Jordan Love delivers big performance that proves exactly what he’s capable of as an explosive playmaker
Quarterback showed how effcient he is for the Packers.
Yes, the Green Bay Packers slowed down a little bit in the second half against the Detroit Lions. With a big lead, the offense wanted to kill the clock and keep the defense off the field with longer drives. Nevertheless, it was still a big performance from quarterback Jordan Love in the regular season opener, a massive 27-13 win over the Lions at Lambeau Field.
The advanced numbers from the game show exactly what Love is—and what he can be. Love will never be the most consistent quarterback on a down-to-down basis, but he’s so good at generating explosive plays that the offense will regularly be efficient, even against strong defenses. The stats above come from PFF and RBSDM, and it’s before the Minnesota Vikings-Chicago Bears Monday Night Football matchup.
The good
Jordan Love was excellent against the Lions at throwing difficult and explosive passes. Only two quarterbacks had a big-time throw rate above 15%, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford. Love was first, with a 17.4 rate.
Love’s 10.8 average depth of target was the four-highest, after Cam Ward, Geno Smith, and Dak Prescott. Only six quarterbacks were higher than 10, while Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff was dead last at 4.2. Love was also the second in air yards per play (11.5), only after Cam Ward.
Love also had the fourth-highest passer rating (128.6), behind Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, and Justin Herbert.
The big plays positively affected efficiency. Love was second in adjusted EPA/play, just behind Lamar Jackson, and third in completion percentage over expectation (13.1%), just behind Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy.
Another positive characteristic from Jordan Love is his ability to avoid sacks. The offensive line allowed five pressures, but Love wasn’t sacked at all. Only three starting QBs had a 0% pressure to sack rate in Week 1, before Monday’s game: Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, and Jordan Love.
The bad
Based on Love’s natural style of play, you have to live with the bad sometimes. He was 21st in success rate (44%), which shows a lack of consistency—you could say that it’s just a one-game sample size, but that’s just how Love has been throughout his NFL career.
Love was also credited with two turnover-worthy plays, and his 8.3% rate was the third-worst in Week 1 ahead of Monday Night Football, just above Tua Tagovailoa and Baker Mayfield.
Overall, Jordan Love had a strong performance and took advantage of the Lions’ loaded boxes. Detroit prioritized stopping the run, especially in the first half, and the passing offense made new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard pay for it.
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