There has been plenty of debate and discussion surrounding the Packers’ future at quarterback. That discussion has developed even further after Week 12. With Aaron Rodgers forced to leave the field with a rib injury, Jordan Love came in at quarterback for the fourth quarter.
Though it wasn’t enough to salvage a win, Love showed plenty of promise in his limited action. He finished the game 6 of 9 for 113 yards and a touchdown. With that in mind, I wanted to break down each of his throws, and see what we can glean from his performance. Let’s dive into the film!
Play 1 – Fade Out
Love’s first throw in this game might have looked simple enough, but there was a lot to be impressed about. The Packers are running the “Fade Out” concept to the bottom of the screen, consisting of a fade route from the outside receiver and an out route from the inside receiver. This is a simple high-low concept where the quarterback has to read the cornerback. If they sink and take the fade route, you throw the out route. If they sit on the out route, you can throw the fade.
In this case, Darius Slay (#2) plays this perfectly. He starts off by sinking with the fade route, but just as Love is about to throw the out route, he plants his foot and sits. With the safety sitting wide over the fade route, that isn’t possible either. A lot of quarterbacks would still try and risk this throw but Love smartly gets to the backside of the read and gets the ball to his checkdown. This is the kind of smart and mature quarterbacking you would expect from a veteran.
Play 2 – Quick Out
The positives continued for Love with his second pass. It is 3rd and 5 and the Packers have a quick out route to Allen Lazard called. This is the perfect play in this situation given the cushion that Darius Slay is playing with. Love then delivers on that potential with a perfect pass.
His footwork here is crisp and clean and he throws the ball in rhythm, with the anticipation to deliver it before his receiver is out of his break. Love’s arm strength is on display here too. Whilst it isn’t a downfield bomb, it takes some velocity to deliver a line drive like this to the far hash.
Play 3 – The Watson touchdown
This play predictably did the rounds on social media and was Green Bay’s longest play of the game. The throw here is perhaps the simplest one from Love, but his ability to execute the offense in rhythm and with good accuracy is worth its weight in gold when it results in plays like this.
Play 4 – Getting through his progressions
Love’s ability to progress through his reads and make the right decision was apparent once again on this play. His initial read is the concept to the top of the screen. The two inside receivers are running clear-out routes, with the intention of opening up the slant to Robert Tonyan (#85), who is lined up as the outside receiver.
Tonyan fails to win his one-on-one matchup, and Love is quick to recognise this. He turns his attention to the backside concept, where the Packers have a high-low play targeting Eagles linebacker Kyzir White (#43). White sits on Randall Cobb’s hitch route, which leaves Christian Watson open on the dig route. Love shows the ability to throw with anticipation and delivers another great throw to his receiver for a 15-yard completion.
Play 5 – A perfect incompletion
This next throw might have gone incomplete, but it was perhaps my favourite throw Love made in the game. The Packers are once again running the Fade Out concept that they ran on Love’s first pass. This time the cornerback sits on the out route. Love knows that this opens up the hole shot to the fade route, but this is a really difficult pass to make, requiring expert ball placement and great velocity.
He showcases both of those here, delivering the perfect pass to Aaron Jones. He even makes sure to throw the ball to the outside of Jones to prevent a big hit from the safety. The Packers were unfortunate that Jones dropped the pass, but there was once again an awful lot to like from Love here.
Play 6 – Another high-low
The Packers go back to another of their favourite concepts again here. This time we see a repeat of the high-low concept they ran on Love’s fourth pass play, though this time it is on the other side of the field. Once again, Love makes the right call. With the linebacker sitting on the hitch, Love rips the ball in to Watson on the dig route.
If you were being picky on this play then you could say that the ball placement could be better. In an ideal world you want the football delivered to Watson in stride to maximise opportunities for yards after the catch. Nevertheless, it was another great example of Love making the right decision and throwing within rhythm.
Play 7 – The missed touchdown
This is the first slightly disappointing play from Love, but even then, it isn’t bad at all. As soon as he reaches the top of his drop it is clear that there isn’t a single open receiver for him to throw to. With pressure in his face, he is forced to bail on the pocket and it becomes a scramble drill.
At this point he has two options. The easiest is Lazard underneath, who should give the Packers enough for the first down and maybe even stop the clock by getting out of bounds. The harder option is Christian Watson in the end zone. With the Packers trailing by 10 points and under two minutes left, Love makes the right call and attempts the aggressive play. Whilst this is a difficult throw, you would have liked to see better accuracy from him.
Play 8 – Back to another favourite
On this play the Packers run another concept we have seen before. This is the same play they ran on Love’s fourth pass attempt, with two clear out routes attempting to open up the slant from Tonyan at the outside receiver spot. This time it works, and Love delivers the ball to his tight end for a modest gain. This was a simple play and a simple throw, but Love’s ability to throw with accuracy and timing is once again on full display.
Play 9 – The final play
Love’s last play was one of his three incompletions, but once again there were some promising signs. The primary read on this play is Allen Lazard to the top of the screen, but Love is smart to come off him when he fails to win off the line of scrimmage. The rest of the play seems a little messy, and the route distribution to the trips side suggests that there’s some mistakes involved from the receivers.
Nevertheless, Love does a nice job evading pressure and climbs out of the pocket. He makes the right read again and finds Randall Cobb in the end zone. Watching this back, it is pretty apparent that this should have been a pass interference penalty against the Eagles as contact is made on Cobb before the ball is anywhere near. That said, Love could have delivered a better ball that prevented the defender from making a play and ending the drive.
It is important to remember that this was just nine throws at the end of a game where the Packers were trailing. Nevertheless, Jordan Love showed genuine promise in his limited game time against the Eagles. He was playing against one of the league’s best defenses, yet didn’t make any major mistakes or look out of his depth.
It remains to be seen as to whether the Packers play him again this season, but Love is showing the kind of play that you expect from a former first round pick. That should settle a few nerves inside 1265 Lombardi Avenue.
