Jordan Love reveals a major turning point in his career and explains how it has directly shaped the elevated way he’s playing right now
Quarterback Jordan Love had just a few days to prepare for his first NFL start back in 2021.
Jordan Love had a highly unusual path in the NFL, especially for this era of instant gratification. You know all that: The Green Bay Packers drafted him in the first round when Aaron Rodgers was still the quarterback and he spent three years as a backup.
While it’s evident how Love developed during those three years, one moment in particular stands out in the process to build the quarterback Love is today.
The Chiefs game in 2021 was a turning point for Jordan Love
Back in 2021, during a covid-impacted season, Love had his first regular season game action on short notice. Aaron Rodgers was diagnosed with covid on Wednesday, and Love had to start on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. A road game against a top team, with an experienced and ingenious defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo on the other side.
Love was blitzed all game, finishing it up with a 69.5 passer rating — the Packers scored seven points in a 13-7 loss. In 2025, Jordan Love has the best PFF grade against the blitz in the entire NFL, and that’s not a coincidence.
“In my career, that game was honestly something that I needed early on to be able to see that going to a game thinking you have kind of a plan, if they all out you and they just keep bringing it, you can’t pick it up, and it’s like bro, you can’t find a way to answer, they’re gonna keep bringing it,” Love said on the Quarterback Takeover. “That game taught me a lot.”
How Jordan Love improved
After the end of every season, head coach Matt LaFleur stresses some points, and Jordan Love gets to work on them with his personal coach, Steve Calhoun. Back in 2022, entering his third season as Aaron Rodgers’ backup, Love made sure that attacking blitzes would be his priority.
“That was a goal of mine that next offseason: ‘I’m gonna figure out how to pick some of this stuff up, how to make the different protection adjustments,’” Love added. “Because at that time they did, I’m not trying to say handcuff me, but it was like hey, this is kind of the one adjustment that’ll pick it up or give you enough time, just use that, here’s the check you should get to, or you can throw a quick screen or something, just live in that world.
“And I was like, ‘I need to take the next step,’ how A-Rod would have all these different plans for it, and that’s something I definitely took upon myself to try and learn and get better at. You got to find ways to beat the pressure, because I learned if you beat it one time, you probably won’t see it again.”
Right now, Jordan Love is great from a clean pocket and great against the blitz. That stresses opposing defenses to find ways to create pressure without blitzing — and that’s much easier said than done, especially versus an efficient and versatile offense like the Packers’.
Ultimately, it’s not about not having tough moments, but about how you handle them. Jordan Love made sure to learn a lesson, and it’s helping him become what the Packers expect from him.
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