Coming into the 2023 regular season, a lot of people thought we would see a different version of the Green Bay Packers offense. Head coach Matt LaFleur hadn’t been able to fully integrate his scheme with veteran Aaron Rodgers at the helm.
But, with Rodgers now on the New York Jets and Jordan Love taking over for the first time as the starter, we would see the offense as LaFleur intended. Given the youth on the Packers’ offense, there have certainly been some ups and downs in terms of production.
But, things have started to click in recent weeks. Love is looking more comfortable by the week, as he is stringing together some very impressive performances. None more so than what he did on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions.
The Packers were able to win consecutive games for the first time this season, going into Ford Field and picking up a 29-22 victory. Green Bay has now won three out of their last four games, as they are gaining a lot of momentum into the stretch run of the season.
Love has been a big reason for that, as he is showing vast improvement in several areas. His accuracy, especially down the field, has seen an uptick in recent weeks, which is resulting in a more explosive and productive offense.
Against the Lions on Thursday afternoon, Love wasted no time getting things going through the air. On the first play from scrimmage, he hit Christian Watson for a 53-yard gain, setting the Packers up for the first of their three first-quarter touchdowns.
However, that big play nearly didn’t happen. Following the victory, LaFleur admitted that he almost changed that first play of the game.
“Matter of fact, I almost changed that first play call,” LaFleur said after the game. “I was kind of mulling it over quite a bit, and I texted Jordan this morning and told him I was going to change it to something else.”
Love pushed back against the change, which led to LaFluer putting his trust in the first-year quarterback. The rest, as they say, is history as LaFluer’s trust in Love paid off big time as that set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon.
Overall, Love completed 22-of-32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He added 39 yards on the ground, including a back-breaking 37-yard gain in the fourth quarter to help kill more of the clock.
The Packers are finding their groove as their young offensive talent is developing nicely. If they can stay healthy down the stretch, they are going to factor into the playoff picture in the NFC.
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