Jordan Love spent Saturday night doing something he may want to keep in his back pocket for later: running the Packers’ offense without taking a snap.
With Love handling the play calling for the entire second half, Green Bay closed out a 42-38 preseason win over the Cardinals by putting up 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Packers finished with back-to-back touchdown drives, and Love’s fingerprints were all over the surge.
“That was pretty cool,” Packers coach Matt Lafleur said afterward. “Just to hear his demeanor on the headset and how calm, cool, and collected he was throughout the entire game, especially in those critical moments. And it’s not a surprise to me because that's what we see on the field.”
The offense found another gear once the third quarter came and went scoreless. In the fourth, Green Bay racked up 155 yards and averaged 6.74 yards per play, looking every bit like a unit that knew exactly where it wanted to go. Kyle McCord threw two of his four touchdown passes with Love making the calls, including the game-winner to Kisean Johnson with 1:34 remaining.
McCord said Love let him know at halftime what was coming.
“I said, 'Have you done that before?' He said, 'Naw.
We'll see," McCord said afterward. "He was great.
He obviously knows the offense like the back of his hand and called some really good plays, especially there toward the end.”
It was a successful first run for Love as a play caller, even if his day job remains unchanged. He’s heading into his fourth season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback and his seventh season overall, with 17 more touchdown passes needed to reach 100 for his career.
The preseason win left the Packers at 2-1, and their next game is the regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13. That will also mark Love’s sixth NFL season and his fourth as the Packers’ full-time starter.
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