Packers: Best-, worst-case scenarios if Jordan Love starts in 2021
With just days to go until the Green Bay Packers‘ training camp begins, we still don’t know what’s next for Aaron Rodgers.
If Rodgers doesn’t play this year, there’s a great chance Jordan Love will be QB1.
A full season with Love could end up a bunch of different ways. Let’s look at the best- and worst-case scenarios if Love is the Packers’ starter in 2021.
Best-case scenario if Love starts
Think Patrick Mahomes in 2018. The best-case scenario, as unlikely as it may seem, would be Love enjoying a breakout season.
It wouldn’t mean Love would need to match Mahomes’ 5,097 yards and 50 touchdown passes, along with an NFL MVP award, but the best-case scenario would be a huge season for Love.
Mahomes shows it can be done. Similarly to Love, he sat out for a year and learned under Andy Reid and Alex Smith. Love has spent a year watching and learning from Rodgers during an all-time great season.
Best-case scenario? Love dominates and the Packers remain Super Bowl contenders.
Worst-case scenario if Love starts
Of course, the complete opposite could be true also. The worst-case scenario is also very much in play, which would see Love struggle in every game he plays while the Packers fail to win many games. In such a scenario, Love would likely get benched at some point in favor of veteran Blake Bortles.
Think back to 2017. DeShone Kizer started 15 games for the Cleveland Browns and lost them all. Kizer threw 11 touchdown passes with 22 interceptions.
Most-likely scenario
It would likely fall somewhere in between.
We’d see some great moments from Love that perhaps closely resemble the incredible plays Mahomes and Rodgers make look easy. We’d also see some encouraging performances with Love leading the offense to victory.
But we’d also likely see the bad games where poor decision-making leads to turnovers, the offense stalls, and the Packers struggle.
With such a talented roster, the Packers could still find success with Love. They could possibly be playoff contenders, but anything more than that would seem unlikely. At least this season.