Mr. Love’s Next Step

In early December, in the flush of the Packers’ victory over the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs, I conceded that despite my years-long skepticism about Green Bay Quarterback Jordan Love’s potential to be a worthy successor to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, “maybe – just maybe” — the Green and Gold had something in Mr. Love.

We are a long way from hailing Mr. Love as the Third Coming.  At the same time, he has unquestionably performed beyond at least my most optimistic expectations.  Operating an offense with accomplished but gimpy running backs and a receiver corps that has literally watched less NFL action than you have, he has Green Bay within one game of the NFL playoffs, he’s 10^th in NFL Total Quarterback Rating, and is one of only three QBs with 30 touchdown passes.  It could be argued that if the Packers’ defense had consistently played this season up to the standard one would expect from a unit brimming with high draft picks, Green Bay would already have clinched a playoff spot.  The season started with the Packer Faithful wondering whether the team would be in the market for a starting quarterback this offseason; it’s ending with the impression that Mr. Love has earned a hefty contract extension.

And yet.  Although Green Bay and the Minnesota Vikings entered last Sunday’s game with identical records, I would suggest that the Pack’s dominant effort against the Vikings needs to be taken with a grain of salt.  Mr. Love’s bravura performance was against a Viking secondary whose members didn’t look like they’d ever been introduced to one another.  Green Bay’s defense held down a Minnesota offense playing backup quarterbacks and without one of its two best receivers.

I would submit that this weekend will be the season’s ultimate test for this year’s Packers.  If the Packers win, they make the playoffs.  If they don’t, they probably don’t.  Although besieged Packer Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry is probably going to lose his job in any event, any shred of a chance he has to retain it will in all likelihood depend upon how the defense performs.  The Packers get home field advantage against a Chicago Bear team out of playoff contention. 

That said, while the Bears have performed below pre-season expectations overall, they, like Green Bay, have played very well in the team’s last few games under Quarterback Justin Fields.  Chicago seems to me to have a subplot every bit as intriguing as the Packers’ playoff quest.  The Bears have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.  The team’s front office is reportedly (and if so, understandably) weighing whether Mr. Fields – himself their first round pick in 2021, who has been sometimes injured and mixed brilliance with inconsistency – is their long-term quarterback, or if they should draft the best quarterback prospect available next spring.  This weekend, Mr. Fields may well be playing for his job, at least in Chicago.  In his college career at Georgia and Ohio State, he played in a lot of high-pressure games.  His teammates are apparently behind him, and if they are, they will play hard for him.  They undoubtedly also remain stung by their unexpected opening week loss to Green Bay, which began the team’s disappointing 2023 downward spiral.

[I have no idea what Mr. Barry will do to defend against Mr. Fields; I’d be tempted to have Packer Inside Linebacker Quay Walker “shadow” Mr. Fields (who is as explosive a runner as he is a passer), and make it explicitly clear to Cornerback Jaire Alexander that Mr. Alexander’s performance this season hasn’t always measured up to his reputation or salary.]

Last year, in Mr. Rodgers’ last game at the helm, to make the playoffs the Packers only needed to win a game at home against another NFC North rival, a Detroit Lions team that was hungry but already out of playoff contention.  Detroit won.  The Packers were eliminated.  Mr. Rodgers departed.

Here we are again.

I expect Sunday’s game to have playoff intensity.  Not only is it the Packers and the Bears; it will be one of the few between Green Bay and Chicago since Mr. Favre took the field in 1992 that has clear major ramifications for both teams.  This season, Mr. Love has indisputably successfully shouldered the pressure of the comparison to his storied predecessors – neither of whom made the playoffs in their respective first years as starters — but has seemed at least to me to be a little shaky in games carrying obvious ramifications.  It doesn’t matter what happens after Sunday; if Green Bay does make the playoffs, it will in all probability be easily dispatched by whatever higher playoff seed it draws.  Given Green Bay’s uncertain defense, for me the key factor this week will be how Mr. Love plays – i.e., no matter the outcome, did Mr. Love play well enough to win? 

Some memories get rosier over time.  Mr. Favre was not BRETT FAVRE in his first year; despite his legendary arm strength, Mr. Favre occasionally underthrew open receivers.  Mr. Rodgers was not AARON RODGERS in his first year; despite his renowned accuracy, he occasionally missed open receivers.  I would nonetheless submit that Sunday evening, Packer fans will have a clearer idea whether Mr. Love has the makings of a worthy successor to Messrs. Favre and Rodgers. 

In other words, in a nutshell:  Can he be … the Guy?