Paul Bretl | 12/19/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — After an inconsistent first half of the season, the Packers offense has scored at least 30 points in each of its last four games and the play of Jordan Love out of the bye week has been a big part of that success.
“I think he’s done a great job of being really on the detail of his fundamentals and mechanics, and I think you’re seeing a translation over to game day and I think he’s playing at a really high level right now,” said Matt LaFleur recently.
Since Week 11, the Packers first game out of the bye week, Love is completing 68.7% of his passes, which is the eighth-best mark during that span. He also leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt at 9.9 and has thrown eighth touchdowns to just one interception.
Compared to the first nine games of the season leading up to the bye week, Love was completing only 62.5% of his attempts at a modest 7.7 yards per attempt with 17 touchdowns to 10 interceptions–the second-most in football at that time.
“I just think Jordan, the more he plays, the better he gets,” LaFleur said. “And I think his mechanics have improved. I think he’s really focused on that over the last few weeks, and I think he’s playing better. It’s funny how that works. So he’s doing a great job of moving in the pocket when things are there. It’s, I mean, it’s almost been automatic for him.
“So we need that to continue for us to get to where we want to go. And, but I am happy with how he’s playing. I think he’s playing decisive, doing a good job, for the most part, getting the ball out of his hands. And, like I said, we need him to continue to do that.”
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So what has led to this stark turnaround for Love and therefore the rest of the Packers’ offense?
As always, there are numerous factors in play, but a big one is that Love is healthy. In Week 1 against Philadelphia, Love suffered a knee injury that still continued to linger on and off the practice field even after he had returned. Then in the Packers’ win over Jacksonville, Love would exit that game with a groin injury.
The impact of playing through injuries has multiple effects. For one, as we’ve heard quarterbacks coach Tom Clements reference previously, successfully playing the quarterback position often starts with the player’s base–their feet and legs. That’s where both the ability to drive the ball and a quarterback’s mechanics begins, and in theory, with Love’s lower-half not at 100 percent, that could have contributed to some of the uncharacteristic throws we had seen from him early in the year.
“I think anytime you’re dealing with anything, especially seeing the things that he’s done in the past, he definitely needs your legs to do those things,” said Christian Watson of Love. “I’ve definitely seen him feeling a lot more like himself for a few weeks now. But it’s definitely big. Honestly, I’m just going to keep on running my route until I hear a whistle or I see the ball thrown somewhere else, because I know that he’s going to try to make a play regardless.”
Those injuries also restricted Love’s mobility as well. And while, no, we didn’t see Love getting outside of the pocket and picking up 10-yard runs all that often prior to the bye, although certainly valuable, that element isn’t what I’m referring to when it comes to his improved play over the last month-plus.
While navigating those injuries, the gameplan was altered. We saw fewer snaps under center and less play-action from the Packers’ offense–two core elements of the Matt LaFleur offense. Love’s ability to navigate the pocket to avoid pressure, buy time, and open up throwing lanes was hampered as well. The result of this can be more pressures, or sacks, that put the offense behind the sticks and, overall, less time because once the pressure hits, the ball has to come out.
That incredible play against Detroit where Love avoided the free rusher and then stepped up into the pocket to find Christian Watson on a crossing route probably isn’t happening back in October.
“I can’t say enough about Jordan’s ability to avoid the negative play and making those drastic moves in the pocket and getting the ball out for positive plays,” said LaFleur. “I don’t think people understand–I think it’s overlooked. Just the value of what he’s able to do in getting the ball out of his hands and not taking sacks.”
And even for a player of Love’s caliber, time on the practice field still matters. There were a lot of practices through the first half of the season where he was either sidelined or limited in what he could do because of injuries.
“I think a lot of it is just going back to practice,” LaFleur said. “I think it’s hard to be your best when you’re in-and-out of practice or you’re not feeling your best. Obviously he was limited by lower-body injuries and you’re talking about a thrower, and I don’t care what sport you’re playing, anybody who uses their legs to generate power, and you have an injury in that area, they’re going to be affected by it.”
Along with Love’s health improving, so has his decision-making. As Love began to heat up during the stretch last season, Clements would note that the real turning point for him in the 2023 season came when he was consistently deciphering when to take the available checkdown and when to push the ball downfield for the big play.
Obviously, it’s not the throws themselves on checkdowns that showcase growth, but it’s the process of getting to that decision, from understanding the situation at hand, reading the defense correctly, going through your progressions, and knowing where the outlet option is if things break down or aren’t open.
However, just because there may be more of a willingness to take what’s available doesn’t mean that Love isn’t going for the big play either. That’s a big part of who he is as a quarterback–he trusts his arm, and he trusts his receivers to make the play. Over this same five-game span, Love ranks eighth in passing yards on throws of 20-plus yards and is ninth in attempt percentage per dropback.
“It just comes down to understanding what the defense is trying to do,” said Love about his decision-making. “Seeing the coverage and obviously post snap recognizing if they’re bluffing or doing any disguise. After that, it just turns into finding completions. Obviously we want to push the ball downfield and exploit whatever coverage they might be in, but if we don’t have a great play, just understanding where I need to go and finding those checkdowns for sure.”
In what is the ultimate team game, the play around Love has been more consistent as well. Fewer pre-snap penalties have helped keep the offense out of those dreaded long down-and-distance situations, while a heavy-dose of Josh Jacobs and the run game has often kept the offense ahead of the sticks, not to mention that a strong run game can do wonders when it comes to opening up opportunities for the passing game.
With all that said, as good as Love and the offense has looked over the last month, there is still room for growth and the most recent game against Seattle is a prime example of that. Although the offense got off to a fast start and again hit the 30-point mark, there was a four-possession lull in the second half that included two punts, a fumble, and a turnover on downs, all of which occurred in only 15 total plays.
The ultimate goal right now is to be peaking at the right time, which is when the playoffs arrive. I don’t think anyone would say that the Packers’ offense has reached that point yet, as evidenced above. This is a group that is still chasing that elusive consistency and full four-quarter performance. However, with Love operating at a high level, they are on the right track and trending in the right direction.
“I feel really good,” said Love after the Seattle game about where the offense is at. “I think we’re in a really good spot. I think we got to do the same thing we’ve talked about all season, just take it one game at a time and finish this season off. And you know, be where we want to be for playoffs.
“But I like where we’re at, and we’ve just got to keep figuring out ways to get better, to keep, keep pushing each other and find ways to get these wins to end the season off. But I like where we’re at.”