The Green Bay Packers are trying to steady themselves after a rough finish to their season opener, but one coach who knows their quarterback well is making sure his defense does not confuse the result with a reason to relax.
New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn offered a concise scouting report on Jordan Love on Sept. 18, two days before Green Bay visits MetLife Stadium.
“His arm talent is unbelievable,” Glenn said, via Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
The comment fits with Glenn’s longer assessment of Green Bay earlier in the week. He pointed to the Packers’ explosive plays and Love’s efficiency as two qualities that create a winning formula while calling Matt LaFleur’s group a “playoff-caliber team,” according to the Jets’ official site.
Glenn has more familiarity than most AFC coaches with what Love and LaFleur are capable of producing. Before taking over the Jets, Glenn spent four seasons as Detroit’s defensive coordinator and saw Green Bay twice a year in the NFC North. Now he is back calling defensive plays in New York, making Sunday’s matchup another chapter in a familiar chess match.
Glenn Knows the Threat Love Presents
Love’s Week 1 stat line was complicated.
The Packers lost 39-22 to the Minnesota Vikings after giving up 29 unanswered points, but Love still generated 387 passing yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 9.2 yards per attempt despite completing only 21 of 42 throws, and he was sacked four times, via NFL.com’s official game statistics.
One of the clearest reminders of the arm talent Glenn referenced came through Christian Watson. Watson caught six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, giving Green Bay a vertical presence even as the offense unraveled late.
The Packers also finished with 419 total yards and produced several chunk gains. New York’s own scouting report noted Green Bay had 10 explosive plays totaling 313 yards against Minnesota.
That is where Glenn’s concern starts to make sense. The Jets do not have to project what Love can do when a play opens downfield. The tape from Week 1 already showed it.
Love’s challenge will be turning those flashes into a cleaner four-quarter performance. Green Bay committed 12 penalties for 98 yards in the opener and lost the turnover battle. A quarterback with Love’s ability can erase mistakes in a hurry, but the Packers gave themselves too many problems to overcome in Minnesota.
Jets Defense Gives Love a Week 2 Examination
New York enters the matchup from the opposite direction.
The New York Jets opened the season with a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, holding Tennessee to 195 total yards. The Jets recorded three sacks and entered Week 2 with the league’s second-ranked defense by total yards allowed.
That performance gives Sunday’s matchup some edge. Green Bay just faced a pressure-heavy Vikings defense that hit Love repeatedly, and now Glenn gets his turn to build a plan around a quarterback he has studied for years.
Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker said this week New York would “have our hands full” with Love, while safety Andre Cisco highlighted Love’s ability to make every throw, escape the pocket and create outside structure.
Glenn’s assessment carried the same message in fewer words.
For the Packers, the Week 2 task is less about proving Love has elite arm strength and more about protecting him long enough to use it. The Jets already understand the danger. Glenn made that clear before Green Bay even stepped on the field in New Jersey.
Packers’ Jordan Love Gets ‘Unbelievable’ Verdict From Jets HC Aaron Glenn