Did Packers' Jordan Love get snubbed in ESPN's top 10 QB ranking?

Jordan Love had an outstanding 2023 transitioning into Green Bay’s starting quarterback after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for two years. While Love’s year started slowly, he got better and better each week, finishing strongly with 32 touchdown passes, which ranked second in the NFL.

Love finished seventh in the league in passing yards with 4,159 and led the Packers to a wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys (on the road) in his first career postseason start. This time one year ago, nobody was sure of who or what Love was on the field.

Now, Love is one of the brightest young stars the NFL has at its most prominent position. But it’s obvious not everyone feels the same about Love despite the upside. In ESPN’s latest poll, NFL executives, coaches and scouts ranked their top 10 QBs.

"I think that's real….Arm talent and confidence and a good system around him. He'll turn the ball over some because he's so confident. He'll miss here and there. But you can live with that. Short sample size, so he's got to do it again. But he will," one AFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler when asked if Love could sustain last year’s level of play.

While Love has just one season as QB1 under his belt, some might argue he’s already built a more impressive playoff resume than at least one QB in the top 10 and beat another head-to-head in January.

Justin Herbert is considered by many to be the next great NFL QB, but his first playoff appearance in 2022-2023 was nothing to write home about. After jumping out to a 27-0 lead in the first half of that year’s wild-card game against Jacksonville, Herbert and the Chargers scored three points in the second half en route to losing by a score of 31-30.

Sure, the defense is to blame for giving up such a lead under then-head coach Brandon Staley, but the offense only scoring three points in the second half is a bad mark on Herbert’s resume. In contrast, last postseason in Love’s first playoff game, he led the Packers to a dominating victory over America’s Team.

In that wild-card game, Love and the Packers also jumped out to a 27-point lead, but unlike the Chargers, Love and the Packers never looked back. They led Dak Prescott’s Cowboys 27-7 at halftime of that game in Dallas. Love showed out, throwing three TDs for 272 yards.

Of course, these rankings aren’t based solely on postseason performances, but surely they are factored in. The playoffs are where legacies are built. More games are played in the regular season, but some players are known to be big performers when the lights aren’t as bright.

Prescott is one whose reputation has taken a hit because he hasn’t been able to get Dallas over the hump in the playoffs. He’ll do it in the regular season, but when the lights are brightest, Prescott hasn’t been reliable.

After that showing against the Cowboys, it was clear that Love isn’t afraid of the big moments.

So, was Love snubbed being left off this ESPN top 10? The argument for a short sample is justified as it was his first year starting an entire NFL campaign. However, for a guy getting his first opportunities last season, Love proved many critics wrong.

If Love carries his momentum from the end of last season and the postseason into the 2024 regular season, his inclusion in the top 10 a year from now should be automatic.