Jordan Love still has work to do.
Jordan Love isn’t afraid to cut it loose and take shots deep downfield. Look no further than his incredible 53-yard connection to Jayden Reed in the Green Bay Packers’ win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.
Love couldn’t have thrown a better pass, and Reed made a highlight-reel catch. However, in hindsight, it’s probably a ball Love never should’ve attempted. He was pretty much begging the Rams to make an interception by launching it halfway down the field into triple coverage. Love backed himself to make the throw, which he did, and for his receiver to come down with it.
All’s well that ends well, right?
In this case, absolutely. The Packers will take it. However, head coach Matt LaFleur issued a warning to Love about taking gambles like that moving forward.
Matt LaFleur gives an honest answer about Jordan Love’s incredible pass to Jayden Reed
It’s hard to be too critical of a decision when it works beautifully. Love backed himself and Reed to make the play, and they pulled it off. However, sometimes the process is more important than the result. As LaFleur said on Monday, making risky decisions on a regular basis won’t always end positively.
“The one to J-Reed, I don’t recommend that decision,” said LaFleur. “But he threw a hell of a ball and Jayden made a heck of a catch. It’s one of those things that you’re like, no, no, no, yes. But I just think, over time, you’ve got to be careful with those.”
Well said. We will happily rewatch that play over and over. It’s a thing of beauty. However, looking at the bigger picture, Love should probably take fewer unnecessary risks.
“All quarterbacks are going to go through this. We’ve just got to continue to encourage to take what’s there,” said LaFleur. “He’s always wanted to push the ball down the field, which I respect. One thing we always talk about is sometimes you’ve got to earn the right to throw the ball down the field.”
There’s no doubt that Love has an element of Brett Favre to his game, and it’s a constant risk-reward battle. You can’t make big-time plays if you never attempt them, but there’s a fine line between being bold and reckless.
Love proved that the Aaron Rodgers formula can work, too, when he threw 18 touchdowns with only one interception in the Packers’ 6-2 end to the 2023 regular season. He rarely took unnecessary risks, accepting what the defense gave him while picking his spots to play hero ball.
Since his return from an MCL sprain, Love has taken a step too close to the reckless category, leading to six touchdowns and four interceptions in two games.
Including the season opener in Brazil, Love has thrown eight touchdown passes but has five interceptions. LaFleur doesn’t want to rein in Love’s playmaking ability too far that it restricts his ability to produce wow moments, but he also needs to reduce his turnovers.
His play to Reed was spectacular. Blockbuster. Arguably the best throw of his career. However, it easily could’ve ended with a turnover. The result was great, but the process? Not so much.
Finding the right balance is the next challenge for Love and LaFleur.