It is evident over the final stretch of the season that Jordan Love is the future of the Green Bay Packers.
Here are two stat lines from two different quarterbacks. The first quarterback won six games and lost ten games, had a completion percentage of 63.6 percent, threw for 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns, and had 13 interceptions. The second quarterback won nine games, lost eight games, had a completion percentage of 64.2 percent, threw for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and had 11 interceptions.
Looking only at the stats, it would seem like the second quarterback had the better season, as he had more wins, yards, touchdowns, a higher completion percentage, and fewer interceptions. Well, the first quarterback stats are from Aaron Rodgers’ rookie season, and the second stats are from Jordan Love’s rookie season.
Jordan Love had some struggles in his rookie year. In his first five games, his highest completion percentage was 63.9 percent, the only game in the stretch above the 50s, in addition to throwing six interceptions. However, in the final five games of the season, Love has shown growth, throwing over 60 percent in every game over the stretch and only throwing one interception.
On Jan. 7, the Green Bay Packers faced a must-win game against the Chicago Bears. If they won the game they would make the playoffs, but if they lost they would miss out on the playoffs completely.
In the game, Love showed why he should be considered the future of the Green Bay Packers, passing for 27 out of 32 completions, a completion percentage of 84 percent, 316 yards, and two touchdowns. Outside of a fumble lost, Love had a nearly perfect game, leading the Packers to victory over the Bears 17-9.
Love proved in this game that he has what it takes to win important and clutch games for the Packers. He has done it before as well. On Dec. 3, 2023, the Green Bay Packers had five wins and six losses going into a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, who have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes. In the game, Love threw 25 of 36 completions for 267 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions, leading the Packers to a 27-19 win over the Chiefs, bringing the Packers record back to .500 at six wins and six losses. This win helped the Packers stay in playoff contention.
In addition to boasting impressive stats, Love has achieved these wins with the youngest offense in the league. In fact, after making the playoffs on Jan. 6, the Packers are the youngest team to make the playoffs since it started being recorded in 1978. This means that Love is getting all his yards and touchdowns with teammates who are almost exclusively in their first or second year in the league.
Although the Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers 24-21, the fact that Love has such impressive stats in his first full season should make Packers fans very excited for the future of their team.
