There has been a lot to be happy about when it comes to the Green Bay Packers early in the season. While it was disappointing how they lost in Week 2 to the Atlanta Falcons, there have been a lot of positives to take away in the early going.
Arguably the most impressive thing has been the performance of Jordan Love. There have been a few hiccups along the way, such as his accuracy. Love has only completed 55.8 percent of his 52 pass attempts thus far. Managing only seven yards on the team’s final 10 offensive plays against the Falcons was also very disappointing.
But, no one is expecting perfection from Love in his first season as the starter, surrounded by the least experienced roster in the NFL. The Packers have yet to have their projected starting lineup or group of skill position players in the lineup this season either.
Despite that, Love has provided plenty more positives than negatives out of the gate. He is currently tied for the league lead with six interceptions and has not committed a turnover. Is this something that will continue?
In the opinion of Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Love’s start is for real. He believes that the Utah State product will continue playing at a high level, taking care of the ball and putting the Packers in a position to win games.
“Now, let’s be even more real: He’s not going to finish with 51 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. But the biggest question about most first-time starting quarterbacks is whether they can take care of the ball. And Love has been unflappable in that regard. He said before the season that he was willing to take the checkdowns if necessary and not force the ball, and he’s done just that. At some point, he’s going to need to connect on some deep balls, but that’s about the only thing missing from Love’s game right now.”
Love’s start has been very impressive and this offense is only going to get better. When he has his full complement of weapons, this is going to be an explosive group. Wide receiver Christian Watson, who was dominant in training camp, has not played because of a hamstring injury.
His addition to the offense should lead to the Packers having more production down the field. Aaron Jones’s absence in Week 2 clearly hampered the offense as well. His home run ability was missed as AJ Dillon does not offer the same upside as a runner or pass catcher.
The only thing that could derail Love’s hot start is the status of the offensive line. The Packers could be without Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins for a few weeks after he suffered a knee injury in Week 2. Left tackle David Bakhtiari is dealing with a chronic knee injury as well that kept him out of the Week 2 lineup because of swelling.
If they miss time, there is certainly a chance that Love’s production dips as his protection may not be as good. But, the Packers have done a wonderful job building strong depth in the trenches and are hoping the players embody the next man up mantra.
