The Green Bay Packers are returning to Lambeau for training camp in a little over 2 weeks. Meanwhile, out here in the dead zone of the offseason, I keep hearing the same story reported over and over.
“What will Jordan Love’s contract extension look like?“
In almost all of the punditry surrounding this very beat to death topic, I hear a similar sentiment expressed by the talking heads.
“He struggled the first half of last season, but down the stretch he was incredible.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I only saw a 4 game slump while the team found their footing. Let’s take a look at some of those earlier games and why Jordan Love did not “struggle for half a season” last year.
Green Bay Packers Week One Blowout Against Chicago
We all wondered heading into the season opener last year, if Rodgers would be transferring ownership of the inferior ball club to the south, aka the Chicago Bears, to Jordan Love.
I remember slamming down a Spotted Cow with my parents and their friends waiting for kickoff. The general consensus at the time regarding expecations of Jordan’s performance seemed to be, “Let’s just hope he keeps improving week by week and stays competitive.”
I have always been pretty high on Jordan, and you couldn’t have wiped that grin off my face as I watched him embarrass Chicago. It was an amazing moment watching Jordan lay the foundation of the Era of Love in Green Bay.
On that glorious day, Jordan completed 15 of 27 passes for 245 yards and posted a 123.2 QBR. Cheesehead nation was jumping for joy.
Whispers began to creep up of how Green Bay had seemingly struck lightning 3 times in a row.
I know it’s easy to say that it was a stinky Bears team, but it’s hard to win on any given Sunday in the NFL. Especially against a bitter divisional rival, with all eyes on you as a rookie quarterback. Let alone having it be your debut as the face of the Green Bay Packers franchise squaring up against the Bears, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Jordan, like always, kept a cool demeanor and acted like a leader with poise and precision. Take a look at highlights from that first outing.
Jordan Love earned the HIM title! – NFL YouTube
4th Quarter Comeback To Seal The Deal
The following week the Green Bay Packers lost to the Atlanta Falcons. However, they only lost that game by 1 point. Jordan himself had a solid performance putting up 151 yards, 3 Touchdowns, and 0 Interceptions.
One week later, Jordan and company would hold their home opener against New Orleans…
This is the game that I feel solidified Love’s place at the head of the table. I felt instantly validated for how much water I carried for several years while I listened to every person around me say the same thing.
“Get ready for the 80’s Packers when Rodgers leaves….”
This is a game where the stats don’t match the experience for sure.
On paper, Jordan put up respectable numbers going 22 of 44 for 259 yards, 39 rushing yards, 2 TDs (one through the air and one on the ground), and 1 interception.
The real take away was that 4th quarter comeback.
“I feel like I’m in a dream right now…”
Following the game, HC Matt LaFleur had this to say.
“I feel like I’m in a dream right now, um, That whole 4th quarter was a blur! I’ve, I’ve never been a part of something like that before. Where it looked so bleak and our guys continued to fight and continued to battle. It’s all you can ask about anybody.“
When asked specifically about Jordan checking the box on a 4th quarter comeback he replied.
“Yeah, just the poise that he has, because he was frustrated. A lot of us on offense were frustrated you know? … It wasn’t until we said screw it, let’s go no huddle and finally started to put some plays together.”
For my money, this is the game that showed how hard Jordan will continue to fight, regardless of how “down & out” things may appear. He showed that when the chips are down, he can come up clutch.
A Long October
Week 4 of the 2023 season saw the Green Bay Packers going up against the Detroit Lions. This would be the beginning of a rough 4 game stretch of losses. This timeframe is what I feel most pundits allude to when offering up their take on how Jordan struggled the first half of the season.
During that string of losses Jordan would record 7 of his 11 interceptions on the season. It was tough going for the team as a whole with injuries to Luke Musgrave and Aaron Jones, Joe Barry’s defense rearing it’s ugly head again, and a rookie quarterback having some start of the season jitters.
Here is some perspective however on the state of affairs for teams across the league. Going into Week 9, less than 1/3 of the teams in the entire NFL were convincingly batting above 500.
Green Bay hosted the Rams in week 9 and Jordan had an amazing performance in a handed 20-3 victory. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 228 yards and a TD. He averaged 8 yards per pass and had a QBR of 115.
Dominating The Second Half
With that one long month of football in the rearview, Jordan would go on to assert his dominance in his debut season.
I understand it’s just anecdotal punditry to claim that he stumbled the first half of the season and then found his footing. I just think it’s a bad way to portray what was in total, a very successful season.
Every team gets hot and cold at different points over the course of their 17 games. Jordan and the Packers had their slump early on and quickly turned it around. They played through a near total rebuild of their team and still ended with a winning record.
Green Bay Packers Are Bought In
Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love did not struggle the first half of last season. The team went through growing pains together while he maintained his composure and set the tone, leading his squad of young players to a post season birth.
I don’t think there are any arguments in Titletown that Jordan Love is that dude. He’ll sign his contract soon enough, and we will have our new franchise guy. Every member of the organization both on and off the field, are bought in going into 2024. The national media is giving Jordan his flowers in a big way and deservedly so.
Let’s not sully Jordan’s budding legacy by throwing away the amazing passes and game play he displayed earlier last season. He did not struggle, he overcame adversity while leading a hungry group into the new era. The sky is the limit for Jordan, and this Green Bay offense is primed to continue building on the success they had last year.
