Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love had many questions about him entering the 2023 NFL season. Many were wondering if he could replace Aaron Rodgers as the long-term starting quarterback for the franchise. It appears as if Love answered a lot of those questions toward the end of last season.
The Packers started last season with a 2-5 record and that was when Love hit a rough patch. A lot of fans were questioning if Love was the guy or not. They also questioned the way general manager Brian Gutekunst addresses the NFL Draft and also questioned head coach Matt LaFleur’s ability to coach this football team.
Thankfully, all of those questions have been answered for now. It will now be up to Jordan Love to take his game to another level and maybe win an MVP and a Super Bowl. That is something that Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers did in the past with the franchise.
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Was 1 of 6 Quarterbacks According to CBS Sports Who Took a Leap During the 2023 NFL Season
Ever since the 2000 season, CBS Sports has listed its quarterbacks who have taken massive leaps. Douglas Clawson of CBS Sports wrote about the criteria of quarterback leaps by saying:
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“There needs to be a statistical baseline. I started my search with quarterbacks who jumped at least a quarter of the league’s qualified passers from one season to the next in terms of expected points added (EPA) per play. EPA takes into account value added on all plays, from passes, sacks, scrambles and designed runs. It captures a quarterback’s entire impact better than a traditional stat like passer rating.
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I used the eye test to refine the list, adding and subtracting quarterbacks from there. Numbers were a great place to start but not the end all, be all. For example, there are quarterbacks who qualified for the passer leaderboard, but clearly didn’t have enough playing time for anyone to believe they made “the leap.”
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Traditionally, you might connect a quarterback leap to players in their first few seasons in the league. I looked at leaps of all flavors. I included Aaron Rodgers in 2020. He clearly took a step forward after the Jordan Love pick, winning back-to-back MVPs, following a few average seasons. “
Six different quarterbacks last season leaped according to this criteria. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was one of those six quarterbacks who took this leap. The other five quarterbacks who leaped last season were C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, and Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Clawson also added about Jordan Love:
“Jordan Love threw for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2023. The only quarterbacks to exceed those numbers in their first season as a full-time starter in NFL history are Patrick Mahomes and Kurt Warner. He did that for the youngest team to win a playoff game since the merger. Green Bay also sported the most touchdown grabs by first- and second-year players all time. The Packers are beyond spoiled at quarterback! Love’s play was truly Aaron Rodgers-esque. He went on a second-half run that mirrored some of Rodgers’ late-season tears. He was calm under pressure and even some of his throws on the run and sidearm deliveries bore a stark resemblance to his predecessor. There was a nine-game run from Week 11 through the wild card playoffs where Love had 21 touchdown passes and one interception, including eight touchdowns and no picks when he was pressured. That kind of composure considering the youth around him bodes extremely well for his future.”
Love does not have a true number-one wide receiver, but that does not matter to him. Green Bay’s offense will thrive on that once again this season because all Jordan Love cares about is throwing the football to the open man.
It would not be a surprise to see him in the MVP race at some point during the 2024 NFL season. A lot of the 2024 NFL season is going to ride on the shoulders of quarterback Jordan Love for the Green Bay Packers.
