The Green Bay Packers have breathed life into their 2023 season with their performance of the last month. Their 29-22 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving was their second in a row and third victory in the last four games.
That win pushed their record to 5-6, putting them right back into the mix in the NFC playoff picture. A big reason for their recent success has been quarterback Jordan Love getting things on track.
After a hot start to the season, Love’s production fell off as teams got some tape on him and were able to make adjustments. He threw an interception in five consecutive games and Green Bay went 1-4, losing four in a row at one point.
The biggest issue that he faced was inaccuracy, especially on deep balls. He has turned a corner in that regard in recent weeks, finding success as he pushes the ball downfield. Better health has played a part as Love has had a full complement of weapons in the passing game to get the ball to.
That has led to an improvement in his accuracy, as he is completing 65 percent of his passes since Week 9. Prior to that, he was last in the NFL, completing only 58 percent of his passes. On the season, he has now surpassed the 60 percent mark, connecting on 60.5 percent of his throws this season.
First-time starters are going to face some hurdles, which Love has. But, he has responded to all of those challenges with poise. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been very impressed with the progress Love has made this season as a passer.
“I think it’s night and day,” LaFleur said of Love’s command of the offense over the past month.
“And it’s given us a lot of confidence to be a little bit more aggressive with some of the calls. And just when you’re trusting your offensive line, when you’re trusting your quarterback to facilitate and get the ball where it needs to go and throw on rhythm, that allows you to do that. And we had a lot of I would say deeper developing plays and hit a lot of intermediate throws for some chunk plays that ended up being big for us.”
LaFluer’s trust in Love was evident from the first snap on Thanksgiving against the Lions. The head coach contemplated changing the game plan, which called for a deep shot to wide receiver Christian Watson on the first play of the game.
LaFluer was going to change that play call until Love pushed to have it stick. It is a good thing that LaFleur listened to Love, as he hit Watson for a 53-yard completion to kickstart the offense that afternoon.
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.
