Yes, it hasn’t been a clean season for Jordan Love. The Green Bay Packers quarterback has seen his big-time throw rate go down from 5.6% to 3.7% and his turnover-worthy rate go up from 2.6% to 4%. But now that Love is fully healthy, improvement is expected.
In terms of style, though, Jordan Love won’t change. He has the mentality to look for big plays, it’s just a matter of understanding the right moment to do so.
“I love pushing the envelope and pushing the ball downfield, for sure,” Love said in the locker room on Tuesday. “It’s definitely always tricky. I’m definitely a guy that wants to make plays, put that pressure on the defense, take some shots. It’s credit to the guys in our receiving room too, I trust those guys to take those shots.”
Last year, Love tended to be more conservative early in the season, and that was costly. He only reached his full potential when he started to play with more confidence.
“Those are the lessons I had to learn last year and I’ll continue to learn. When it’s the right time to take those shots, if guys get a step (of separation) or if we get the right coverage, versus just find those completions,” Love added. “Because those checkdowns and finding those completions turn into big plays as well sometimes. Just understanding where I need to go with the ball.”
How he can improve
Jordan Love won’t change his style, but he has said it’s possible to get better. Now, the question becomes how. And reading the defense is his answer.
“That comes down to coverage recognition, understanding why we’re calling certain plays. Matt (LaFleur) does a great job with that,” Love explained. “Every week, when we gameplan these plays, this is the coverage we like it for, it’s what we think it’s gonna be there. If we don’t get that, find a different completion. I’m always surveying the field. If post-snap they mess up, somebody slips or they bust a coverage, some things happen. But on certain plays, you’re calling it for a certain look, and if you don’t get that look, move on.”
On Thursday, Jordan Love and the Packers’ passing offense will have an honorable challenge. So far this season, the Miami Dolphins are 12th in dropback EPA and 17th in success rate — which means they are slightly below average on a play-by-play basis, but the big plays are putting them as an above average unit overall. It’s a good game to keep the right trajectory after a game without turnovers against the San Francisco 49ers.
