Getty Jordan Love of the Packers
At 6-7, and despite the disappointment of letting slip a very winnable game against a Giants team that is playing well lately but was still inferior, the Packers are still in the driver’s seat for an NFL playoff spot, sitting atop a pile of six clubs one game below .500.
So there are some positives still in place heading down the season’s stretch run, even if Jordan Love and company have to first swallow this Week 14 bitter pill.
“Disappointing,” Love said of Green Bay’s walk-off loss in New York. “Like I said before. Had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of that game and win it, and did not capitalize on those. First half was not up to our standard. So. It’s disappointing.”
But Love does not want players to focus on the disappointment all too long. There is a game on Sunday, after all, against a Tampa Bay team that is struggling for its NFL playoff life. That’s the message Jordan Love had for the Packers on Monday in his press conference after the game.
“I think we got a great team,” Love said. “Obviously, we’re a team that has been in this situation lost some tough games and been able to bounce back. So, I know we’ll be able to bounce back next week.”
Packers’ Loss Was a Difficult One to Swallow
It will be a tough one from which to bounce back, a 24-22 loss that the Packers defense snatched from the jaws of victory. All evening, and in all three phases, the Packers appeared off against the Giants.
They were outgained, 367 yards to 326. They reached the red zone five times but scored only two touchdowns. They failed to get a sack against a team that had been allowing 5.8 sacks per game. The committed three turnovers, including two especially bad ones on a fumble and interception by Jordan Love.
Jordan Love picked off 😬
(via @NFL)
The Packers drove down late in the fourth quarter and managed to score a touchdown with 1:33 to play to take a 22-21 lead and, seemingly, win the game despite the team’s struggles. But the defense allowed the Giants to sap the remaining time on the clock to get into field-goal range. There, they won it.
“The way the game had gone, looking back on it, it was tough,” Jordan Love said. “We still had an opportunity to win it there at the end. Put a good drive together to get down there, dialed up a really good play to get Malik one-on-one with the out route vs. inside leverage. It was a great catch by him to be able to get, obviously, the touchdown.”
Jordan Love Makes No Injury Excuses
In all, Jordan Love was 25-for-39 passing on the day with 218 yards for the Packers. He did so by spreading the ball and featuring just about every pass-catcher in the Green Bay stable as a target. Seven different Packers caught at least two passes from Love.
Rookie Jayden Reed led the way with eight catches, though for only 27 yards. Spreading the ball around was made necessary by the fact that arguably the best two offensive skill players on the roster, Christian Watson and Aaron Jones, are out with injuries.
Love refused to make injury excuses, though.
“I think we got a lot of weapons on our offense,” Love said. “Guys have stepped up and made some big-time plays when guys have been out. So, it’s definitely not something that I think about. Like I said, we’ve got plenty of weapons on our offense and guys are stepping up, making huge plays.”