Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love ranks first in the NFL in touchdown passes (6) and passer rating (118.7) through two weeks in 2023. There’s a lot to like about the numbers early on, even if he’s completing only 55.8 percent of his passes and averaging under 200 yards passing. He’ll get a chance to build on his early success and bounce back from a disappointing fourth quarter in Atlanta during Sunday’s home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
In terms of big picture things, what has been the most impressive part of Love’s start to the 2023 season?
Buy Packers TicketsOur staff at Packers Wire made their picks:
Willing to push ball downfield while still protecting it
Watching Love throughout training camp and the preseason, one aspect of his game that really stood out was his ability to know when he should push the ball downfield or try to fit it into a tight window and when to continue on with his progression and take what the defense is giving him. While promising, you never quite know what will translate from the practice field into the regular season. However, that aspect of Love’s game certainly has. For a young quarterback, he is not afraid to throw to the intermediate and deep parts of the field. According to PFF, Love ranks seventh in percentage of throws traveling 20-plus yards and 13th out of the 32 quarterbacks in pass attempts between the 10- to 19-yard range — and as his passer rating suggests, he’s been good at making those throws as well. Also important is that with that aggressiveness, he doesn’t have any interceptions through two games, and he’s rarely even put the ball in jeopardy. Love’s ability and willingness to push the ball downfield while also taking care of it is a recipe for success and, in the long run, can create a pretty dynamic passing game. –– Paul Bretl
Ability to limit negative plays
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Jordan Love’s ability to avoid negative plays. That is, not taking sacks and not putting the ball in harm’s way. Of course, the offensive line deserves a ton of credit for Love having only been sacked twice in the first two games. Yes, he has had the luxury of throwing from clean pockets, but he has done an excellent job of navigating the pocket and knowing when he needs to get out to avoid pressure. Love has also taken care of the ball exceptionally well. By my count, he has only thrown one pass that should have been intercepted, but it was dropped by Falcons corner AJ Terrell. I thought turnovers would be an issue for Love in 2023, yet he is turnover-free due to good decision-making and accurate passes. It will be interesting to see how he responds to his first fumble or pick, but everything he’s shown thus far says he will remain poised and bounce back. — Brandon Carwile
Poise
“Poise” is the buzz word when it comes to evaluating Jordan Love, but it’s so easy to see through two regular season games (and even accounting for the three preseason games). Where does it show up on the field? In the big spots. Third down, fourth down, the red zone. Love has created 10 first downs or touchdowns (eight passing, two rushing) on third or fourth down, and he’s 5-of-8 passing with four touchdown passes and no turnovers in the red zone. He threw a touchdown pass inside the red zone in each of the team’s three preseason games, too. Not surprisingly, the Packers are fifth in the NFL on third down and first in the red zone through two weeks. The most difficult situations for quarterbacks are when defenses know you have to pass, and when the field gets condensed and there’s less area to cover. Love has thrived in both spots. It’s even more encouraging when you consider Christian Watson has missed two games and Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari have both missed one game, and Elgton Jenkins missed a part of another and Romeo Doubs has been on a snap count. Despite not having all his weapons, Love has remained poised, in command and in control. Overall, he’s displayed many of the fundamental traits necessary to play consistently good football at the quarterback position in the NFL. — Zach Kruse
