With the Green Bay Packers sitting at 2-5, after looking lost against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field in Week 8, several people outside of the organization, myself included, were already looking to the 2024 season and armed with plenty of ideas on how to improve this team moving forward. Jordan Love appeared to be a pedestrian quarterback. The offensive line was inconsistent. The rushing attack was nonexistent. Receivers were running routes practically on top of each other. And the defense, well, was simply not good enough.
Fast forward in time, after looking dominant against the Vikings on the road, Green Bay has silenced every single doubter as the franchise is one win away from an improbable playoff berth, despite being void of key players on both sides of the ball for various stretches throughout the season. Think about that for a second, especially when it comes to the offense. Quarterback Jordan Love, who produced four total touchdowns in the 33-10 victory on New Year’s Eve, has had very few games, if any, where he has had his full arsenal of weapons.
That was the case yet again Sunday as wide receivers Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks were both inactive. However, there has been a consistent theme in terms of responding to the litany of injuries, particularly among the skill position players: next man up. And that next man against the Vikings was wide receiver Bo Melton. The 2022 seventh-round draft selection by the Seattle Seahawks was elevated from the practice squad ahead of the Week 17 contest, and in a must-win game, delivered a gem. He finished with six receptions (nine targets) for 105 yards and one touchdown. It was the first 100-yard receiving performance for the Packers this season. Mind you, Sunday night was only Melton’s third career game in the NFL.
The Packers have now scored more than 30 points in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season. One reason for that? The return of running back Aaron Jones. He carried the rock more than 20 times in each contest while averaging 123.5 rushing yards. When healthy, Jones is still one of the multi-purpose backs in the league and is beyond critical to the Packers’ offensive success going forward.
So while Jones’ presence has elevated the offense at the most important part of the season, it is Love’s play that has not only elevated the offense at the most important part of the season, but it is the reason why the Packers are in the spot that they're in.
There were moments early on this season when many legitimately wondered whether general manager Brian Gutekunst swung and missed with his selection of Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Any qualms should be put to bed at this point in time. Do I think Love is going to be a Hall of Famer like his predecessors? It’s a bit too early to make such a projection, but Love has shown over the second half of the season that, at worst, he’s a top-15 quarterback and, at best, he’s easily a top-8 quarterback.
In the first nine games of the 2023 season, QB1 had 16 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions, with an average passer rating of 83.9. In the last seven games, he has 18 total touchdowns and one interception, with an averaging passer rating of 110.7. A clear night-and-day difference. To no surprise, Green Bay is 5-2 over that stretch.
For the entire 2023 season, Love sits third in touchdown passes (30), 10th in passing yards (3,843), and 11th in Adjusted Net Yards per Pass Attempt, a stat that accounts for interceptions and sacks.
It is almost incomprehensible to write that the Packers are on the doorstep of a playoff berth, but having a franchise quarterback navigate the team through treacherous waters and elevate the players around him makes all the difference.
"Love" - Google News
January 02, 2024 at 01:00AM
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Jordan Love Has Proved He's a Franchise Quarterback - Cheesehead TV
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