Jordan Love had possibly the best game of his career in the Green Bay Packers‘ convincing win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Love was able to show poise and creativity, leading the Packers to a 29-22 win over the Lions, resigning the Lions to a seventh straight loss on Thanksgiving.
Jordan Love Shows Passing Prowess
Going by quarterback rating, Love had his best game of the 2023 season, finishing with a rating of 125.5. That is the best game that Love has put together since Week 1 when the Packers beat the Bears 38-20 and Love finished with a passer rating of 123.2.
With a quarterback rating of 125.5, Love was able to stack the score sheet all game, completing 22 of his 32 passes with a completion percentage of 68.8. That completion percentage is also Love’s highest of the 2023 season so far.
The Packers QB also threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Those three touchdowns match Love’s season-high, matching the three touchdowns he threw in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Bears and the Falcons, respectively.
While Love has thrown for more yards in two games this season (vs. Chargers and Steelers), he was able to deal bitter blows to the Lions’ defense, who failed to come up with answers to Love’s play.
That showed on Love’s longest throw of the day, which came in the first quarter when he completed a deep pass over the middle to Christian Watson.
That was Love’s first pass of the afternoon, and he managed to retain his form throughout the game. Watson was Love’s favorite target and ended the game with five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath, and Tucker Kraft were also targeted multiple times throughout the Packers’ win. Reed scored a touchdown on a short pass with 12:21 on the clock in the first quarter, while Tucker Kraft hauled in a 9-yard pass for a touchdown with 3:13 remaining in the first.
Love was also able to showcase his ability on the ground, topping his day off with a long rushing play in the fourth quarter when he escaped to his left for a deep 37-yard run.
Love Shines on the Big Stage
Love and the Packers had been coming under scrutiny in recent months. Love had struggled to match his early-season promise, with a four-game losing streak between Week 4 and Week 8.
Against the Raiders in Week 5, Love put up a passer rating of just 32.2, having thrown three interceptions.
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It had led to some analysts predicting that Love wasn’t the future, and the Packers were even being mocked a quarterback in 2024 NFL Mock Drafts.
If the Packers were to have continued that trajectory after Week 10, then it looked like they would be drafting in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But, if you are going to have the best game of your season, against a divisional opponent on Thanksgiving is certainly a way to do it.
Love has shown resilience in the last two games, playing well in their home game in Week 11 against the Chargers, and showing his playmaking abilities against the Lions on Thanksgiving.
With the Packers’ last two wins, against the Chargers and the Lions, they are still firmly in playoff contention at 5-6.
It is the Kansas City Chiefs up next for the Packers at Lambeau Field, before a run of the Giants, the Buccaneers, and the Panthers. Before they finish the season with two divisional games (Vikings and Bears).
It is still all to play for in Green Bay, and if Love can continue to show the form he has shown in the last two weeks, they will certainly be in contention in a weaker NFC conference.
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