On Sunday night, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love went head-to-head with his friend and former mentor, Aaron Rodgers. After three years of serving as the backup to Rodgers, Love finally got the chance to go head-to-head against a team quarterbacked by Rodgers. Love passed this test with flying colors. The former Utah State star had an outstanding game, throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns while completing 29-of-37 passes. That included three dropped passes in the first half. The Packers won the game 35-25 and Love showed his mentor Rodgers how it’s done.

Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Shows His Mentor How It’s Done: Love’s Road to Starting

The decision to draft Love in the first round and eventually trade Rodgers was a tough one for Packers GM Brian Gutekunst. He faced a lot of criticism from fans about his decision to move on from the future Hall of Famer for an unproven quarterback who had played better as a college junior than as a senior. At the time of the trade, Love had made just one career NFL start.

But the move has paid off. Over the last three years, Love has developed into one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league with the chance to rank even higher. He has demonstrated the ability to make all the throws needed in an NFL playbook and his leadership has been appreciated by his teammates.

Through seven games this season, Love has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 1,798 yards and 13 touchdowns. Love’s average yards per attempt is 8.4, the highest of his three seasons as a starter. His quarterback rating is an impressive 112.8.

Love and Rodgers, Together and Apart

The relationship between Rodgers and Love has always been good. It is a credit to Rodgers that he mentored Love despite being unhappy with the Packers decision to draft him in 2020.

After the game, Rodgers spoke of his former understudy’s play. “He played great, played fantastic,” Rodgers admitted. “He’s had a really nice season [and] he’s been really efficient with the football. He’s opportunistic, though I felt like he was very patient tonight. He took the run solutions, he took the checkdowns, moved in the pocket well. Thought he played really well.”

Love recognizes that he learned a lot from playing behind Rodgers for three years, a luxury that not many first-round picks have. Rodgers won NFL MVP in two of those seasons, 2020 and 2021, so Rodgers got to see him at the top of his game.

“Obviously, being behind A-Rod for three years, being able to see him and just the high-level play that he was capable of going out there and doing and being able to put the ball on the money at all times was very cool for me to be able to see,” Love said.

Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Shows His Mentor How It’s Done: Gaining His Teammates’ Confidence

Love’s impact goes beyond mere numbers. Even before he became the starter, he had veterans like Aaron Jones and De’Vondre Campbell believing in him.

To a man, his current teammates and coaches have been pleased with what the nearly 27-year-old signal caller has accomplished so far this season.

“He’s him,” said edge rusher Rashan Gary when asked about Love. “He’s him. Everybody in the league, if y’all not woke, please wake up. Get the crust out your eyes because he is him, and 10 is coming, period.”

Tight end Tucker Kraft, who caught two touchdown passes from Love against the Steelers, has also been impressed with his quarterback. “The legacy that [Rodgers] left, I would say Jordan’s filling those shoes,” Kraft said. “When you’re talking about the Favre to Rodgers to Love, Jordan has stepped up and fulfilled his end of the bargain.”

“He really took command,” added wide receiver Christian Watson. “We knew that in the second half, we had to go out there and execute a lot better. I think he took the helm and just led us and put us in position to make plays, and that’s exactly what we needed from him. He was definitely huge.”

Head coach Matt LaFleur appreciated the work that went into Love’s progress. “Jordan’s worked his ass off to get here,” LaFleur said. “He was patient throughout the process, throughout the journey, and he took advantage of the opportunity, he really did. It’s been cool.”

Of course, to truly continue the legacy of Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Rodgers, Love still needs to win at least one Super Bowl. That challenge still lies ahead for him.

 

 

 

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