The Green Bay Packers lost their third consecutive game, falling 19-17 in Denver on Sunday, the second straight ending with a Jordan Love desperation interception that sealed a defeat.
Love has had a challenging adjustment period in his first season as the starter. Apart from a strong performance against Chicago in Week 1, he has experienced ups and downs, resulting in an erratic offense. Over the previous four games, Green Bay’s offense has only managed to secure six points in the first half, contributing to a 9-0 deficit last Sunday.
Love’s turnovers have been detrimental, having thrown six interceptions in the last three games, compared to just one in the first three weeks.
Head coach Matt LaFleur reaffirmed the Packers’ confidence in Love, despite injuries impeding a young offense.
“It all works in unison, so the better everybody is around him, the better he’s going to look,” LaFleur said on Monday, via ESPN. “Our confidence in him is not wavering one bit. Certainly, as the play-caller, you put a lot of onus on yourself when things aren’t going well, and we’ll continue to do that, but we’ve got to find a way to generate more points because when you’re generating points, it’s just a totally different narrative.”
All quarterbacks perform better with a strong supporting team, but the elite ones also elevate the performance of their teammates on the field. Love, in his initial stint as the starter, has yet to demonstrate this ability.
Love has shown glimmers of potential, such as in the second half against New Orleans and during Sunday’s attempted comeback to gain the lead before a disappointing finish. However, for the Packers to truly be competitive again, Love needs to consistently perform well throughout all four quarters of the game.
In past seasons, we’ve observed Green Bay making a comeback, but that was with a guaranteed future Hall of Fame quarterback leading the team. Is it possible for Love to recreate the same wonder in future games?
After Minnesota’s resounding victory on Monday night, the Week 8 division matchup between the Vikings and Packers looms large. A Green Bay loss would send the season into extreme peril.
