Packers Send 1-Word Message on Jordan Love After Cowboys Win

Getty Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

Jordan Love impressed the Green Bay Packers throughout his first season as their starting quarterback in 2023, but his dominant performance against the Dallas Cowboys during his NFL playoff debut nearly left his head coach speechless.

Love showed poise from the pocket against the Cowboys, completing 16 of his 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns and making numerous big-time throws that helped the Packers stay leagues ahead of their NFC opponent. He also placed his trust in his offensive line, which kept Dallas from recording a sack for the first time all season.

Asked about the poise his first-year starting quarterback showed in his playoff debut, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur summed it all up in a single word: “Wow.”

Love did not dismantle the Cowboys all on his own. Aaron Jones rushed for three touchdowns and more than 100 yards for a fourth consecutive game, putting together his best career playoff performance. Jaire Alexander and Darnell Savage also each came away with game-changing interceptions with Savage taking his pick back for six points.

Still, LaFleur felt how Love composed himself and handled the big moment showed off just how far he has come since making his first career start against Kansas City in 2021.

“What he did and the poise he shows and the command he shows,” LaFleur said before referencing Love’s second-quarter touchdown pass to rookie Dontayvion Wicks. “Those are the things that you can’t necessarily [coach]. You can try to coach it, but what a moment for him. To me, that was a big-time play. It just shows the growth that he’s had from his first start against KC to now. Just so proud and happy for him.

“He’s a dude. He’s a real dude.”

Everything’s Clicking for Jordan Love Down the Stretch

After an uneven start to the 2023 season, Jordan Love has started to see everything click into place down the stretch of his first campaign as an NFL starting quarterback.

Over his last nine starts, Love has completed 70.6% of his passes (212 of 300) for 2,422 yards and 21 touchdowns and led the Packers to victory in seven of those games. He has also thrown just one interception during that period, a drastic improvement from the 10 interceptions he threw while learning to gel with his team during the first nine games.

While the inconsistencies of the first half of the season kept Love from truly entering the MVP conversation, there is no denying he played like an elite-caliber quarterback to close out the 2023 regular season. He finished with the second-most touchdown passes (32) and seventh-most passing yards (4,159) in the league, which — for the record — is better than Aaron Rodgers did during his first season as the Packers’ starter in 2008.

The Packers might have a difficult time getting past the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs next week. Either way, though, general manager Brian Gutekunst is likely sleeping well at night knowing Love is a long-term answer.

Packers Open as 10-Point Underdogs Against 49ers

Love’s phenomenal playoff debut should start earning him and the Packers respect around the league in terms of being legitimate contenders, but they will not get any extra courtesy from the oddsmakers heading into the NFC divisional round.

According to SportsLine, most sportsbooks have the Packers opening as 10-point underdogs against the 49ers for the divisional round. The reasons why are not too difficult to understand: San Francisco has one of the best offenses in the NFL with a steady young quarterback in Brock Purdy and a superstar in Christian McCaffrey. They also have a future Hall of Fame coach in Kyle Shanahan calling the shots offensively.

That said, the oddsmakers also felt the Packers deserved to be 7.5-point underdogs to the Cowboys heading into their wild-card matchup and clearly underestimated what Love, LaFleur and the rest of the Packers could accomplish when given a chance.

The Packers have lost to the 49ers in two of their last three appearances in the playoffs, the most recent of which came at home in the divisional round during the 2021 playoffs.