Getty Jordan Love, Packers quarterback
Let’s be clear: Fox Sports talking head Colin Cowherd, who has had his share of unfair and wild takes over time, did not blast or rip or even unfairly criticize Packers quarterback Jordan Love in the wake of Green Bay’s stunning 18-17 win over the Saints on Sunday.
He did, though, state that the Packers got some lucky breaks and that Love’s general good vibes helped the team more than his passing talent.
It was a sober reality check and, after a win like that … well, no one wants sober reality after an 18-point fourth-quarter comeback. Cowherd said that Love is not necessarily a good quarterback, but he is just a good quarterback in the context of the Packers’ youth and the organization’s desire to move on from Aaron Rodgers.
“I sat there and I thought, I don’t know if he’s any good. He’s a good fit,” Cowherd said.
It is easy to overlook the fact that the Packers were down, 17-0, in the win over the Saints, and that Love missed some throws in the process—though there were dropped passes and an ineffective running game in that mix. Love was just 22-for-44 passing on the day.
“My takeaway on Jordan Love: I don’t know what he is. He’s young,” Cowherd said. “I was happy for Jordan Love (but) 22-of-44 is not Joe Montana. But he’s a kid, he’s young. When you’re young, these wins feel like two. That’s gonna carry over to the next game, that optimism. They get into that locker room and they know they were down 17-0.”
Pressure, Deep Balls a Problem for Jordan Love
Indeed, there are some pretty clear areas in which Love must improve. Accuracy is one, even with the handful of dropped passes and miscommunications that seemed to infiltrate his receiving crew on Sunday. Love’s completion rate dropped to 53.1% after the Saints game, which is the second-worst in the NFL among starters, ahead of only Zach Wilson of the Jets.
At Pro Football Focus, Love graded out with a 65.3 after three weeks, 23rd in the NFL. The site has him graded fairly low in a few areas, and those have been problems for him through three weeks. When he is under pressure, Love is just 4-for-16 passing, a 25% success rate, and PFF graded him with a 46.0 for that.
Love has a QB rating of 95.3, which is 13th in the league.
He has also had a problem with deep balls, completing three of his 16 attempts on those. Part of that has been the fact that the Packers have yet to have Christian Watson, one of the NFL’s fastest players, on the field yet (that should change Thursday against Detroit). But Love’s accuracy has been a problem there, too. PFF has him graded at 52.9 on deep throws.
Jordan Love’s Intangibles Count for Packers
So Cowherd at least has a point—the good vibes around Love thus far are more about his good vibes than his impeccable passing. And he has other intangibles that help for the Packers.
“His attitude, his energy, his optimism, it was very hopeful,” Cowherd said. “I don’t think he’s a great quarterback but I do think he is a great fit now for Green Bay. And I will say this: Success in this league at quarterback is not just talent. How much of a cap hit are you? He’s not much of one. Are you healthy? He is. Do you connect with teammates? He does. Are you coachable? He is. Are you committed in the offseason? He is as well.”
But the guy has had only three starts in this new Packers post-Rodgers. There is plenty of time to work out some of the kinks in his game, and the players around him are only going to get better, too.
“There’s a lot of things about Jordan Love you should feel good about,” Cowherd said.
Here, here.