The Packers have stopped pretending this is anything but the Jordan Love show.
Even Matt LaFleur has gotten in on the joke. Asked this week about the way Green Bay is leaning on its quarterback, the coach leaned right into the line that’s been floating around the fan base.
“Well, you guys said you wanted to let him cook, so we’re letting him cook.” LaFleur joked this week when asked about the viability of the team’s current offensive approach.
That’s the reality now: Love isn’t just running the offense, he’s carrying it. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich was asked whether he’s comfortable with Love’s workload, since the quarterback leads the league in attempts and yards, and his answer was basically a shrug and a nod.
“Yeah, why not if it’s working?” Stenavich said.
“Traditionally, no. But if it’s working and he’s doing a great job and Jordan’s playing the way he’s playing, why not?”
Back in January, the question was whether Love could handle a larger share of the offense after his strong playoff outing, when he threw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns. That question has been answered, and then some.
Love has accounted for 82% of the Packers’ offense this season. No other quarterback is above 80%. Since Green Bay inserted Laken Tomlinson into the starting offensive line group, Love ranks sixth in EPA/play even though the line is 32nd in ESPN’s Pass Block Win Rate and the Packers are dealing with one of the worst rushing offenses this century in the NFL.
And then there’s the mess around him. The Packers are nearly doubling up the next-worst team in drops, according to Pro Football Focus.
That’s the strange part of all this. Love has been good enough to keep the machine moving even as the rest of the operation keeps sputtering.
That should be encouraging. It also makes the scale of the burden impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Jordan Love Is At The Center Of A Heated NFC North Debate
Through the first eight weeks, the NFC North has turned into a quarterback debate with no easy answer, and Jordan Love has made sure Green Bay is part of the conversation. While the division has been judged through the lens of touchdown passes, sack rates and passer ratings, Loves play has stood out even as the Packers have dealt with their own team-wide challenges around him.
The bigger question is how much weight to give the numbers when the division is so tightly packed with different styles of success. Caleb Williams has brought strong play to Chicago, Jared Goff has been efficient in Detroit, and even the struggles tied to Kyler Murray have shaped the discussion, but Loves case keeps growing because he has delivered at a high level despite the circumstances. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Loves Latest Joke Will Hit Home For Frustrated Packers Fans
With the Packers sitting at 5-3 and trying to climb out of fourth place in the NFC North, Jordan Love found a little off-field comic relief this week. Love and his wife leaned into Halloween with a costume that poked fun at blind NFL referees, and the clip made its way to Matt LaFleur, who at least appreciated the joke.
It was the kind of light moment that can land differently when a fan base is already feeling the strain of an uneven start. Love has still put together a solid season through the air, but Green Bays margin for error remains slim, and even a harmless Halloween bit carries a little extra edge when every call and every result seems to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Kicking Problem Just Put Matt LaFleur In A Tough Spot
Special teams has become a real pressure point in Green Bay, and Trey Smacks uneven season is forcing the conversation into the open. Through eight games, the kicker has missed more kicks than anyone else in the league, with the kind of inconsistency that can quickly turn a routine drive into a problem for a team trying to stay on schedule.
Matt LaFleur addressed the situation in a recent media availability and made it clear the Packers are sticking with Smack for now. The coach said the team appreciates his resilience, a notable vote of confidence for a player who has still connected on 11 of 16 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points, even as the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]