It. Is. Time. The Green Bay Packers must let Jordan Love cook.
Matt LaFleur's commitment to balance and establishing the run is commendable, as at its peak, it can turn the passing game into an unstoppable force through play-action. Not this year. Not this offense. These ain't Vince Lombardi's power-sweep Packers. This is Jordan Love's team, and LaFleur must hand the keys to his QB1.
Love has proved all season, especially on Sunday Night Football, that he is sitting at the table of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. His run of 20 consecutive completions tied Brett Favre's franchise record, his poise, rhythm, and accuracy proving too much for Mike Tomlin's bewildered, beleaguered defense.
Matt LaFleur needs to hand the keys of Packers offense to Jordan Love
This is who the 2025 Packers are. They are no longer a team that runs first to set up the pass — that piece of LaFleur's playbook is malfunctioning and in need of repair. Love's five bodyguards know how to pass block, but consistently opening rushing lanes is an uphill battle. Per ESPN, Green Bay entered Week 8 ranking No. 5 in pass-block win rate but No. 29 for run-blocking.
Yet, according to Team Rankings, the Packers throw the ball just 52.4 percent of the time, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the NFL. The theory behind it is great. The execution? Nowhere near it.
Sunday's game in Pittsburgh perfectly encapsulated that. LaFleur understandably tried to set the tone on the ground against a woeful Steelers run defense. But no matter how hard he tried to force the issue, the Packers' wheels just kept spinning. Seven first-half carries gained 19 yards. Three of their first six drives ended in three-and-outs.
Even if Brandon McManus made his two field goals, the Packers would've entered the break with 13 points they truly had to work hard for.
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The Packers returned from halftime a different team. LaFleur took off the training wheels, replaced his sputtering run game with a quick-passing attack, and placed the hope of a comeback in Love's hands. His QB1 didn't throw an incompletion until deep into the fourth quarter, and by then, the Packers held full control of the contest.
When LaFleur removes the shackles, throws his run-pass balance formula in the trash, and puts the game in Love's hands, good things happen. Once he did that on Sunday night, Green Bay's offense reached its sky-high potential and took Pittsburgh's defense apart.
The Packers' second-half drives: Touchdown. Touchdown. Touchdown. Field goal. Field goal. Victory formation.
And by stretching the Steelers through the air, it in turn opened up the ground game, with the Packers turning 18 second-half carries into 76 yards, a 4.2 yards-per-carry average compared to the pedestrian 2.71 they managed in the opening two frames.
Love is completing 70.9 percent of his passes this season, ranking sixth in the NFL. He has 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and the league's fifth-best passer rating of 112.8. According to Next Gen Stats, he ranks second in EPA per dropback.
LaFleur wants to establish the run and wear down defenses with Josh Jacobs before taking advantage through the air. But that's not this team's identity. They have an offensive line built to protect their franchise quarterback, but not a group that can bully defenders in the ground game.
And that's OK, because Love is the guy, and he is poised to break into the MVP conversation. LaFleur just needs to give him a chance.
This is Love's offense. LaFleur is his No. 1 fan, but he now needs to prove it and trust him. Let Love cook, and the Packers will soar to new heights.