It figures, doesn’t it, that the Green Bay Packers have found their next quarterback.
Jordan Love isn’t waiting anymore.
That he sat for three years behind Aaron Rodgers seems hard to believe now. It’s also part of the Packers' formula.
When Brett Favre was entrenched in everything Packers, it was Rodgers waiting three years for his turn.
On Monday night, the Giants will see Love, who has played his best football in recent weeks.
Love has recorded passer ratings of 108.5 or higher in four of the past five weeks, and the Packers have won those games.
“I think [Packers coach] Matt LaFleur runs a good system, puts him in good spots,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said, “but you can see he’s learned a lot from the people that have been in front of him, and now he’s letting his talent shine.”
The Packers will arrive at MetLife Stadium riding a three-game winning streak. They are coming off their most impressive result this season, a 27-19 victory over Kansas City on Dec. 3.
And yes, they are in playoff contention.
After a 2-5 start, the Packers are 6-6 and entered Week 14 as the NFC's final wild-card team.
This is a game the Giants (4-8) need to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. That means dealing with Love and his weapons.
Love has thrown for 2,866 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. He has thrown for 857 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions the last three weeks, while completing nearly 70% of his passes. His rating in those wins: 118.6, 125.5 and 108.5.
The Giants' defense knows what it is up against, especially cornerback Darnay Holmes.
Holmes and Love are both from Orange County, California, are part of the same 2020 draft class and train together in the offseason.
“I see a West Coast, authentic quarterback who’s ready to rock out,” Holmes said. “For real. I know for a fact he’s a guy who takes calculated risks. He trusts in his training and he’s a guy that wants to score.
"Watching his film, he’s going to give his guys chances to complete that 50-50 ball. I’m not a receiver, but as a receiver, you want that type of quarterback. On our end, we got guys who are ready to make that play. So I’m excited for the matchup."
Across the Giants' locker room, there is respect for Love.
“He’s starting to get into a groove,” rookie cornerback Deonte Banks said. “The deep ball is starting to look better.”
Safety Jason Pinnock said Love looks comfortable now.
“The game’s slowing down for him, but he’s still young and courageous,” Pinnock said. “He takes a lot of deep shots, the kind of stuff we want to make him pay for.”
Pinnock, who has a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown on his 2023 resume, said it may be time for him to make another big play.
“For me, the tall, lankier [quarterbacks] are easier for me,” he said. “The shorter, stubbier ones are a little bit harder when it comes to mannerisms on deep ball throws. The longer guy is easier to track.”
Love is 6-4.
Giants linebacker Micah McFadden said he respects Love’s journey.
“He’s really taken control,” McFadden said. “You can see it on the film. He’s elusive. He can use his feet to extend the play. That’s one thing we’ve been working on, the scrambling and holding the ball longer than normal. He’s doing a lot of things well in that offense.”
PACKERS-GIANTS GAMEDAY
VITALS
Line: Packers by 6.5; O/U 36.5
TV: ABC (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman,
Lisa Salters)
Radio: WFAN-660 AM (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross); Sirius XM 83 or 227.
All-time series: Packers lead, 29-24-2 (Packers have won 2 of last 3).
Last meeting: Oct. 9, 2022, Giants 27, Packers 22 (in London).
KEY INJURIES
Giants: type here
here.
Patriots: type here
here.
WHO’S THE BOSS?
When asked if he and Brian Daboll “don’t always see eye to eye,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale replied: “I don’t see eye-to-eye with my wife all the time. He’s the head coach, and it’s my job to forward his plan. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
DOWN GOES DeVITO!
Undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito has been sacked 28 times, which, based on his number of attempts, calculates to him being sacked 21.05% of the times he drops back. The next-highest total among any quarterback who has started at least three games is . . . teammate Daniel Jones (15.79%), via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
UP GOES DeVITO!
DeVito is, of course, a great story. He wants to be more than that. Being named the starter this week was a big step. “I’m happy about it but at the same time, it’s still a job. You still have to go out and perform. It’s not like you’re at the top now — completely far from it.”
QUOTABLE
“I think he’s feeling confident with himself, confident with the offense and you can see that.”
— Giants OC Mike Kafka on rookie WR Jalin Hyatt, who had five catches for 109 yards in last game.
NUMBER, PLEASE
16-0. Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s December record with Green Bay. (Wow.)
— KIMBERLY JONES
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
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