Entering the 2023 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers were faced with considerable uncertainty. In the offseason, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rogers was traded to the New York Jets after being with the Packers for 18 seasons. With the departure of Rogers, the organization committed to 2020 first-round draft pick, quarterback Jordan Love.
Before the departure of Rogers, Love saw limited playing time. His most notable action was in 2021 when he started a game in place of an injured Rogers at Kansas City. Love struggled, passing for 190 yards and completing 19 of 34 passes with a touchdown in a game where the Packers fell 13-7.
Love would not see more significant game time until a 2022 week 12 matchup against Philidelphia where he again relived an injured Aaron Rogers late in the game. Love was efficient in relief, completing 6 of 9 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Most of Love’s yardage came on an electric 64-yard touchdown pass to receiver Christian Watson. Although Love showed promise, the Packers would fall to the Eagles 40-33.
With his sparse reps in his first three seasons, many were questioning Love’s ability to lead one of the league’s most historic franchises. Love was the subject of doubt and criticism leading up to the 2023 season. To say Love had big shoes to fill is an understatement as the Hall-of-Fame quarterback torch in Green Bay had now been passed down to him.
In his first season as the full-time starter, Jordan Love had a rocky start. After his first nine games, the Packers sat at 3-6 and were looking at a top-ten draft pick. Jordan Love’s performance played a large role in the Packer’s record. Through those first nine games, Love passed for 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. With this stat line, Love’s legitimacy as the starter was certainly in question.
However, in a week 11 home matchup against the LA Chargers, Love seemed to turn the corner. Love had a tremendous day and completed 27 of his 40 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Love and his Packers were victorious, beating the Chargers 23-20. After this victory, Love caught fire.
From November 19th to the regular-season finale on January 7th, few quarterbacks played better than Jordan Love. During this period Love threw 18 touchdowns to only one interception. Love’s production was the catalyst in the mid-season turnaround for the Packers as they went 6-2 down the stretch and defeated their division rivals, the Chicago Bears, to clinch the seventh and final postseason seed.
Love’s 2023 campaign is even more impressive considering he is throwing almost exclusively to either rookies or second-year players. In a league dominated by veteran passers and receivers, a team’s success with this much youth is unprecedented. This young receiving corp has rallied around their first-year signal caller and the production speaks for itself. Following the regular season finale, Jordan Love has thrown for 32 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions. Additionally, Love threw for 4,159 yards and registered a respectable 64.2 completion percentage.
It is safe to say that Love has earned his keep as the Packer’s quarterback of the future. In almost every statistical category, Love surpassed Aaron Rogers’s totals from his 2022 season in Green Bay. The next step for Love and the surging Packers is a road playoff matchup in Dallas against the Cowboys. If Love can manage to win against an NFC powerhouse like Dallas, it could signal the beginning of the story for another legendary quarterback donning the green and gold.
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