Jordan Love might be the most disrespected quarterback in the league, but only if you haven’t been paying attention. Mina Kimes gets it.
The Green Bay Packers’ offense still has higher levels to ascend to, but Love is evolving into the franchise’s next star quarterback. Many aren’t ready to admit it yet — just ask Rex Ryan — but Kimes debunked the narrative about the third-year starter.
“The Packers’ offense great. Anyone who thinks they’re not, or that Jordan Love isn’t playing well, isn’t watching Jordan Love,” Kimes said on a recent episode of NFL Live.
Mina Kimes breaks down what’s missing from Jordan Love and Packers’ offense
It’s true that Love is playing some of the best football of his career, having thrown for 1,438 yards, 10 touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 108.1 rating through six games, but it’s also true that this offense still has a way to go.
“People say, ‘Why aren’t they better?’ We see the numbers, they’re top five, but it feels like they could hit another gear,” Kimes said.
It comes down to how the passing game performs when Love faces pressure.
“The one area where they’re not great is when Jordan Love is under pressure. When he’s kept clean, he has an 80 percent completion percentage, which is absurd. When he’s under pressure, that drops to 27th.”
According to Kimes, when Love is under pressure, he throws downfield to open targets just 1.9 percent of the time, which is the worst rate in the league.
Is it a play-calling issue or an execution problem? The answer lies somewhere in between, but the reality is that receivers aren’t getting open enough when pressure is in Love’s face.
It’s hard to fault Love. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in football at avoiding sacks under pressure. Per Pro Football Focus, he has a pressure-to-sack percentage of just 13.5 percent, the 12th-best in the league. Last season, Love ranked third with just 8.9 percent of pressures turning into sacks.
He also isn’t turning the ball over, having thrown only two picks this season.
But there’s little Love can do if receivers aren’t getting open. According to PFF, he has almost as many throwaways under pressure in six games this season (12) as all of last year (15). Unlike in previous seasons when he would force throws into tight coverages, Love is playing smart and living to fight another play.
It’s on LaFleur to ensure the play-calling is good enough, but more importantly, on the receivers to get open. It’s likely a consequence of missing Jayden Reed and Christian Watson. Watson, in particular, stretches the field with his speed and is the Packers’ best man-coverage destroyer, something they have lacked without him. His imminent return is huge.
The Packers also need to run the ball better. Per ESPN, the offensive line ranks 29th in run-block win rate, which is severely hurting the offense’s ability to cool the pass rush with play-action, something the LaFleur-Love system has thrived on in previous seasons.
While this offense has yet to reach its peak, it is still among the league’s most efficient. According to RBSDM, Green Bay’s offense ranks No. 4 in EPA/play, while Love is tied for No. 2 among quarterbacks in EPA/play.
There’s still a surprising narrative that Love is a high-risk quarterback who turns the ball over for fun, despite the fact that he has thrown just two picks in his past 13 games.
Love has elevated his play to another level. Once the Packers can solve their ground-game and pressure issues, the true breakout is on, even if many aren’t ready to admit it yet.
Kimes is right. Love is playing great, and if you can’t see it, you clearly haven’t been watching.
