Jordan Love was absolutely phenomenal in his Packers debut, and when witnessing a football game at any level live, one quickly realizes that the wave of emotions brought on by the ebbs and flows of the contest feels like a three-hour rollercoaster ride. Certain situations, such as 3rd-down plays, evoke more loop-de-loop drama and suspense, while others allow us spectators to catch our breaths before the next hairpin turn sets us on the edges of our seats. In Sunday’s 38-20 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love expertly guided his offense on those stomach-dropping and all-important 3rd down plays, and those successes directly affected the positive outcome of the game.
Love Thrived On Pressure-Packed 3rd Downs
With the hostile Soldier Field crowd at full-throat on Opening Day, Jordan Love ignored the noise and pressure and looked as if he was throwing the ball around with his buddies in the backyard. Even though his overall passing percentage was a pedestrian 55.6% (15 for 27), Love was brilliant when he needed to be his best–on 3rd downs–and that led to his amazing 123.2 quarterback rating for Sunday.
The Packers converted 9 out of 16 3rd down opportunities (56%), but that certainly is not the whole story. The end result of all this was an incredibly impressive and dominant performance from Love and the rest of the offense in those situations, as he completed eight of his 10 pass attempts for 141 yards and two touchdown passes.
Jordan Love BIG Plays On 3rd Down
Not only was Love clutch at the most important times, but he had arguably the three biggest plays of the game on 3rd down. On three occasions, Love found three different targets for more than 35 yards.
A video of Aaron Jones’ 51-yard score is found here.
The Importance of Positive 3rd-Down Play
Why is 3rd-down success so important? Football is a battle of attrition, a battle boiling down to which team can wear down the other first. Converting 3rd-downs and moving the chains keeps the offense on the field, thereby raising their chances to put points on the board. As a result, the Bears’ defense is forced to play on, and on a warm September afternoon, fatigue becomes a factor. That, in turn, allows the Packers’ defense an even longer break, resting up for when their turn to play is needed.
On the other hand, the Bears were only 27% (4 for 15) on third-down conversions.
How does Green Bay’s and Love’s performance on Sunday stack up compared to the rest of the NFL’s 3rd-down conversion rates? In 2022, the four teams who made the most of their 3rd down plays were: Buffalo (playoff team), Kansas City (Super Bowl champ), Philadelphia (Super Bowl runner-up), and Cincinnati (lost in the AFC title game). If nothing else, this shows us that keeping possession of the ball matters and is a huge factor in winning games and championships.
Yes, one game is not a tell-tale sign of things to come. It is an extremely small sample size, maybe not enough to prognosticate the depths of a 17-game season. However, after the drama-filled off-season the Packers and their fans endured regarding the quarterback position, Jordan Love proved he could handle the pressure-packed plays against a most-hated rival with the brightest of lights shining directly on him.
