Jordan Love keeps stacking performances, and the MVP talk is getting harder to ignore.
After Green Bay’s season looked finished through the first three weeks, the Packers have suddenly turned into a team worth watching every Sunday. They followed up last week’s primetime win over the Carolina Panthers with a 45-27 road rout of the New England Patriots, and Love was right in the middle of it again.
The defense did plenty of damage by forcing four turnovers, but Love made the passing game look effortless. He finished 23 of 29 for 372 yards and three touchdowns, putting together one of the cleanest outings of his season. It was the kind of game that doesn’t just help a team win - it changes the way people talk about the quarterback.
And the numbers behind it make the performance look even louder.
Facing a Patriots secondary that includes Christian Gonzalez, Love didn’t shy away from the matchup. According to Pro Football Focus, Gonzalez allowed 10 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown.
Love also leaned heavily on Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, and both receivers cashed in. Watson caught seven passes for 171 yards and a touchdown, while Golden hauled in 10 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Doug Clawson of CBS Sports pointed out that Love completed 17 of 18 passes to Watson and Golden for 335 yards, with those throws traveling an average of 17 yards downfield. That kind of downfield precision is rare, and Love kept hitting it over and over.
Per Next Gen Stats, he also completed six of eight passes for 235 yards and a touchdown on throws of 20-plus air yards. It was the second time this season he has completed six passes of 20-plus air yards.
Even with that kind of production, Love still hasn’t gotten much traction in the MVP race. The conversation has mostly centered on quarterbacks leading winning teams, with Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals sitting as the main favorites.
Allen has not played in Week 9 yet, with the Buffalo quarterback set to face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. Purdy threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while completing 17 of 25 passes in San Francisco’s 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Burrow, meanwhile, went 24 of 29 for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, Love has the kind of case that demands attention. He leads the NFL with 2,618 passing yards, and he’s doing it while operating behind a banged-up offensive line and without a reliable run game to lean on.
For Love to stay in the mix, the Packers have to keep winning, and that means handling their NFC North matchups in the second round against the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions. He’ll also need Allen, Purdy, and Burrow to stumble along the way.
Whether that turns into a real MVP run by season’s end is still up in the air. But after what Love just did to the Patriots, there’s no real argument against putting him in the conversation.
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Jordan Love Is Giving Packers Fans A Very Familiar Feeling
Jordan Love keeps stacking performances that make the Packers feel like they have seen this movie before, only with a new quarterback in the lead role. In the win over the Patriots, he was efficient, explosive and in command, completing 23 of 29 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score in Green Bays 45-27 victory.
Love said afterward it was among the best games he has played, and the numbers back up the impression. He now leads the league in passing yards and ranks third in touchdowns, which is exactly the kind of early-season production that gets a fan base thinking beyond one good Sunday and toward what this offense might become if it keeps humming. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Offense Exposed A Patriots Weakness Fans Will Love
The Packers left New England with a 45-27 win, and one of the clearest takeaways from the game was how often their passing attack forced Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez into uncomfortable spots. Green Bays offense kept pressing the issue, and the matchup quickly became a rough one for a player the Patriots count on to anchor the secondary.
Mike Vrabel did not hide his disappointment afterward, publicly saying Gonzalezs performance did not meet the teams expectations while also taking some responsibility for the defenses lack of preparedness. Gonzalez owned his poor outing and said he plans to move on and get ready for the next game, but for the Patriots, the bigger concern is how quickly Green Bay exposed a weakness they could not cover up. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Sent A Dangerous Message With More Help Coming
The Packers 45-27 win over the Patriots did more than pad the standings. It offered a reminder that this team can beat you in multiple ways, with Jordan Love steering the offense efficiently and the defense creating repeated problems for New England by forcing four turnovers and getting to the quarterback four times. Evan Williams and Trey Smack were among the players who helped make the afternoon feel like a statement rather than just another regular-season result.
What makes the performance even more interesting is what could still be on the way for Green Bay. The roster already looked capable of dictating games when the offense is rolling and the defense is taking the ball away, and the possibility of another major piece returning only adds to the sense that the Packers are building toward something bigger. For a team that just sent a clear message on the field, the next stretch could say even more. [Read more 🡒]