The big storyline heading into last week’s Sunday night matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers was all about Aaron Rodgers facing his old team for the first time. But by the end of the night, all the talk had shifted to his successor in Green Bay, Jordan Love.
Advertisement
While Rodgers didn’t necessarily play poorly, he was clearly outplayed by Love in the Packers’ 35-25 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh. At one point, Love completed 20 straight passes to tie a franchise record set by Brett Favre in 2007. He led the Packers on five consecutive scoring drives in the second half, never punting once after halftime.
Love finished the day with 360 passing yards on a career-high 78.4 completion rate. He also tossed three TDs, put up about 10 yards a throw, and finished with a 134.2 passer rating, another career high. After that display, former three-time Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck couldn’t help but notice how similar Love’s playing style is to Rodgers’ when he was in his prime at Lambeau.
“It’s so weird what the Packers have done [with Love]. They went from Favre to Rodgers to Love so seamlessly in a world where no one can get the quarterback right. Those three guys kinda, sorta started playing like each other. I think Jordan Love plays a lot like Aaron Rodgers. And I know Matt LaFleur’s there, same coach as Rodgers finished with, and that’s who’s training him up. He’s great,” Hasselbeck said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
Hasselbeck does have a point. All three Packers QBs have been real gunslingers with big arms. However, the similarities in the throwing mechanics between Love and Rodgers are especially eerie. Hasselbeck also compared Love’s cool-under-pressure demeanor to that of reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
“I think one of the best things about him is his calmness, his demeanor. When the moments get huge, he’s got a Jalen Hurts vibe about him. Like, yeah, this is really cool, this is fun, I get to go play against Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau, no big deal. Yeah, we’re gonna do a jersey swap later. That’s awesome, it’s incredible.”
As Colin Cowherd said, it’s time to stop referring to Love as “up and coming.” He is here now. He has led the Packers to a 5-1-1 start, which puts them in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. But he’s also been brilliant individually. He’s been efficient as a quarterback can be, ranking fourth in completion percentage (70.9), yards per attempt (8.4), and passer rating (112.8), as well as sixth in INT rate (0.9).
Love and company will look to push their current three-game winning streak to a four-gamer next week against the Carolina Panthers and their top 10 passing defense.
