love wasn’t exquisite but he was certainly more impressive than not. ... The execution on specific plays can improve — Love flipped a hospital ball to receiver Jayden Reed on a busted triple-option play that got the rookie flattened, missed tight end Luke Musgrave deep on a corner route that likely would’ve resulted in a touchdown (we don’t know exactly whose fault the miss was since Musgrave appeared to stumble near the end of his route, but Love’s throw seemed too far anyway) and took an 8-yard sack with under a minute remaining in the first half with one timeout left and the ball at Chicago’s 26-yard line,” Matt Schneidman wrote.
“But there was plenty more that Love and his supporting cast members made look seamless as this new-look offense works out its kinks — a couple of nicely zipped balls to wideouts Reed and Samori Toure for chunk gains, a pretty corner ball to Reed for 18 yards on third-and-8 on the first play of the fourth quarter after the Bears cut their deficit to 10, and Love’s pristinely lofted pass to Romeo Doubs for the wideout’s second touchdown catch two plays later, just to name a few.”
From The Ringer
“This was an encouraging start for the unit and its young quarterback. Love wasn’t asked to do too much — as the Bears largely made things easy on Green Bay with their mistakes. But the 24-year-old was at his best when he found himself in adverse situations. He converted on three third-and-long plays, and each one was more impressive than the last. During the first, which resulted in Love’s first touchdown pass of the day, he hung in the pocket and delivered a side-armed strike to the back of the end zone,” Steven Ruiz wrote.
“... Love had some shaky moments as well. There were a few premature scrambles, and he sailed a couple of passes that required a bit more finesse. Those have been issues for Love in the past, and he may require time and experience to iron them out of his game.
“But for now, Love’s skill set has allowed Matt LaFleur to get back to his roots as a play caller— a marked change from the past few seasons, when LaFleur had to meld his style with Rodgers’ preferences.”
