Jordan Love took a major step towards cementing his status as the Green Bay Packers‘ franchise quarterback of the future, leading a dominant, blowout upset win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
Whether it was leading one of the most efficient opening scoring drives you’ll see, by finishing 3-of-3 passing for 71 yards with a touchdown on the possession, or simply stunning a typically top-tier Lions defense, Love was spectacular Thursday afternoon.
The Packers didn’t upset the Lions in spite of Love, rather, he was the driving force behind the win.
Love finished Thursday’s contest 22-of-32 for 268 yards with three touchdowns while adding three rushing attempts for 39 yards, on a day that the Packers were missing top running back Aaron Jones.
However, perhaps the most impressive aspect of Love’s performance was his deadly-accuracy on deep throws, unlocking the impact of wide receiver Christian Watson.
As Pro Football Focus points out, on throws that traveled more than 10 yards against the Lions, Love completed 8-of-12 attempts for 151 yards with one touchdown, zero interceptions, and a 137.5 passer rating on those attempts.
Jordan Love on 10+ yard throws vs. the Lions
8/12
151 yards
1 TD / 0 INTs
137.5 passer rating
🚀
In a lot of ways, this has been an audition season for Love to convince the Packers not to go shopping for a veteran quarterback this offseason, or to move up to take a quarterback high in the 2024 NFL Draft. But, in upsetting the Lions — who entered Thanksgiving with visions of challenging for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and on the heels of coming back to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Love is checking a lot of key boxes for Green Bay.
To head coach Matt LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst, and the Packers’ credit, Green Bay has been patient and supportive of Love’s growing pains in his first season as a starter. Love is rewarding that faith, while taking major strides in his development, as a result.
Jordan Love Reacts to Packers’ Win Over Lions
Love didn’t mince words after beating the Lions by a touchdown, in their building, on Thanksgiving
“We knew exactly what type of game this was gonna be. We knew what happened the first game, the first time we played them,” Love told reporters after the game. “We had their number. We’ve been waiting for this game for a while. To be able to go out there and be able to do the performance we had today, was something we were definitely looking forward to.”
Packers’ Offense Barely Skips a Beat Without Luke Musgrave
The Packers needed to cobble together a tight end room, in the absence of rookie starter Luke Musgrave.
Against the Lions, fellow rookie tight end Tyler Kraft caught both of his targets for 15 yards with a touchdown.
Green Bay had originally hoped to pair their young tight ends in more two-tight end sets, but Kraft looks to be the ideal insurance policy for Musgrave’s stint on injured reserve, which is set to last at least three more weeks.
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Packers’ Jordan Love Passes Major Test in Thanksgiving Win