The circumstances that Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love has had to deal with this season has been less than ideal. He has been without his starting running, Aaron Jones, back for three full games and was without his No. 1 wide receiver, Christian Watson, the first three weeks of the season.
The offensive line has been decimated by injuries with left tackle David Bakhtiari and left guard Elgton Jenkins both being sidelined. That has led to shaky performance in the trenches, which was supposed to be a strength coming into the season.
After a hot start to the season, it should come as no surprise that things have cooled off for Love the last few weeks. The Packers are now riding a two-game losing streak as they fell to the Las Vegas Raiders 17-13 on Monday Night Football to close out Week 5.
Green Bay certainly had chances to win the game as the Raiders had just as many miscues. But, they received just slightly better overall play from Jimmy Garoppolo compared to Love, who threw three intercetpions and didn’t have a touchdown.
With so many moving parts on the offensive side of the ball, it has been tough for the Packers to find any continuity. However, Love needs to start playing better when it comes to his accuray, especially downfield passing, if they are going to get on track.
Per Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, The Ringer and Sports Grid, Love struggled mightily when throwing the ball downfield against the Raiders. On passes thrown longer than five yards, he completed only 3-of-11 attempts with three intercetpions. That came out to a -0.78 EPA/att.
Love’s inaiblity to find success beyond short routes is becoming a troubling trend. In the last two weeks, he has completed only 14-of-32 attempts beyond five yards with five interceptions and zero touchdowns. That equates to a -0.41 EPA/att against the Detroit Lions and Raiders.
It is impossible for an offense to function like that, especially when the running game has struggled to get going. There is a lot of pressure on Love but he needs to play at a higher level if he wants to be the long-term starter in Green Bay. He certainly could use a little more help from the supporting cast around him, but some of these inaccuracies on deep balls are all on him.
