Getty Jordan Love, Packers quarterback, got a text on Sunday from predecessor Aaron Rodgers
Few could have predicted that, when the Green Bay Packers sent quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Jets in a trade last March, it would be Rodgers sitting home to watch the playoffs while his three-year understudy, Jordan Love, managed to drive his team into the postseason after a whirlwind first season behind the helm. That’s what will happen this weekend, though, as Love and the Packers prepare to go to Dallas while the injured Rodgers stays home.
That does not mean Rodgers does not still have a voice with the Packers, even if it is a muted and digital one. He has, apparently, still got “Jordan Love” saved in his phone. Before the Packers went out to play Chicago at Lambeau Field on Sunday, with an NFC playoff berth on the line, Love got a text message from Rodgers.
It was a simple one, understandable to Packers faithful everywhere: “Go beat the Bears.”
That’s what Love told SI.com’s Albert Breer after the too-close-for-comfort 17-9 win the Packers lodged, which earned them a return engagement into the postseason. Rodgers, of course, very much liked beating the Bears. He apparently likes it when Love, who is 2-0 against the Packers rivals, does the same.
4,000 Yards Passing & a Spot in Packers Record Books
Love was brilliant on Sunday, a steadying force for a team—the youngest in the NFL—that wobbled at times under the bright lights. He completed 27 of his 32 passes, and tallied 316 yards and two touchdowns. The outing pushed him to 4,159 yards passing for the year, the 12th-most yards in a single season by a Packers quarterback in history. He also finished with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
His passing rating is 96.1, which is eighth in the league among quarterbacks with 10 or more starts. Most important, though, is the nine wins it took to get to the playoffs.
“It means everything,” Love said in his postgame presser. “This is the opportunity we worked for all season long, and obviously, coming into it, this was a huge game for us. We’ve had a couple—our last couple of playoff games have really been playoff games, we had to win those. So just with our back against the wall, I’m just proud of this team, how we fought, stuck together and put ourselves in position to make a playoff run.”
The Packers never made it easy on themselves, getting off to hopeful 2-1 start before sliding into a four-game losing streak. There was pressure to win each of the last three weeks. The Packers’ playoff hopes relied upon it.
“It was tough, 2-5 start, but the main thing that we did was stick together,” Love said. “Everybody came into the building, finding ways to try to get better, improving themselves and make the team better. It obviously hasn’t been easy for us, it’s been a process, there have been ups and downs but we stuck together and we were able to get on a win streak and put ourselves in this position.”
Jordan Love: ‘Pressure’s a Privilege’
Handling that back-against-the-wall situation and coming through is probably the most impressive part of the season for Love and the young Packers. Love told Breer he has embraced the pressure, whether it was making the playoffs in the last few weeks or taking over for Rodgers at the start of the season.
“Pressure’s a privilege,” Love told Breer. “I’m grateful for the opportunity that I have and just want to make the most of it. Blocking out all the noise and not even thinking about how much pressure it might be, just going out there and playing, having fun and taking advantage of the opportunity that I have, that’s just what everybody in the locker room has done.
“Pressure’s a privilege. We’re blessed to be here. We’re not focusing on the pressure.”