NEWSLETTER
I said last week that I wanted to see Packers quarterback Jordan Love in action against the Patriots defense after reports swirled throughout the week that New England’s defense was picking on Love during their joint practices.
Maybe Jordan Love heard it, too, because he answered the call this week at Lambeau Field. Love played three series against the Patriots and completed 5-of-8 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. He posted a 137.0 passer rating and looked very good.
Jordan Love’s Preseason Week 2 Performance Provides Packers with Confidence
To my dismay as a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, Jordan Love was throwing darts this past weekend. Check out this 3rd and 7 throw to Romeo Doubs, an absolutely perfectly placed ball.
Dobbs is running a square-in from the number one position outside. The cornerback has inside leverage — meaning the corner is lined up off-center across from the receiver to the inside of his body — and Love was able to fit a strike into an extremely tight window. Doubs was covered well by the cornerback, and Love was able to put that ball where only his receiver could catch it, well beyond the chains for a first down.
That’s a heck of a throw on a third and long in tight coverage, and it’s a throw that NFL quarterbacks have to make. These are the type of throws where quarterbacks start to show separation in their skill levels. Good on Love for nailing this one.
On Love’s third and final series of the day, he drove the Packers 81 yards for an eventual touchdown. This deep shot to Romeo Doubs — who has easily been Love’s favorite target this preseason — covered half of the drive.
Not a whole lot of analysis is needed here. Love has Doubs running a go route down the sideline, and he nails him for a 42-yard pickup that got the Packers out of their own red zone.
Here’s an incompletion by Love, but even though the pass is incomplete, it’s a plus throw. Not only does Love do a great job getting set and in position for the throw, but he also nails Jayden Reed right in the one on his jersey. The corner might have had a hand on the ball, but it looks like Reed just can’t haul it in.
Even though Reed didn’t haul this one in, the anticipation is excellent. If you pause this at the nine-second mark, Reed is just getting into his cut toward the sideline. Still, the decoy route on the outside had hooked the outside corner already, and Love recognized that and was already getting ready to release the ball. Excellent anticipation, a theme of Jordan Love’s performance against the Patriots.
The last play I want to highlight here is the touchdown pass that Love capped the long drive off with. Love finds Jordan Reed running an over and nails him with a dart of a toss. Take a look at two things in this play: 1) A.J. Dillon’s block in the backfield and 2) Love’s set and throw. It’s so smooth, and he had the patience to allow Reed’s route to develop before firing off a ball that only Reed could get his hands on for a touchdown.
A.J. Dillon did a wonderful job of setting the block on the free rusher, and Jordan Love never hesitated. He trusted Dillon and had the patience required to allow Reed to get behind the linebacker, Mack Wilson. The most impressive aspect of this throw was the anticipation. You can see that Love sees and anticipates Reed getting behind Wilson, and he’s already getting into a throwing motion, making sure the ball is there for Reed on time, which allows Reed to turn it into a touchdown.
Again, it’s the preseason, but this was — for the most part — ones versus ones, and Jordan Love looked pretty darn good.
