Green Bay Packers’ backup QB Jordan Love has been like the infrequent Bigfoot sighting of the NFL. We’ve heard his name a lot over the past year and a half without much payoff, and I’m not counting preseason because established players don’t even take it seriously anymore.
With the recent revelations of Aaron Rodgers being unvaccinated, contracting COVID, and skirting NFL protocols all season, Love is suddenly thrust into the starting lineup unexpectedly. And, to be absolutely honest, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Love’s first NFL start is against a below-average Kansas City Chiefs defense.
One of the most significant advantages for Love and the Packers is there isn’t much tape on the second-year QB. The only footage on Love is from the preseason, which doesn’t give the Chiefs much to scout from defensively.
This might be the best scenario Love could have hoped for in his first start. The Chiefs are 25th in the league in scoring defense (27.5 ppg) and 25th against the pass (269.8 ypg). No one expects Love to have a Rodgers-like performance, but 225 yards through the air shouldn’t be asking too much of him.
Love doesn’t need to win this game to show the world he’s ready for when Rodgers exits stage left, but he certainly can’t afford to be the reason the Packers lose it either. If the Packers lose but Love is solid, the blame will be placed on Rodgers for missing this game and attempting to outsmart everyone in the process. But if Love starts this game and doesn’t look NFL-ready at all, if he’s making mistakes all over the field, things will get bad quickly for him and the organization. All the doubters of the Love pick will feel justified in slandering Green Bay for moving up to draft him 26th overall.
Jordan may not get another opportunity like this to show the Packers they made the right choice or to show other teams that he could be an option for them in the offseason. And that all depends on Rodgers staying or leaving Green Bay. Either way, it’s Jordan Love’s time to shine, and it’s time for him to step up and show that he can be the type of leader NFL teams want for their offense.