Right now, everyone is head over heels in love with Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, and some are even predicting they’re ready to seriously contend for a spot in the Super Bowl.
A lot of this optimism is based on the way Love played late last season. The quarterback finished the year with a flurry, which was enough to get the Packers into the playoffs after a rough start, and once there, they upset the Dallas Cowboys and nearly unseated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.
But continued growth and success in a linear fashion isn’t always a certainty, especially given the fact that the rest of the NFC has at least somewhat improved. While he feels Love will be a good QB over time, Greg Cosell, the NFL analyst and senior producer of NFL Films, urged people to pump the brakes a bit on their expectations.
Cosell said there are sure to be some growing pains and that Love may not consistently look as good as he did last November, December and January.
Can Jordan Love carry his 2023 success into 2024 for the Packers?
Love was a first-round draft pick by the Packers in 2020. It was clear they were grooming him to be Aaron Rodgers’ successor, and when Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets last offseason, plenty were doubtful that Love, who had appeared in just 10 games to that point, could be productive.
Sure enough, the Packers started the year 3-6, and Love was having trouble with interceptions and his overall efficiency. But he was outstanding afterward, as he threw for 2,150 yards and 18 touchdowns against just one interception in his last eight games, six of which Green Bay won.
Against the Cowboys, whose defense looked dominant at times in the regular season, he went 16 of 21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns as Green Bay built a 27-0 first-half lead and coasted to a 48-32 victory.
For Love to continue to play at an elite level, he will need some internal improvement from the Packers’ four young and promising wide receivers: Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. He will also need to be ready for opposing defenses that now have a full season of video to use to scout him and prepare for him.
Cosell did note that one area Jordan Love showed growth in during the 2023 season was reading defenses prior to the snap and calling the appropriate audibles in order to ensure the play the Packers ran was successful. That type of intelligence and ability to think on his feet will serve him well moving forward.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
Local Green Bay, WI
Most Popular
Comments / 0