By Eric Goska
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| Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy mingled with fans prior to the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field Sunday. (photos by Eric Goska) |
The regular season over, it’s time to hand out awards.
How about Jordan Love for League MIP?
Love turned in another solid performance as the Packers
turned back the Bears 17-9 at Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon in the
regular-season finale for both teams. As he has done on numerous occasions,
Love tossed more than one touchdown pass and was not intercepted as Green Bay
secured a playoff berth with the win.
In a league driven by what-have-you-done lately, Love’s play
improved over the course of the season. With a trip to Dallas pending, the
first-year starter is humming heading into Super Wild Card Weekend.
Love completed 27 of 32 pass attempts for 316 yards and two
touchdowns in compiling a career-best 128.6 passer rating while dispatching the
Bears. His completion percent (84.4) was the fourth highest by a Packers player
in a regular-season game.
Love has been firing on all cylinders in the weeks since
Green Bay limped to a 3-6 start. In eight games since, Love has forged a rating
of 112.7 as the Packers have won six of eight.
Only San Francisco’s Brock Purdy (117.0) has been better
over that span (minimum 50 pass attempts).
Let’s rewind to November 12. Love fires interceptions on
each of Green Bay’s final two possessions as the Green and Gold succumbs 23-19
in Pittsburgh.
At 3-6, the Packers are only a half-game ahead of the
basement dwelling Bears (3-7) in the NFC North. The postseason is a pipe dream
as 10 others in the conference sport better records than Green Bay.
Though Love took a step forward against the Steelers, his
rating of 80.5 through nine games landed him far down the list of ranked
passers.
Then a switch flipped. In the second half of 2023, Love
outperformed his first half by a whopping 32.2 points.
No other quarterback can make that boast this season.
In taking it up a notch, Love cut down on interceptions (one
in the last eight games; ten in the first nine). He uncorked more TD passes (18
to 14). He became a better marksman (70.25 completion percentage to 58.67).
Love, of course, has had help. He has been aided by a group of
young, athletic receivers.
Against Chicago, rookie Dontayvion Wicks led with six
catches (61 yards). Fellow rookie Jayden Reed romped to 112 yards on four
receptions including a 59-yarder that set up Anders Carlson’s 25-yard field goal
that put Green Bay up 17-9 early in the fourth quarter.
Eleven first or second-year players have been responsible for 302 of the Pack’s 374 completions. They have accounted for all but one of the team’s 32 TDs through the air.
As impressive as Love’s second-half improvement has been, it
is not unprecedented in Packers history. Bart Starr made the biggest jump (+49.5)
going from 41.2 to 90.7 in 1967.
Aaron Rodgers was the last to step on the gas to the extent
that Love has. No. 12 boosted his rating by 36.8 points in 2010 where his
second-half number (122.1) far exceeded that of the first (85.3).
That season, some may recall, was the last in which the
Packers (seeded last as they are now in the playoffs) won a Super Bowl.
League MIPs (Most Improved Passers)
Increase Quarterback 1st Half 2nd Half
I was a week ahead of this article as you know Eric...the answer to the question posed in the headline is: YES.
ReplyDeleteEric, I went back and re-read your column from last week.....I missed it the first time, but you write that since 1988, the Packers are 99-2 in games where they've run more than they've passed......this is an ASTONISHING stat.....it must be some odd statistical outlier......can you provide any more context? what's the league average?......surely, somewhere Jim Taylor, Tony Canadeo, and Clark Hinkle are grinning......
ReplyDeleteOften times running more than passing occurs when teams have leads and want to waste time in 4th quarters. Breece Hall had 37 carries for the Jets on Sunday. The Jets are now 33-2 when they have a guy with 30 or more rushing attempts in one game.
DeleteFrom Brian wolf ...
ReplyDeleteHaha ... I wish my comments went in as easily as yours Jim but this game could have been more decisive than it was. Melton had a TD catch I believe and another TD was dropped. As I said over a month ago, when Jones gets over his injuries and decides to play football, the Packers are a different team.
The Bears have decisions. I dont care whether its Fields, Williams or Maye, if the Bears cant protect their QB, what difference does it make? If they save money by taking Williams, they have to invest in that line or he, like Fields and Bisquit before, will suffer.
With how Love played against the Cowboys this weekend, I think it really cements Love as the most improved player this year. Gotta love Love!
ReplyDelete