Jordan Love' running ability is a big factor for the Packers offense
Jordan Love has been far from a consistent passer, as he has the lowest completion percentage among qualifying quarterbacks in the entire NFL. But over the first four weeks of his first year as a full-time starter, the Green Bay Packers quarterback has compensated that with productivity and playmaking ability. And that goes beyond the […]
Jordan Love has been far from a consistent passer, as he has the lowest completion percentage among qualifying quarterbacks in the entire NFL. But over the first four weeks of his first year as a full-time starter, the Green Bay Packers quarterback has compensated that with productivity and playmaking ability. And that goes beyond the passing metrics, as Love has been one of the most prolific running quarterbacks of the NFL.
From Weeks 1-4, Love is fourth in rush EPA among quarterbacks, only behind Sam Howell, Josh Allen, and Russell Wilson. He's ahead of players known for their athletic ability, like Lamar Jackson (7th), Jalen Hurts (11th), and Justin Fields (16th). Love isn't exactly a running quarterback, but he's been effective as a scrambler and has allowed Matt LaFleur to design a couple of red zone runs. Over the last two weeks, for example, Love successfully ran for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on a read option, and ran for a touchdown on a quarterback draw versus the Detroit Lions.
Even though Love isn't perfect, the Packers coaching staff is happy with his performance.
"You always anticipate based on how he's practiced and done in the preseason and years past," quarterbacks coach Tom Clements said. "You have an idea of how he might do when he becomes the full-time starter, and he's confirmed our thoughts. He's a good player."
Love's running ability is particularly important for the Packers because the team has struggled to run the ball as expected. Without Aaron Jones for two of the first four games, and limited when he played against Detroit, along with run blocking issues, advancing through the ground has been a problem. And when the quarterback can run, that creates another layer for the defense to worry about.
In the first month of the season, Love leads the team among players with multiple carries in yards per rush (4.5). He's ahead of Aaron Jones (4.2), and way better than Patrick Taylor (3.2), AJ Dillon (2.7), and Emanuel Wilson (2.2).
It's natural that, as a first-year starter, Love will have growing pains. Even though he is in his fourth year in the system, there are areas of quarterback development that can only get better when the player is on the field with any kind of regularity. Meanwhile, the rushing ability elevates Love's floor and helps keep his confidence in place and the offensive efficiency.
"He only has five games of experience. As he plays more, he's going to recognize things that he's seen previously in games and if he reacted correctly, that'll trigger in his mind," Clements added. "If previously he didn't react the way he would've liked to, that triggers in your mind, too. And then as you see more defenses and what they're trying to do you're going to recognize it and, hopefully, adjust a little quicker, because you've seen it before."
The next game is another opportunity for the Packers to exploit a defense with Jordan Love's running ability. So far, the Las Vegas Raiders is a below average team in run defense, 21st in EPA per rush and 21st in success rate. It's a much easier challenge than what the Packers faced in the two previous games, as the Detroit Lions are second and the New Orleans Saints are 10th in rush success rate on defense.
The Packers are still progressing as a young offense, so ups and downs are to be expected. But Jordan Love's creation upside has been imperative for the unit to keep afloat.
