No doubt about it, Jordan Love is Packers long-term answer at quarterback

This was a pivotal year for the Green Bay Packers franchise. Long-time quarterback and perennial MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers departed for New York, leaving the Packers with what they believed could be their next franchise quarterback in Jordan Love.

It was an up-and-down start to the season for Love, but it was his play over the season's second half which cemented him as the next long-time Packers' signal caller.

Green Bay was in a rough spot just past the midway point in the season, with a 3-6 record and questions about the viability of Love as the quarterback of the future in Green Bay, in addition to the job security of head coach Matt LaFleur.

That all changed in the final eight games, with Love leading the Packers to a 6-2 record and into the postseason for the first time without Rodgers or Brett Favre as Green Bay's quarterback with a full season's worth of games since 1972 (Green Bay would qualify in 1982's nine-game shortened season).

This is a notable achievement for Love when considering the consistently high level of quarterback play in Green Bay that dates back over 30 years.

The future is now for Jordan Love and the Packers

It was always going to be a game of patience this season with Love in Green Bay, and those who exercised it were wise to do so. An adjustment period was going to be required early on as the former first-round pick out of Utah State grew more comfortable with being a full-time starting NFL quarterback.

Love would go on to complete just over 70% of his passes for 2,150 yards, with 18 touchdowns and just one interception during the final eight games that propelled the Packers into the postseason. This is the type of play that the front office and coaching staff believed Love to be capable of. It was just having to wait for it to come to fruition after some rough moments to begin the season.

While the focus in Green Bay is on their upcoming playoff matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers, and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief when assessing the state of their franchise on a year-over-year basis with Love at the helm. The team will now be able to build around the foundation accordingly and hopefully be able to get back into the mix for the division title as soon as next season.

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