In 2023, the Green Bay Packers surprised everyone by parting ways with their long-time quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who had been with them for 18 seasons. This decision came after the team failed to make the playoffs in 2022. Instead, they put their faith in their backup QB, Jordan Love, trading Rodgers to the Jets.
Advertisement
Despite low expectations from fans and critics, Love impressed everyone by leading the team to the Divisional Round in 2023 in his first season as a starter. Recently, Jordan Love appeared in “The Pivot Podcast” and sat down with former linebacker Channing Crowder and former safety Ryan Clark to discuss his first season as a starter.
In one segment, Channing Crowder delved into the pressure Jordan Love faced stepping into the shoes of a legend like Aaron Rodgers. Love admitted that the weight of expectations was quite heavy on his shoulders, which he feels is natural being a quarterback in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers QB stated,
“It was tough to excel as a rookie quarterback, you know, getting thrown in the fire and trying to learn so many new things at one time and also perform on the field.”
Love recounted his first two years with the Packers, where he backed up behind Rodgers. In those two seasons, he started one of 10 games he played. He highlighted the challenge of proving himself to teammates who were unfamiliar with his abilities.
Despite being benched, Love shared how he managed to handle the stress. Moreover, he found relief in not being in the spotlight as the starting quarterback, which meant less media attention and fewer expectations. This allowed him to focus on learning and growing without constantly feeling judged.
There have been 2 times in NFL history where a QB achieved all these stats in a single season:
4000+ passing yards
30+ passing TDS
200+ rushing yards
4+ rushing TDS
15 or less turnovers
30 or less sacks taken
2022 Patrick Mahomes and 2023 Jordan Love pic.twitter.com/XQPUZZtOsu
— Bay of Cheese (@LeroyLeap) January 11, 2024
When his moment to lead the franchise arrived, he was fully prepared. After all, he learned from the veteran QB Aaron Rodgers, who has a history of leading the Packers to great success. Now, Jordan Love appears to seamlessly fill the gap left by Rodgers’ departure to the Jets.
Jordan Love on His Playoff Debut Against the Cowboys
In the same podcast, Ryan Clark highlighted Jordan Love’s first playoff Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys last season. Clark asked love about his mindset during that crucial game as the Cowboys were seen as Super Bowl contenders and was being led by Dak Prescott who was a legit MVP contender.
Rewatch Jordan Love’s 3⃣ most improbable completions from the @Packers Wild Card win over the Cowboys ️#GBvsDAL | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/i7Z6jbUqf5
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 15, 2024
Love reflected on the intense week of preparation leading up to the game and how many of his teammates including him were playoff rookies. He credited his success to his head coach Matt LaFleur who emphasized on staying focused and treating the playoffs like any other game.
Moreover, he also attribute his team’s success to a solid game plan crafted by Matt, who had insights from a previous game against the Cowboys. They approached the game with an underdog mentality, aiming to surprise everyone.
And they ended up doing just that, beating the Cowboys with a 48-32 score and advancing to the Divisional Round. However, in the following game they suffered a heartbreaking 24-21 loss against the San Francisco 49ers, crushing Jordan Love’s dream of winning his first Super Bowl.
