Aaron Rodgers Speaks Out on Struggling Packers QB Jordan Love

The concern surrounding Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love after a few rough games is overblown, at least according to his former mentor Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers played the last three seasons of his Packers career with Love as his backup, and by most accounts had a closer personal and professional relationship with Green Bay’s new starter than the one Brett Favre had with Rodgers when the roles were reversed.

Rodgers appeared on the Tuesday, October 10 edition of ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show for his weekly interview, during which the hosts asked the QB about Love’s difficulties over the past few games, including the rough outing he had in primetime against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

I sent Jordan Love a message last night. I love Jordan, you know, he’s a great kid. I think he’s shown a lot of things early in the season. He’s shown the ability to throw the ball downfield. He’s very athletic. I feel like he’s had a number of really nice look-offs, and just a number of plays that I think the average fan has got to be like, “Oh, this is guy is gonna be around here for awhile. This guy can really play.”

As we’ve seen … week to week the narrative can really change. It can be you’re not the guy and this is a mistake one week, and the next week you’re gonna be around for 15 years. And that’s the overreaction of our league. The important thing as a quarterback is to just try and keep your confidence, not kinda get into all the bulls***, realize it’s just part of it. There’s going to be ups and downs in your career, ups and downs on the season, you’ve just gotta keep pushing through. You’ve gotta be the same guy every single day. You’ve gotta inspire your teammates and bring that consistency. They’ve got a bye week coming up and then going to, I believe, [the Denver Broncos] I think after that. So a good chance, I think, to bounce back for them.

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Turnovers, Accuracy Have Plagued Packers QB Jordan Love in First Year as Starter

 

Head coach Matt LaFleur took some of the blame for Love’s difficulties Monday night, while noting that his confidence in the quarterback has not wavered.

“I think there’s some things that I need to do a better job [of] in terms of what we’re asking him to do, and try not put him in a position where he’s susceptible to maybe throwing the picks,” LaFleur said.

Love’s evening ended on an interception in the end zone, which made 3 picks for the QB on the night. He has 6 total interceptions through five games this season, per Pro Football Reference.

All of those turnovers came over the past three contests, in which Green Bay is 1-2 only because Love was able to flip a switch in Week 3 and lead the Packers back from a 17-0 fourth-quarter deficit to win 18-17 over the New Orleans Saints.

Love’s accuracy has also been a major concern in his fourth NFL season, which is just his first as a full-time starter. The QB has completed only 90-of-162 passing attempts, equating to a season-long rate of 55.6%.

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Jordan Love Has Golden Opportunity to Turn Season Around Over Next 3 Weeks

The good news for LaFleur, Love and the rest of the Packers offense is that they have some time to regroup.

As Rodgers noted, Green Bay has a bye in Week 6. The team won’t return to the gridiron until October 22 when it takes on the Broncos in Denver. The Broncos are currently 1-4 and are 11-point underdogs in a road contest against the Kansas City Chiefs scheduled for Thursday night, per Draft Kings Sportsbook.

The Packers host the Minnesota Vikings, also currently 1-4, the following week. The Vikings will be without All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson in that game after he strained his hamstring last Sunday against the Chiefs and landed on IR, where he will remain for at least the next four weeks.

Green Bay’s NFC North Divisional contest against the Vikings is set for two days before the league’s trade deadline. There is a chance Minnesota could be without quarterback Kirk Cousins by then as well, assuming the Vikings decide to punt on the season and put Cousins on the trade block, which has become an increasingly popular suggestion among NFL analysts since Minnesota suffered its fourth loss over the weekend.

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